USGS Colorado Plateau Conference Satisfaction Survey

USGS Colorado Plateau Conference Satisfaction Survey

NOTE TO REVIEWERS: All respondents will receive the same instructions and will all answer questions in each version of the survey. We will use these same questions for each of the three conferences. The name of the specific conference will be inserted where specified below. The conference names are: Colorado River Basin Science and Management Symposium, the 2009 and 2011 Colorado Plateau Biennial Research Conference

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement: This information will be used by Colorado Plateau Conference planners to better serve the conference attendees. You response to this request is completely voluntary. When analysis of the questionnaire is completed, all name and address files will be destroyed. Thus permanent data will be anonymous. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

B

OMB control Number: 1040-0001

Expiration Date: March 31, 2012

urden estimate statement: Public reporting for this form is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to: The USGS Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 2150-C Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525.

Recently, you attended a USGS-sponsored Colorado Plateau Conference. During the conference you were told about an upcoming on-line survey that would ask about your conference experiences. We appreciate your willingness to participate in the survey. Please note that this questionnaire focuses only on the time spent at the conference referred to in the survey.

Please be sure to read each question carefully before answering it.

Question 1: This question will help the USGS characterize the importance of conference services as experienced by each conference attendee. This information is necessary because it gives the respondent an opportunity to express the importance of the various elements of their conference experience.

1. In this first question we want to know what you look for in deciding whether or not to attend a conference.

How important are each of the following conference features?

Neither

Very Somewhat important nor Somewhat Very Don’t

important important unimportant unimportant unimportant know

• Organization of the conference schedule 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Networking opportunities at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Convenience of the conference location 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Sessions stay on track 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Applications to resource management are evident 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Conference cost is reasonable 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Clean and comfortable facilities 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Built-in downtime at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference proceedings are made readily available 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference abstracts are available

ahead of time 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• On-line registration 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Good acoustics and audio-visual equipment

at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Opportunities to make new contacts 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Having both oral presentations and a poster

session 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Interactive activities included in the agenda

(e.g., workshops, hands-on activities) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Neither

Very Somewhat important nor Somewhat Very Don’t

important important unimportant unimportant unimportant know

• Social events held during the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Client’s Day as part of the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference organizer contact information is

made readily available 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• A mix of talks with specific and broader themes 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference length 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Keynote speakers are experts in their field 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• A single theme for the conference (vs. multiple

themes) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• On-line evaluations to give post-conference feedback 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• A conference theme that appeals to both managers

and scientists 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Timely program topics 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Introduction and wrap-up sessions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Adequate time allowed between sessions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Mixed audience of managers and scientists 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Time available to question speakers after their

presentations 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Panels with interactive speaker discussions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Food at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Opportunities to talk with other conference
  participants 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Continuing Education Units (CEU) offered for

attending the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Neither

Very Somewhat important nor Somewhat Very Don’t

important important unimportant unimportant unimportant know

• Conference topics that are relevant to my job 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Field trips 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Availability of team-building activities (e.g.,

hiking, kayaking, etc) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Professional development opportunities for students 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

Question 2: This question is the heart of this survey. It assesses the attendees’ perceptions of the most important aspects of their conference experience. Because this survey focuses on an evaluation of experiences, it is important to give the respondents an opportunity to provide their personal perspective of what was important rather than focus solely on issues developed by the conference planners and focus group members.

2. What is the most important component of a conference experience, for you? (please use the space below to describe your experience).

Questions 3: A second central aspect of the survey is the attendees’ level of satisfaction with conference services. This question allows the respondent to rate specific aspects of the conference. It is necessary for understanding the unique qualities of the conference, for understanding how the respondents perceive the impacts of the services offered. This question will allow conference planners to gain a better sense of conference attendee’s perception of the value and purpose of the conference. This is important in decision making and future conference planning. This question follows a widely used satisfaction approach based on importance-performance analysis and is adapted from prior studies.

3. How satisfied were you with each of the following at the [Insert Conference Name here]?

Neither

Very Somewhat satisfied nor Somewhat Very Don’t

satisfied satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied know

• Organization of the conference schedule 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Networking opportunities at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Convenience of the conference location 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Sessions stayed on track 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Applications to resource management were

evident 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Conference cost was reasonable 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Clean and comfortable facilities 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Built-in downtime at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference proceedings were made

readily available 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Abstracts of conference talks were available

ahead of time 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• On-line registration 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Good acoustics and audio-visual

equipment at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Opportunities to make new contacts 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Had both oral presentations and poster

session 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Interactive activities included in the agenda

(e.g., workshops, hands-on activities) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Social events held during the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Client’s Day as part of the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference organizer contact information

was made readily available 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• A mix of talks with specific and broader themes 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Conference length 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Keynote speakers are experts in their field 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• A single theme for the conference (vs.

