Faithin Omaha eBook Collection

Download or read book Assessing the Academic Networked Environment written by Charles R. McClure and published by Washington, D.C. : Coalition for Networked Information. This book was released on 1996 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people in higher education are looking to networked resources and services when formulating strategies for addressing the pursuits of learning, teaching, research, and community service. Sometimes it may be difficult to determine if users are seeing the same things or the "right" things. This manual provides a set of tools for assessing the academic networked environment, not necessarily a strict blueprint for evaluation. It discusses benchmarking, focus groups, site visits, and other techniques for collecting and using qualitative data. Ways in which network activity can be measured are also discussed; assessment can involve counting registered users, costs, telecommunications "traffic," and use of computers and applications. Costs and usage of network services--online public library catalogs, campuswide information services, and distance education--as well as support services are also typical targets for assessment. A sample user survey related to these topics is provided, along with appendixes that offer self-assessment tools, data collection forms, information on software that measures network services and applications, and information technology surveys. (Contains 39 references.) (BEW)