Teacher pre-workshop questionnaire

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Your name_______________________
Learning Ocean Science
and Exploration through an Online
Environment
PRE-WORKSHOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Workshop Participant:

Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete this survey. Teacher involvement in this
evaluation is integral to its success, and your opinion about NOAA’s online educational products
is valued greatly.
We are asking all of the teachers who participate in this workshop to provide feedback on your
personal and your students’ experiences with the online education resources offered by NOAA.
The information we are collecting is essential to determining the educational value of this
workshop and the products we create. In addition, as part of our efforts to continually improve the
content and delivery of our workshops, we are also interested in any suggestions you may have
for improvement.
Your responses to surveys are confidential. Only summaries of the data will be released in which
no individual’s answers can be identified. If you have any questions or comments, please feel
free to ask the person administering the survey. You may also contact Liz Danter at
edanter@bellsouth.net or 205-296-3954.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this important information.

Sincerely,

Bruce Moravchik
Education Specialist
NOAA’s Ocean Service
Communication and
Education

Cindy Renkas
Education Specialist
NOAA Research
Ocean Exploration

A Little About You
The following questions will tell us a little about your experience as a schoolteacher. Please
answer each question by filling in the blank.
1. How many years have you been a formal schoolteacher? ______ years
2. What grade(s) do you teach this year? (Select all that apply)
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
11th grade
12th grade
Other______________

3. How many different students do you teach each week, on average?___________

4. Select the subject(s) you teach in an average week (select all that apply):
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Integrated Science
Geology
Math
Physical education
Art
Music

Health
Home economics
Industrial arts
Language arts/English
Reading
Social Studies
Other:_____________
Other:_____________
Other:_____________
Other:_____________

5. Do you currently use ocean-related subjects/materials/topics as part of your regular
curriculum?
_____ Yes
______No

6. Are ocean-related topics a required part of your school’s/district’s science teaching
requirements?
_____ Yes
______No

Use of Computers in your Classroom

The following questions will tell us about computer use in your classrooms.

7. Approximately how often does a typical student use a computer at some point in the course of
your classroom teaching (either classroom or computer lab setting)?
Never
Less than once a month
Once or twice per month
Once a week
Twice a week
Almost daily
Other: _______________________

8. Typically, how many students operate any one computer at one time during your class? Select
the most common arrangement, or select two if two are equally common.
One student per computer
In pairs (2)
In groups of 3-4
Other: ______________________________________________

Teaching Ocean Science
The following questions will tell us your opinion about teaching ocean science. Please indicate
the extent to which you agree with the following statements by circling the appropriate number.
9. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements.
Strongly
disagree
a. I am familiar with the Ocean Literacy
Essential Principles and Fundamental
Concepts.
b. I have a clear idea of online
educational resources offered by
NOAA.
c. The Internet is a convenient way for
me to view lesson plans.
d. I download and/or print lesson plans
from the Internet.
e. I incorporate material downloaded
from the Internet into my teaching.
d. I feel confident about teaching
physical science as it applies to the
world’s oceans.
e. I feel confident about teaching
biological science as it applies to the
world’s oceans.
f. I do not have flexibility in the lessons
I teach.
g. I cannot use NOAA’s online
educational environment with my
students because our classroom (or
library/computer lab) computers are not
connected to the Internet.
h. The NOAA Web sites are the first
place I go to find resources for teaching
about ocean related topics.

Neutral

Strongly
agree

N/A

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10. If you were to teach ocean related topics in your classroom, what topics might you include?

11. Which of the following best describes your familiarity with NOAA’s online educational
resources? (check one)
I am very familiar with NOAA’s online educational resources and have used the
products and services several times.
I am familiar with NOAA and have used the online educational resources once or
twice.
I am aware of NOAA’s online products and services but have not used them.
I have heard about NOAA but am not at all familiar with the online educational
products and services.
I am not at all familiar with NOAA’s online educational resources.

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minutes per response, including 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 burden estimate or
any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Bruce Moravchik, NOAA National Ocean Service:
Bruce.Moravchik@noaa.gov, PH: 301-713-3060 ext. 219. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number.