multiple themes) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• On-line evaluations to give post-conference

feedback 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• A conference theme that appealed to both

managers and scientists 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Timely program topics 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Introduction and wrap-up sessions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Adequate time allowed between sessions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Mixed audience of managers and

scientists 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Time available to question speakers after

their presentations 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Panels with interactive speaker discussions 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Food at the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Opportunities to talk with other conference

participants 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Continuing Education Units (CEU) offered

for attending the conference 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Conference topics were relevant to my job 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Field trips 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Availability of team-building activities (e.g.,

hiking, kayaking, etc) 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• Professional development opportunities for

students 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

• How satisfied were you with the conference

overall? 2 1 0 -1 -2 DK

Questions 4 and 5: Because this survey focuses on an evaluation of experiences, it is important to give the respondents an opportunity to provide their personal perspective of the positive and negative aspects of their experience. This question compliments question 2 above providing an opportunity to assess how positive and negative perceptions of the conference related to overall evaluation of the conference setting. These questions will capture the most salient conference experiences, both positive and negative.

4. What was your most positive experience at the [Insert Conference Name here]? (please use the space below to describe your experience)

5. What was your most negative experience at the [Insert Conference Name here]? (please use the space below to describe your experience)

Question 6: This question provides information on attendees’ perceptions of the professional purpose and value of the conference as it relates to outcomes realized from attending. Future conference planners can use this information to emphasize or de-emphasize various conference outcomes in designing Colorado Plateau conferences.

In this next section we would like to ask you help us to understand a little more about your experiences during the conference. Please answer the following questions in terms of the time you spent at the [Insert Conference Name here]:

6. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements (please choose the response that is closest to how you remember feeling about your experience at the conference).

Neither

Strongly Somewhat agree nor Somewhat Strongly Don’t

agree agree disagree disagree disagree know

• As a result of the program sessions, I established new

professional relationships at the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• Through informal social interactions I established new

professional relationships at the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I connected with individuals outside my area of

expertise at the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I will continue to associate with the individuals that I met

at the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I value the relationships I established with people who

attended the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• The [conference name] promotes a sense of social

cohesion on the Colorado Plateau 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• The [conference name] helps to build a sense of

community in my area of expertise 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• Individuals involved with the [conference name]

tried to be helpful 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• The people who attended the [conference name]

shared my same values 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• Connections that I made at the [conference name]

will benefit me in the future 2 1 0 1 2 DK

Neither

Strongly Somewhat agree nor Somewhat Strongly Don’t

agree agree disagree disagree disagree know

• I think the [conference name] is a beneficial conference 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I recognize most of the people who attend the

[conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• My colleagues and I want the same thing from the

[conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• Most of the people who attend the [conference name]

know me 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I care about what my colleagues at the [conference name]

think of what I do 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I have influence over what the [conference name] is like 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• If there is a problem, the people who host the [conference

name] get it solved 2 1 0 1 2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• It is important to me to attend the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• People who attend the [conference name] get along

with one another 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I feel comfortable at the [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I expect to attend the next [conference name] 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I expect to attend the [conference name] for a long time 2 1 0 1 2 DK

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• The [conference name] brings together people who come

from different areas of expertise 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• The [conference name] brings together people who

would not normally collaborate 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• The [conference name] brings together people from my

discipline 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• This conference has helped me connect with other

professionals in my area of expertise 2 1 0 1 2 DK

• I formed a social network through informal social

interactions at the conference 2 1 0 1 2 DK

Questions 7-17: These questions provide important information for describing the respondents, comparing the attendees of the three conferences, and analyzing the survey as a whole. They provide important information that may be related to patterns in responses to the dependent variables.

7. Is this the first time you have attended the [Insert Conference Name here]? (check one)

___ yes

___ no  If no, how many other Colorado Plateau Conferences have you attended? __________

8. How likely are you to attend the next [Insert Conference Name here]? (check one)

___ Very likely ___ Somewhat likely ___ Neither likely nor unlikely ___ Somewhat unlikely ___ Very unlikely

9. Did you give a paper or talk at the conference? (check one) ___ yes ___ no

10. Did you prepare a poster for the conference? (check one) ___ yes ___ no

11. Have you been in contact with anyone from the [Insert conference name here]? (check one)

___ No

___ Yes  About how many people? ____________

12. Did you attend the [Insert name of one of the other two Conferences here]? (check one)

___ yes ___ no

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Your answers to these questions will help the conference planner know more about attendees at each of the Colorado Plateau conferences. Your answers will not be linked back to you in any way. The responses will help the conference planners develop a demographic profile of the conference attendees.

13. What is your current job title (if you are a student, put student) ______________________________________

14. Who is your current employer (check one)

___ federal government

___ state or county government

___ non-profit organization

___ private business

___ university

___ I am not currently employed

___ other  Please indicate ____________________________________

15. How long have you worked for your current employer? ________________________

16. Gender (check one)

___ male

___ female

17. Please indicate the highest level of education that you have attained (check one)

___ Less than high school

___ High school graduate

___ Technical school or Associates Degree

___ Bachelor’s degree

___ Master’s Degree

___ Ph.D., M.D., J.D., or equivalent

11