Use the menu at the right to view current FSI information. Below, you will find a compilation of FSI Evaluations. Login to ION using the form at the top right to see additional evaluations information depending on your user level.

1999 Evaluations

Participation Overview

The annual Faculty Summer Institute on Learning Technologies (FSI) is the capstone event of the ION program year. Held on the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois from May 24-27, 1999, this year’s institute brought together over two-hundred faculty, administrators, and support staff for three and a half days of activities, all revolving around online teaching and learning. Participants who were able to attend the entire conference were eligible to earn 1.7 Continuing Education Units. Seventy-seven attendees requested and received a letter verifying the CEUs earned.

In a pre-conference survey, 14 attendees identified themselves as computer novices and 35 called themselves Internet/Web novices. At the other extreme, more than 100 participants indicated that they already had experience creating Web pages, some having developed JavaScript and Java programs. Moreover, at least forty participants had attended the Faculty summer Institute the previous year and were expecting new and different content. One of the major challenges of this year’s institute, then, was developing a program that would be of interest to novices and experienced users alike. With extensive input from the Steering Committee, the Illinois Online Network staff put together a program designed to address the needs and interests of this diverse group. The program included:
• Five plenary sessions on topics of general interest (the Illinois Virtual Campus, Copyright in the Digital Age, etc.) presented by distinguished speakers.
• An electronic poster session showcasing exceptional online course materials and programs developed by faculty and staff at ION partner institutions. The session had twelve exhibits.
• Five sets of concurrent breakout sessions, each consisting of 8-12 small-group discussions and hands-on workshops. A total of 45 breakout sessions were held covering thirty-eight different topics, including sessions focusing on online teaching strategies and best practices for specific disciplinary areas, and special session for academic advisers.
• An optional tour of the CAVE (CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment) at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Evaluation Summary

A printed survey instrument was included in the conference packet and collected at the conclusion of the 3.5 day conference. Of the 189 community college personnel who attended the institute, 111 or 58% of them turned in their evaluation forms.
Questions concerning the quality of the event and individual sessions yielded predominantly positive results. One hundred percent of the respondents indicated that they would recommend the FSI to a colleague and eighty percent or greater of the respondents rated the following items as either good or excellent (Appendix C, question 1):
• plenary session (80% rated as good or excellent)
• hands-on breakout sessions (93% rated as good or excellent)
• lecture-demonstration breakout sessions (91% rated as good or excellent)
• meals (99% rated as good or excellent)
• logistics (86% rated as good or excellent)
• overall experience at the FSI (98% rated as good or excellent)
Although many different sessions were cited as being of greatest interest or value to attendees, the following sessions were of greatest value to five or more participants:
• Instructional Design for Online Courses (11)
• WebBoard and Conferencing Strategies (7)
• Web Design for Online courses (5)
• Cool Tools - Instructional Technologies for Network-based Delivery (9)

Survey results suggest that the institute will have a significant impact on the courses taught or supported by participants. Nine-one percent said it is extremely likely that they will incorporate aspects of what they learned into their courses and another eight percent said it is somewhat likely. When asked which particular technologies or strategies they expected to use as a results of what they learned at the FSI, fifty percent or greater selected the following:
• e-mail, mailing lists, or news groups (54%)
• static web pages (52%)
• interactive Web pages (50%)
• online homework/quizzes (68%)
• asynchronous conferencing (62%)
• PowerPoint lecture notes (50%)

Participants provided many constructive comments in response to the question about how the FSI could be improved and elsewhere in the survey. Several issues of widespread concern emerged, all of which we plan to address in our plans for FSI 2000:
• Many respondents suggested that we shorten the conference and make better use of evening time. For FSI 200, we are cutting the conference back from 3.5 days to 2.5 days and adding an evening breakout session on day one.
• A number of participants complained that the plenary venue was uncomfortable and it was difficult to see the speaker. A more suitable plenary hall has been reserved for FSI 2000.
• Participants felt that the breakout sessions, particularly the afternoon sessions were too long. The afternoon breakouts for FSI 2000 will be cut back to 2 hours and an optional hands-on practice session will follow for those who wish to practice or experiment with the instructional technologies they’ve been exposed to.
• Participants would like more time to discuss issues surrounding online teaching; additional time will be devoted to small group discussion during FSI 2000.

Although most questions were multiple choice, they also included space for comments and respondents were generous with their praise. All comments are transcribed in Appendix C, but here is a sampling:
• I learned more in 3 1/2 days than I've learned during the past 2 years!
• Best faculty development event I've ever been a part of.
• Well organized. Great presenters in breakouts.
• Overall, an excellent conference. I learned and was motivated to learn more.
• Quite well, organized, wonderful. Good to have ICCB & IBHE heads here to speak.
• Very pleased. I gained far more than I expected I would.
• One of the most informative (and demanding) conferences I've attended.
• Most sessions were great; delivered what was promised
• First rate content & organization very well done
• Very well done
• I have a much better feel for the correct way to incorporate technology into my classes and set up an online course.
• Excellent job!