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Educators Guide > Teacher Survey
  Thank you. Commanding Heights Online is a new kind of online resource from public television.
We'd like to learn how well it works for educators.

Please respond to as many questions as you can. Your answers will help us improve not only this site, but other future online educational materials.




  Questions about teaching with Commanding Heights
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1. What level students do you teach?
  Public High School
  Private Preparatory School
  Community College
  College/University Undergraduate
  Graduate School
  Other
2. Please list the course(s) you teach using the Commanding Heights Web site, the academic level of your course(s), the number of students in each course (all sections), and URLs for the online syllabi for the courses, if available.
  A. Course
High School Community College
College/Univ. Grad. School Other

    Number of Students
    Syllabus URL:
  B. Course
High School Community College
College/Univ. Grad. School Other

    Number of Students
    Syllabus URL:
  C. Course
High School Community College
College/Univ. Grad. School Other

    Number of Students
    Syllabus URL:
  D. Course
High School Community College
College/Univ. Grad. School Other

    Number of Students
    Syllabus URL:
3. How did you learn about Commanding Heights Online?
  Television
  Web search engine
  Another Web site
  Professional contacts
  Print (e.g., magazine)
  Other
4. In preparation for and during you course(s), how many total hours would you estimate you personally used the Commanding Heights Web site?
    Total Hours
5. Please check all of the ways you have personally used the Commanding Heights Web site.
  Learning more about a topic
  Developing an overall instruction/learning plan
  Developing a classroom/computer lab activity
  Developing a homework assignment
  Making a presentation
  Satisfying my curiosity
  Other - please explain below
 
6. Which version of the Commanding Heights Web site did you make most use of?
  Rich-media (broadband) version
  Low-bandwidth (text-friendly) version
  I used both equally
  I don't know
7. Check all of the features that you know you have used, listed under each version of the Web site.
  Rich-media Low-bandwidth
  Storyline Storyline
  Time-map Key Events
  Countries Countries
  People People
  Ideas Ideas
  Glossary Glossary
  Discuss Discuss
  Educators Guide Educators Guide
  Resources Resources
  Search Search
  Help Help
8. Did you design your own instructions/learning plan associated with Commanding Heights Online?
  Yes
  No
9. Did you use the Educators' Guide in familiarizing yourself with the site?
  Yes
  No
10. How useful was the Educators' Guide for you?
  Very useful
  Moderately useful
  Okay
  Slightly useful
  Not useful
  I didn't use the Educators Guide.
11. Check the lesson plans contained in the Educators' Guide that you used.
  Introducing Economic Growth
  Shock Therapy in Latin America & Eastern Europe
  I didn't use either lesson plan.
12. As presently organized, how useful is the site for obtaining resources that support your teaching?
  Very useful
  Moderately useful
  Okay
  Slightly useful
  Not useful
  I didn't use the Educators Guide.
13. Tell us about your ability to find information you are looking for on the site.
  It is...
  Very easy
  Fairly easy
  Possible with a little trial and error
  Somewhat difficult
  Impossible
14. What, if anything, did you look for on the site but were unable to find?
 
15. In which of the following ways did you ask your class(es) to use Commanding Heights Online?
  Log onto the site in class
  Use in a regular homework assignment
  Use in preparing a major term paper or report/essay
  Use to make an in-class presentation
  Use in independent study
  Other - please explain below
 
16. Which areas of the site, if any, did you specifically ask your students to use/explore?
  Storyline Discuss
  Time-map/Key Events Educators Guide
  Countries Resources
  People Search
  Ideas Help
  Glossary    
17. What percentage of your students' course related Internet assignments involved use of the Commanding Heights Web site?
    Percent Related to Commanding Heights
18. During your course(s), on average, how many hours did you expect each student to spend on the Commanding Heights Web site?
    Hours expected on Commanding Heights
19. Where were your students usually located when they visited this Web site?
  Classroom
  Computer Lab
  Library
  Home
  Other
20. In which of the following subjects, if any, do you think the Web site increases student interest?
  International Political Economy
  International Relations
  Political Science
  U.S. History
  European History
  World History
21. In which of the following subjects, if any, do you think the Web site increases student knowledge?
  International Political Economy
  International Relations
  Political Science
  U.S. History
  European History
  World History
22. Please describe how your instructional strategies have changed, if at all, as the result of using the Web site.
 
