National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summer Institute for Middle School Science Teachers

OMB Control No. 0693-0031

Expiration Date: 02/29/2012

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Summer Institute

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Thank you for your time in completing this survey on your experience participating in NIST’s Summer Institute program in June 2008. Your feedback is truly valuable to the administrators of the program and the data will be kept strictly confidential. Data will be used solely for the overall evaluation of the program and program improvement purposes.

The survey should take 60 minutes to complete.

Teachers who complete the survey will receive a $50 gift card from [TBD] in appreciation for their time.

Please return your survey by TBD, 2009.

Completed surveys may be returned to Westat by fax, mail, or email.

By fax: Melissa Bryce (240) 314-2588

By mail: Melissa Bryce, Westat, 1650 Research Blvd.,

TA 2043, Rockville, MD 20850

By email: [email protected]

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Bryce at Westat.

She can be reached by phone at (240) 314-2588 or by email at [email protected].

NOTE: This questionnaire contains collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.  The estimated response time for this questionnaire is 60 minutes.  The response time includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  Send comments regarding this estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the length of this questionnaire, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn., Susan Heller-Zeisler, [email protected], 301-975-3111.

Instructions:

• Save this file to your computer’s desktop or a non-temporary folder. Click on the box on each line that indicates your response. You can uncheck a response by clicking on the box a second time. There are no limits to the amount of narrative you can type into the text boxes.

• Please type in your full name and your school name in the text boxes below. (Note - Your individual survey responses will be only be seen by Westat staff. Your individual responses will not be shared with MCPS or NIST or linked to your name in the final report. The final report will provide an overview of the NIST Summer Institute Program.)

Name:
School:

1. Approximately how often did you use each of the following teaching methods or try to accomplish the following objectives during the 2008–09 school year? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Never	1-2 times a year	1-2 times a month	1-2 times a week	Almost every class	Every class
a.	Lecture or talk to the whole class	1	2	3	4	5	6
b.	Teacher-led whole class discussion	1	2	3	4	5	6
c.	Student-led whole-group discussions or presentations	1	2	3	4	5	6
d.	Show the importance of the subject in everyday life	1	2	3	4	5	6
e.	Teach facts, rules, or vocabulary	1	2	3	4	5	6
f.	Prepare students for taking standardized tests in science-related topics	1	2	3	4	5	6
g.	Increase students’ interest in taking additional science courses	1	2	3	4	5	6
h.	Encourage students to explore alternative explanations or methods for solving problems	1	2	3	4	5	6
i.	Understand the theoretical concepts and ideas underlying scientific applications	1	2	3	4	5	6
j.	Have students work individually on inquiry projects	1	2	3	4	5	6
k.	Have students work together in cooperative groups	1	2	3	4	5	6
l.	Review homework or other assignments	1	2	3	4	5	6

2. Approximately how often did you have students engage in the following learning activities during the 2008–09 school year? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Never	1-2 times a year	1-2 times a month	1-2 times a week	Almost every class	Every class
a.	Conduct investigations (e.g., doing lab activities or using manipulatives)	1	2	3	4	5	6
b.	Reflect on course material by writing in a notebook or journal	1	2	3	4	5	6
c.	Write responses to BCR items	1	2	3	4	5	6
d.	Use calculators or computers for learning, practicing skills, or solving problems	1	2	3	4	5	6
e.	Work individually on written work or assignments in a workbook or textbook	1	2	3	4	5	6
f.	Critique/evaluate their own or other students’ class work or homework	1	2	3	4	5	6
g.	Consider a real-world problem relevant to the course and develop a plan to address it	1	2	3	4	5	6
h.	Use technical passages (from news or science journals) to investigate current issues or new developments in science or technology	1	2	3	4	5	6
i.	Listen to guest speakers	1	2	3	4	5	6
j.	Go on field trips relevant to the curriculum	1	2	3	4	5	6
k.	Investigate possible career opportunities in mathematics, science, or technology	1	2	3	4	5	6
l.	Design and implement their own scientific investigation	1	2	3	4	5	6
m.	Use “state-of-the-art” equipment or technologies	1	2	3	4	5	6

3. Please indicate how confident you feel about the following aspects of your teaching. (Mark one response on each line.)

		Not at all	Slightly confident	Moderately confident	Very confident
a.	Your knowledge about the application of the subject to everyday life	1	2	3	4
b.	Your ability to advise students about job opportunities in the subject area	1	2	3	4
c.	Your ability to prepare students for high school-level study in the subject area	1	2	3	4
d.	Your ability to use inquiry-based instructional strategies	1	2	3	4
e.	Your ability to mentor beginning teachers	1	2	3	4
f.	Your ability to incorporate technology (computers, the Internet, laser discs, etc.) into your teaching	1	2	3	4
g.	Your ability to supervise the research projects of your students	1	2	3	4
h.	Your ability to prepare students for college-level science courses	1	2	3	4

4. During a typical week, approximately how much time did you spend outside of regular school hours on planning and preparing for teaching your courses during the 2008–09 school year?

