ICTStudy is an innovative case study aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of both traditional and new media approaches in material dissemination methodology among ATE Centers & Projects nationwide.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hi-Tec Survey: Results and Analysis
Overview
The following is a summary of the results from the HI-TEC survey, which studies the material dissemination practices and new media use of several ATE Centers and Projects throughout the United States. Results were collected from representatives of ATE Centers and Project at the HI-TEC conference in San Francisco, CA from July 26-29.
Findings
Material dissemination is much less frequent than ideal new media standards
53.3% of all respondents disseminate their findings on a monthly or quarterly basis, and only 20% do so on a weekly or more frequent basis. New media norms typically dictate that content be disseminated at least once a week.
The objectives of Material dissemination are more export-oriented than engagement-oriented
In listing their top 3 objectives for Material dissemination, 83% of all responses fell under the Educate/Disseminate/Increase Awareness category, while 17% were related to Engagement/Networking/Building Relationships. New media is considered much more of an engagement platform.
The target audience of dissemination is primarily academia
100% of respondents listed academia as a core audience, while 40% listed industry as a target audience (7% listed government). Both academia and industry are areas in which dissemination could be widely and effectively expanded using new media platforms.
Email and E-newsletter are the most popular mediums for dissemination
86.7% of respondents said they frequently or very frequently use email for material dissemination, while 46.7% use an E-newsletter, and 42.9% use a blog.
Other than blogging, the use of new media tools-such as Twitter and Facebook-is low
While 42.9% of respondents use a blog frequently or very frequently, 57.1% never use a blog. A similar phenomenon was found with Twitter, where 50 % said they never use Twitter, while 35.7% said they use it frequently or more.
Volume and content of feedback are listed as the top criteria for effectiveness, yet respondents consider the most effective forms of dissemination to be low-engagement platforms
57% of all respondents listed feedback or engagement as their top criteria for effectiveness, yet consider their most effective forms of dissemination to be traditionally low engagement platforms. 27% of respondents listed email as one of their three most effective methods of distribution. Print (16%) and website (14%) were the next most frequently listed. High engagement platforms-such as Twitter and Facebook-were each listed by only 8% of respondents.
A vast majority of ATE Centers and Projects are looking for a moderate or high level of engagement and feedback, but they’re not receiving it
86.7% of participating centers are looking for a moderate or high level of engagement/feedback from their core audiences, yet 60% of respondents believe they do not receive a significant level of feedback.
Conclusions
According to the results of this survey, there is a disconnect between the purpose of material dissemination and the desired outcome. ATE Centers and Projects are disseminating information primarily to export their findings and educating their audiences, yet their criteria for evaluating the success of dissemination is creating engagement and receiving feedback from their core audiences.
This disconnect is further exacerbated by the fact the most popular methods used for dissemination-emails and E-newsletters- are low engagement platforms. Interestingly, 60% of respondents expressed interest in learning more about how high-engagement new media platforms can be used in material dissemination.
Hi-Tech 2010: Discovering How Some Centers Use New Media Tools for Information Dissemination
As the research manager for the ICT Center Case Study on Dissemination- “Consuming Research: A Case Study on Research Dissemination Innovations and Best Practices”– I had the opportunity to attend Hi-Tech 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Working with the good folks from the ICT Center – Gordon, Mike, Nina, Mohammed and John – we asked attendees to complete a brief survey so we could collect information about how they’re using new media tools for information dissemination. (Check out some photos of fast-paced survey completion action.)
I met people who are all along the continuum of new media tools adoption. Some individuals and centers have been using these tools for some time and to great effect, like Ann Blackman of the Convergence Technology Center. Others were just starting to investigate how these tools can help meet their information dissemination needs. Others were interested but weren’t sure what kind of information they might disseminate via these tools.
Just about everyone expressed an interest in learning more about how these tools can help increase engagement, effectively disseminate information and /or reach new audiences. As the study progresses, we’ll be sharing more best practices – like those mentioned by Ann – so centers can begin to leverage these tools in a meaningful way.
Summary of Observations from Synergy
San Francisco, California
June 26 – June 30, 2010
Background:
As part of the work associated with the ICT Center Case Study on Dissemination – “Consuming Research: A Case Study on Research Dissemination Innovations and Best Practices” – Dave Sweeney attended the Synergy Conference in San Francisco as a guest of the ICT Center. Synergy is funded under a grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. The Synergy Collaboratory supports Research Practice and Transformation in technology education in community colleges with a focus on equipping NSF funded Advanced Technological Education leaders and program participants to better realize the potential scale and impact of their centers and projects.
Thirteen ATE Centers are participating in the Synergy Collaboratory. Attending the conference
Initial observations:
A series of conversations established that many of the centers are engaging with new media tools in some fashion. The new media tools mentioned included Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogging, video conferencing and Google Groups. One of these conversations was with Carl Dietrich of the CTC Project.
The adoption and use of these tools varied from center to center and appeared to be driven by the degree which individuals were comfortable using these tools. The more familiar and comfortable an individual was with the tools, the greater the likelihood that the new media tools were adopted and put into regular use.
Several attendees expressed concerns about the new media tools. Their concerns ranged from a perception of negative impact on productivity to a concern about privacy to a perception that new media tools skew toward frivolousness and not toward improving or enhancing current work processes and communication.
Through these conversations, it became apparent language related to new media tools is important. For example, “building an online learning community using new media tools” will be more widely accepted than using the phrase “using social media for dissemination purposes.” The term “social media” appears to have a negative connotation to this audience. The same holds true for the term “marketing.” The emphasis for research dissemination needs to be “communicating,” “disseminating” and “broadcasting.”
Looking ahead, everyone who engaged in a conversation about new media tools for dissemination expressed a willingness to participate in the case study, whether through the survey process or more intensive engagement
To learn more about ICTStudy, check out our new media platforms:
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/ICTStudy/136622659704351?ref=ts
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/ICTStudy
- YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ICTCaseStudy
- Blog: http://ictcasestudy.blogspot.com/
- Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ictstudy/
Project Manager John Garvey (jgarvey@askmydog.com) and Research Manager Dave Sweeney (Dave@Viz-bang.com) welcome your questions, and input at any point during this study.
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