Response Rate: 73.3% [281 / 383 (November, 1998)] of First Year MT Students (in the first semester of a 2 year program)

The Needs Assessment Survey has 66 items organized into three subscale

Subscale 1: Seven (7) Demographic Items
Subscale 2: Eight (8) Prior Experience Items
Subscale 3: Fifty-one 51 Alberta Education Learner Outcomes Items

• 51 / 226 (22.5%) Alberta Education Learner Outcomes
• 22 items / 96 (23%) Learner Outcomes from Foundational Operations, Knowledge and Concepts
• 15 items / 53 (28%) Learner Outcomes from Processes for Productivity
• 14 items / 77 (18%) Learner Outcomes from Communication, Inquiry, Decision Making, Problem Solving

Participant Information

The following 7 questions gathered information about individual students in the MT program for group comparison.

1. What is your age?

 

	Frequency	Percentage
Less than 24	113	40.2
24 to 30	122	43.4
31 to 35	20	7.1
36 to 40	0	0
41 to 45	13	4.6
46 to 50	10	3.5
51 plus	3	1.0


 
2. What is your gender?

 

	Frequency	Percentage
Female	205	72.9
Male	76	27.0


 
3. In which Faculty/Department did you complete your prior degree?

1. What is the highest degree you currently hold?

 

5. Do you have access to a computer at home?

 

	Frequency	Percentage
No	46	16.3
Yes	235	83.6


 
6. Can you access the Internet at home?

 

	Frequency	Percentage
No	103	36.6
Yes	178	63.3


 
7. What is your specialization in MT program?

For each of the following 8 computer applications skills, MT students were asked to indicate their level of expertise PRIOR to entry into the Masters of Teaching program. These items are based upon the objectives of the previous compulsory course in educational technology, EDTS 325, offered in the Faculty of Education.
 
 

1. Word Processing (i.e., format, edit, save, and print documents).

2. Electronic Mail (i.e., compose, edit, send, and receive e-mail).

4. Accessing Library resources using the World Wide Web.

5. World Wide Web page creation and editing (i.e., HTML or Web editors).

6. Presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint, Persuasion)

7. Spreadsheets (e.g., Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, ClarisWorks)

8. Database creation (e.g., Access, Quatro Pro, FileMaker)

The following items are a sample of the knowledge/skills to be required of students in Grades 4-9 beginning in Fall, 1999. These are to be integrated into the traditional subject areas--not relegated to separate technology classes. They appear in the document, Information & Communication Technology: Interim Program of Studies Kindergarten to Grade 12 which is available from Alberta Education's web site.
 

F. Foundational Operations, Knowledge and Concepts

F1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of technology.

1. Explain advantages and limitations of using computers to store, organize, retrieve and select information.

F2. Students will understand the role of technology as it applies to self, work and society.

1. Explain how technology influences our lives.

F3. Students will demonstrate a moral and ethical approach to the use of technology.

1. Use appropriate communication etiquette.

2. Document sources obtained electronically, such as web site addresses.

3. Explain issues involved in balancing the right to access information with the right to personal privacy.

4. Cite sources when using copyright and/or public domain material.

F4. Students will become discerning consumers of mass media and electronic information.

1. Describe how the use of various texts and graphics can alter perception.

2. Analyze techniques used by the media to elicit particular responses from an audience.

F5. Students will practice the concepts of ergonomics and safety when using technology.

1. Demonstrate the application of ergonomics to promote personal health and well-being.

1. Organize computer files and directories.

2. Use computer peripherals including printers and scanners.

P1. Students will compose, revise and edit text.

1. Convert files by opening and saving them as different file types.

2. Use advanced word processing techniques such as style sheets, headers, footers, columns, table of contents, bibliography and index.

3. Insert a table, graph, picture, or text from another file into a word processing document.

P2. Students will organize and manipulate data.

1. Display data electronically through graphs and charts.

2. Design, create and modify a database for a specific purpose.

3. Design, create and modify a spreadsheet for a specific purpose, including functions such as SUM, PRODUCT, QUOTIENT, and AVERAGE.

P3. Students will communicate through multimedia.

1. Create visual images by using such tools as paint and draw programs.

2. Create multimedia presentations that incorporate graphics, audio, video and text.

P4. Students will integrate various applications.

1. Integrate text and graphics to form a meaningful message.

 

2. Integrate a spreadsheet, or graphs generated by a spreadsheet, into a text document.

3. Integrate visual and audio information to create a message targeted for a specific audience.

4. Apply principles of graphic design to enhance meaning and audience appeal.

P5. Students will navigate and create hyperlinked resources.

1. Design and create a multiple-link document.

P6. Students will use communication technology to interact with others.

1. Communicate with a targeted audience by using such communication technologies as e-mail and web browsers.

2. Demonstrate proficiency in accessing local area network, wide area network and Internet services to exchange files.

Communication, Inquiry, Decision Making, Problem Solving

C1. Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.
1. Refine searches to limit retrieved items to a manageable number.

2. Plan and perform complex searches using more than one electronic source.

3. Evaluate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of various search strategies.

C2. Students will seek alternative viewpoints, using information technologies.

1. Use information technology to find information that supports or refutes diverse viewpoints.

C3. Students will critically assess information accessed through the use of a variety of technologies.

1. Verify information retrieved electronically to determine its accuracy, credibility or relevance.

C4. Students will use organizational processes and tools to manage inquiry.
1. Organize information, using such tools as a database, spreadsheet or hypertext.

2. Use Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT) to refine an online search.

3. Choose appropriate search engines for a particular topic when searching the Web.

C5. Students will use technology to aid collaboration during inquiry.
1. Retrieve data from available storage devices, such as a shared folder, to which a group has contributed.

C6. Students will use technology to investigate and/or solve problems.

1. Use graphic organizers, e.g., mind mapping/webbing, flow charting and outlining, to present connections among ideas and information.

2. Solve numerical problems using such tools as calculators and spreadsheets.

 

3. Solve problems requiring the sorting, organizing, classifying and extending of data, using such tools as spreadsheets, databases or hypertext technology.

4. Test solutions to problems by using such computer applications as computer-assisted design or simulation/modelling software.

C7. Students will use electronic techniques to construct personal knowledge and meaning.
1. Use a variety of technologies to organize and synthesize information, e.g., construct an electronic portfolio.