Number of hours: ___________________________

4. To what extent did you make use of each of the following types of assessments to determine student progress and achievement during the 2008–09 school year? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Never	1-2 times a year	1-2 times a month	1-2 times a week	Almost every class	Every class
a.	Pre-tests before beginning a new unit	1	2	3	4	5	6
b.	Short-answer tests (e.g., multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank)	1	2	3	4	5	6
c.	Tests requiring open-ended responses (e.g., descriptions, justifications, explanations)	1	2	3	4	5	6
d.	Student portfolios	1	2	3	4	5	6
e.	Class participation/group discussion	1	2	3	4	5	6
f.	Student presentations/projects	1	2	3	4	5	6
g.	Hands-on performance measurements	1	2	3	4	5	6
h.	Written explanations of thought processes (e.g., journals, essays)	1	2	3	4	5	6

The following two questions ask about the Metrology and Chromatography components. Responses to these items will help NIST assess improvements that might be made to lessons offered through the Summer Institute. Please take the time to answer these questions thoroughly and include as many details and examples as are necessary.

4. Three students measure a table with a meter stick and come up with three different numbers. They claim only one of their answers can be correct. How would you respond to their assertion?

• Please make sure your answer is framed in a context that (1) is meaningful to middle school students and (2) incorporates any definitions, concepts, and classroom/real-world applications you learned at the NIST Summer Institute.

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4. Some middle school students are having difficulty conceptually understanding how different molecules of an ink sample behave differently during the mobile phase of paper chromatography. You realize that an analogy might help these students understand what is going on. What analogy would you employ for these students and why?

• Please make sure your answer is framed in a context that is (1) meaningful to middle school students and (2) incorporates any definitions, concepts, and classroom/real-world applications you learned at the NIST Summer Institute.

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4. To what extent did you make use of the following components of the NIST Summer Institute program with your students during the 2008–09 school year? (Mark one response on each line.)

   		Not at all	Slight extent	Moderate extent	Great extent	I do not recall this component
   a.	Measurement uncertainty: How big is Pi?	1	2	3	4	5
   b.	Metrics “Jeopardy”	1	2	3	4	5
   c.	Weights and measures activities	1	2	3	4	5
   d.	Experimental design with Jim Filliben	1	2	3	4	5
   e.	Cement activity	1	2	3	4	5
   f.	Building an Atomic Clock (the Analema)	1	2	3	4	5
   g.	Ink identification with thin layer chromatography (TLC)	1	2	3	4	5
   h.	Thermometry activities: Ice melting point, Steam point, CO2 sublimation point	1	2	3	4	5
   i.	Forensic Science: Blood and Fingerprints	1	2	3	4	5
   j.	Gel electrophoresis	1	2	3	4	5
   k.	Crystal experiment from NCNR	1	2	3	4	5
   l.	Solar system scale model	1	2	3	4	5
   m.	Separations using solid phase extraction	1	2	3	4	5
   n.	Building a spectrometer	1	2	3	4	5
   o.	LabQuest and probes	1	2	3	4	5
   p.	Types of Magnetism by Bob Shell	1	2	3	4	5
   q.	Designing Bridges to Resist Earthquakes	1	2	3	4	5
   r.	Soda Can Science: Pressure in a Pop Can	1	2	3	4	5
   s.	Extreme Weather / Weather Jeopardy	1	2	3	4	5
   t.	CSI: Titanic	1	2	3	4	5

5. How useful were each of the following components of the NIST Summer Institute program to your own teaching practices and goals? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Not at all useful	Slightly useful	Moderately useful	Very useful
a.	Measurement uncertainty: How big is Pi?	1	2	3	4
b.	Metrics “Jeopardy”	1	2	3	4
c.	Weights and measures activities	1	2	3	4
d.	Experimental design with Jim Filliben	1	2	3	4
e.	Cement activity	1	2	3	4
f.	Building an Atomic Clock with Bob Vocke	1	2	3	4
g.	Ink identification with thin layer chromatography (TLC)	1	2	3	4
h.	Thermometry activities: Ice melting point, Steam point, CO2 sublimation point	1	2	3	4
i.	Forensic Science: Blood and Fingerprints	1	2	3	4
j.	Gel electrophoresis	1	2	3	4
k.	Crystal experiment from NCNR	1	2	3	4
l.	Solar system scale model	1	2	3	4
m.	Separations using solid phase extraction	1	2	3	4
n.	Building a spectrometer	1	2	3	4
o.	LabQuest and probes	1	2	3	4
p.	Types of Magnetism by Bob Shell	1	2	3	4
q.	Designing Bridges to Resist Earthquakes	1	2	3	4
r.	Soda Can Science: Pressure in a Pop Can	1	2	3	4
s.	Extreme Weather / Weather Jeopardy	1	2	3	4
t.	CSI: Titanic	1	2	3	4

