To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Theodore J. Kopcha, Ph.D. and I am an Assistant Professor with the Department of Educational Technology at San Diego State University. I am conducting a study regarding a number of relevant issues in the field of Educational Technology.
I am requesting your participation by completing a survey for us. The 30-item survey contains a number of Likert-type items related to Educational Technology and topics pertinent in the field, such as theories and related practice, design models, and technology in K12 education.
What will I need to do? Complete one survey that will take 10-15 minutes to complete.
To participate, click on the link below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=52OMRnl43lZ9gmjeAe_2bI2w_3d_3d
Please consider helping us collect information that is related to the future of the field!
Sincerely,
Theodore J. (TJ) Kopcha, Ph.D.
NOTE: I've solicited several listservs with this request. If you have already completed the survey, there is no need to complete it again (I know this is obvious, but I like to be thorough!).
PLEASE READ ON
The information below explains your rights as a participant. Please take the time to review this prior to completing the study.
Do I have to do this? Your participation is voluntary and you may terminate your participation in the survey at any time. If you choose not to participate, no one will know – the data being collected will be done so anonymously. No names or identification numbers will be associated with your information. In other words, there will be no negative repercussions for electing not to participate in the survey because no one will know who you are.
Why should I participate then? What’s in it for me? This information is important to practitioners in Educational Technology – and therefore important to you, too. The results of the study serve to inform the direction of the field and programs of Educational Technology in the future.
Who is being recruited? We are asking graduate students (Master’s and Doctorate levels), current trainers, and current Educational Technology faculty and lecturers to complete this survey. You are being asked to participate because you have been identified as someone who falls into one of those categories.
In addition to the survey, we are asking for volunteers to submit an email address if interested in participating in a follow-up interview. The interview is likely to take no more than 20-25 minutes and the questions will be regarding your understanding of the survey items. If you choose not to participate, no one will know – the data being collected will be done so anonymously. In other words, there will be no negative repercussions for electing not to participate in the interview.
How will my work / information be used? Your work will be used in two ways: for program development and for reporting the results in peer-reviewed research journals. In either case, your work survey responses will be anonymously. In addition, your responses will be reported as a group rather than individually – using comments like “Graduate students strongly agreed with the following items…” of “Faculty members reported strong disagreement with…”.
Who will see my work / information? The researchers involved in the study and any graduate student assistants they hire will see the data collected from this study. However, they will not be able to identify individuals with particular responses due to the fact that no names or identification numbers will be collected as part of the study.
Why do you need to publish this as research? While your information is essential to improving what we do at SDSU, other programs of Educational Technology will be interested in the results of this study. Publishing research related to your thoughts about the field will inform others about what works best when preparing you for a career in our field.
Is there anything bad that can happen to me for participating? It is not likely that you will suffer in any way due to participation, and it will not cost you to participate.
Who the heck are you, Dr. Theodore J. Kopcha? I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Technology at SDSU. You can contact me for more information about the study at 619-594-2503 or email me at tkopcha@mail.sdsu.edu .
If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this study, you may contact the Division of Research Affairs San Diego State University (telephone: 619-594-6622; email: irb@mail.sdsu.edu).
Consent to Participate: The San Diego State University Institutional Review Board has approved this consent form, as signified by the Board's stamp. The consent form must be reviewed annually and expires on the date indicated on the stamp.