23. Please describe how, if at all, the Web site replaces and/or enhances a textbook.
 
24. What word best describes the Commanding Heights Web site?
 
25. Overall, what do you think of the Commanding Heights Web site?
  Very good
  Good
  Average
  Poor
  Very poor
26. Compared to other educational Web sites you have asked students to use in your course work, how does the Commanding Heights site rate?
  Very appealing
  Good
  Average
  Poor
  Unappealing
27. Overall, how informative do you consider the site to be?
  Very informative
  Moderately informative
  Okay
  Slightly informative
  Not informative
28. Do you feel the site offers an editorially balanced, sufficiently broad spectrum of views on the topics it covers?
  It is...
  well balanced and broadly based.
  balanced, but not sufficiently broad.
  broad in range, but poorly balanced.
  poorly balanced and too narrow a range.
  If you wish, say more about editorial balance below.
 
29. What do you like most about the Web site? Why?
 
30. What do you like least about the Web site? Why?
 
  Questions about technical performance
31. Do you have broadband or high-speed access to the Internet at school?
  Yes
  No
32. Do you have broadband or high-speed access to the Internet at home?
  Yes
  No
33. Do your students have broadband or high-speed access to the Internet at school?
  Yes
  No
  I don't know
34. Do your students have broadband or high-speed access to the Internet where they live while at school? (at home, in dorms, off campus)
  All do
  Most do
  Some do
  A few do
  Very few do or none
  I don't know.
35. Did the site perform in a generally reliable fashion?
  Very reliable
  Good reliability
  Average reliability
  Poor reliability
  Very poor reliability
36. Did the security features of your institution's network in any way interfere with your ability to access the site and any of it's features?
  Yes - If so, please explain and tell if you were able to overcome the difficulties:
 
  No
37. Which streaming media format did you prefer to use to watch the video on the site?
Note: the rich-media broadband version of the site uses Quicktime only
  I prefer to use:
  The rich-media site format:
  QuickTime high bandwidth
  One of the formats available on the low-bandwidth site:
  Windows Media low bandwidth version
  Windows Media high bandwidth version
  QuickTime low bandwidth version
  QuickTime high bandwidth version
  RealMedia low bandwidth version
  RealMedia high bandwidth version
38. Did the video chapters stream smoothly enough on your screen to produce and acceptable viewing experience?
  Yes
  No - If not, please explain:
 
39. How would you rate the technical quality of the video on this site relative to other online video you have seen?
  Very good
  Good
  Average
  Poor
  Very poor
40. Have you printed any pages from the site?
  Yes
  No
41. Do you prefer to print html files (i.e., normal Web pages) or PDF files?
  Web pages
  PDF Files
  Either one is okay
  I don't know
  Questions about specific site features
42. Please rate the value of the following Commanding Heights features:
   
Not
useful
PoorFairUsefulVery
useful
Haven't
used
a. Storyline
b. Time-map/Key Events
c. Countries
d. People
e. Ideas
f. Glossary
g. Discuss
h. Educators Guide
i. Program Resources
j. Search
k. Help
43. Please check all of the following Web site features that perform the way you expect them to:
  Storyline Discuss
  Time-map/Key Events Educators Guide
  Countries Resources
  People Search
  Ideas Help
  Glossary    
44. Storyline is the section of the Web site that offers access to the complete video documentary. If you used both the rich-media (broadband) and low-bandwidth (text-friendly) versions of Storyline, did you find any added value viewing the rich-media video chapters rather than the low-bandwidth version