4. To what extent did you make use of the following LabQuest probes with your students during the 2008–09 school year? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Not at all	Slight extent	Moderate extent	Great extent
a.	Motion detector	1	2	3	4
b.	pH sensor	1	2	3	4
c.	Voltage probe	1	2	3	4
d.	Temperature probes	1	2	3	4
e.	Light sensor	1	2	3	4
f.	Dual-range force sensor	1	2	3	4
g.	Gas pressure sensor	1	2	3	4
h.	Hand-grip heart rate monitor	1	2	3	4
i.	Conductivity probe	1	2	3	4
j.	Magnetic field sensor	1	2	3	4

4. How has having the LabQuest and probes changed the way you do activities and hand-on investigations with your students?

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4. What steps might NIST take to better integrate LabQuest into the Summer Institute?

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4. To what extent do you feel that you experienced each of the following types of learning as a result of your participation in the NIST Summer Institute program? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Not at all	Slight extent	Moderate extent	Great extent
a.	I gained greater understanding of the applications of science and technology in everyday life	1	2	3	4
b.	I acquired greater understanding of fundamental concepts in science	1	2	3	4
c.	I became familiar with new materials and equipment that I can use in my teaching	1	2	3	4
d.	I learned about innovative ways to use standard materials and equipment in my teaching	1	2	3	4
e.	I increased my knowledge of current issues in scientific research	1	2	3	4
f.	I gained a greater appreciation of the difficulties some students encounter when learning science	1	2	3	4
g.	I better understand how collaborative inquiry can be done successfully	1	2	3	4
h.	I increased my knowledge of careers that utilize science	1	2	3	4

4. To what extent was your NIST experience successful in each of the following ways? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Not at all	Slight extent	Moderate extent	Great extent
a.	It was responsive to my professional development needs	1	2	3	4
b.	It was appropriate to my knowledge, skills, and interests	1	2	3	4
c.	It provided opportunities to engage in inquiry/research activities that I have been able to adapt for classroom use	1	2	3	4
d.	The activities were enjoyable and intellectually stimulating to me	1	2	3	4

4. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements concerning the impact of the NIST Summer Institute program on you professionally? (Mark one response on each line.)

		Strongly disagree	Disagree	Not sure	Agree	Strongly agree
a.	It increased my confidence as a teacher	1	2	3	4	5
b.	It elevated my enthusiasm for science	1	2	3	4	5
c.	It increased my interest in research and the ways science and technology can be applied	1	2	3	4	5
d.	It stimulated me to think about ways I can improve my teaching	1	2	3	4	5
e.	It increased my effectiveness as a teacher	1	2	3	4	5
f.	It increased my interest and ability to network with teachers	1	2	3	4	5
g.	It increased my interest and ability to network with scientists	1	2	3	4	5
h.	It increased my motivation to seek out other experiential professional development activities	1	2	3	4	5
i.	It increased my commitment to learning and seeking new ideas and activities for my classroom	1	2	3	4	5
j.	It increased my capacity to provide engaging activities for my students	1	2	3	4	5

4. Are there any particular aspects of the NIST experience that you feel should have been handled differently or could be improved?

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4. How would you describe the engagement of your students in the NIST-based activities/materials you used in your classroom?

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4. Have you shared the ideas, activities or materials from the NIST Summer Institute program with other teachers at your school?

Yes ¹ (Answer Q18a)

No ² (Answer Q18b)

18a. If yes, what types of ideas, activities and materials—and what were the other teachers’ experiences?

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18b. If not, why haven’t you shared the ideas, activities or materials from the NIST Summer Institute program with other teachers at your school?

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4. Have you maintained contact with any of the scientists you shadowed or met through NIST?

Yes ¹1(Answer Q19a)

No ² (Answer Q19b)

19a. If so, what type of interactions do you have with them? (Please check all that apply)

• Discuss subject matter

• Discuss current research

• Ask for assistance with resources

• Arrange field trips, demonstrations, or guest speakers for middle school students

• Share pedagogical strategies

• Other (please specify)

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19b. If not, why haven’t you maintained contact with any of the scientists you shadowed or met through NIST?

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4. What was the most valuable thing you took away from the NIST Summer Institute program?

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4. How would you rate the NIST Summer Institute program in light of other professional development programs you have experienced?

Poor ¹

Fair ²

Good ³

Very good ⁴

Excellent ⁵

4. Would you recommend the NIST Summer Institute program to your teacher colleagues?

No ¹

Not sure ²

Probably ³

Definitely ⁴

Thank you!