RIS ID

4654

Publication Details

Corderoy, R. M., Stace, R. J., Wills, S. & Ip, A. (2000). Subject Online Survey (SOS): An Online Tool to Support Improvement in Teaching and Learning. In B. Harper, J. Gassin, D. Kolb, R. Oliver & N. Smythe (Eds.), AUC Academic Developers Conference - Conference Proceedings CD_ROM Wollongong NSW Australia: Apple Computer Australia.

Abstract

Traditionally, data relating to the conduct of subjects at the University of Wollongong has been collected for teachers with one main purpose in mind: to provide the teacher with supporting information as to their teaching ability for the purposes of promotion. SOS is a web based system which teachers can use to author customised surveys to collect information about the subject they teach. These surveys are completed anonymously by the students via the web (using randomly generated, survey specific numeric tokens) and the data is automatically collated and returned to the teacher. The teacher may also produce the surveys in hard copy, for manual distribution and collation. The system provides a ‘non-threatening’ and ‘informal’ mechanism by which teachers can obtain useful information about the subjects they develop and teach in terms of subject based criteria rather than the 'teacher based criteria' of formal Teaching Surveys. In this time of declining University budgets, SOS provides a very cost efficient solution to the collection of this data. This paper provides a background to the development of SOS in the context of the needs of the University of Wollongong and its teachers. It briefly outlines the main features of the system, new features being added to Version 2 and reports on the outcomes for the early adopters.

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