University of Central Florida Uses SAS® for Web-Based Distributed Learning Evaluation

Some students who enroll at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando don't actually go to classes. They let the classes come to them – over the Internet.

Customer Success Video

Check out this video to learn more about University of Central Florida and its successes with SAS.

View Video

• Windows Media Player
• Real Player

(Runtime: 5 mins, 10 secs)

---

Customer ViewPoint
You have questions; our customers have answers. Check out this video Q&A.

Dr. Morgan Wang
Director, Data Mining Program, University of Central Florida

View Video

• Windows Media Player
• Real Player

---

(Requires Windows Media Player 6.4.7 or higher or RealPlayer 6 or higher)

Keeping abreast of the latest trends in education, the 36,000-student research university offers some courses that are entirely Web-based and others that are Web-enhanced. As a major metropolitan university whose mission is to deliver a comprehensive program of teaching, research and service, UCF would be remiss not to incorporate technological advances in knowledge sharing. But how do you measure the success of students whose main form of interaction is digital?

Using SAS data management and Web-enablement technology, UCF developed a Web-based survey system to evaluate the performance of both students and faculty who participate in distance learning programs.

Into the Digital Age
The University of Central Florida began developing its Web-based distributed learning program in the summer of 1996. An integral part of the program is a comprehensive evaluation that indexes cognitive, emotional and behavioral components of the student population.

The design calls for regular administration of mailed questionnaires that are distributed to all students who participate in online courses. Although this evaluation system enjoyed a successful response rate of 35 percent to 45 percent, UCF felt it needed to progress to an online assessment system.

"As these courses are delivered fully or substantially via the Web, an online assessment mechanism seemed a logical interface," says Dr. Chuck Dziuban, director of UCF's research initiative for teaching effectiveness. "We feel that real-time analysis with a Web-based survey system is an important tool for improving online instruction."

Improving the Evaluation Process
Using SAS solutions, Dr. Morgan Wang, associate professor in the UCF Department of Statistics, initiated the idea of a Web-based survey system. Using SAS/IntrNet, Wang designed a survey that collects and analyzes factors such as student learning styles, levels of satisfaction with taking an online or Web-enabled course, student commuting patterns and other student lifestyle questions.

Web-based surveys offer several advantages over mailed questionnaires. First, they're economical. There are no costs for duplicating materials or for mailing the form. Aside from the start-up configuration of the system, the only real cost is designing the survey and publishing it on the Web. If the questionnaire remains consistent or undergoes only minor modifications, preparation costs are virtually eliminated. Second, because the data is in digital format, Web-based surveys eliminate data entry errors completely. Third, Web-based surveys make it possible for real-time analysis and reporting.

Professors and administrators can perform preliminary analyses right away – creating, for example, a frequency table of survey responses from the Web site. Using the findings, they can make decisions about how to improve or adjust a distributed learning program quickly and with a higher degree of confidence. "Once an online survey is active, the results are made available immediately without further human intervention," explains Joel Hartman, vice provost for information technologies and resources.

The SAS survey system also includes system checks for duplication of survey responses and filtering capabilities, allowing examination of a particular group of responses. The survey is also password-protected to ensure participants' privacy.

Utilizing a Value-Based, Proven Architecture
UCF's Wang chose SAS for this application because SAS technology could take the university far beyond simply getting the survey form on the Web. "With SAS you can establish a decision platform that enables data collection, data validation, and data warehousing and analysis," explains Wang. "As the demand for Web-based and Web-enhanced classes increases, so will the need to collect information on the effectiveness of distance learning and ways to improve the program. SAS helps us do just that by making sense of all the data we collect."

Message from Dr. Kathryn Seidel, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Central Florida:

Dr. Kathryn Seidel, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Central Florida

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida established the SAS Data Mining Certificate Program in August 2000 and the Data Mining master-of-science degree in August 2001.

The certificate program provides working professionals with both the statistical knowledge and the SAS programming concepts and skills needed to make an immediate impact in the world of business. The MS degree focuses on providing in-depth knowledge on data mining to students with technical backgrounds such as computer science, statistics, engineering and business.

Both programs provide prospective employers a benchmark for measuring data mining skills in the analytical world. In order to promote both programs in this highly competitive data mining world, significant amounts of resources – including faculty, staff, graduate student support, and computing resources – are allocated to both programs through the College of Arts and Sciences and Academic Affairs.

Copyright © SAS Institute Inc. All Rights Reserved.