Solution Tag: Web

The first large-scale online time use survey

Posted on February 14, 2017 by -

A leading method overtaken?

After the early applications in America, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in the 1910s and 1920s, the diary method was supported by UNESCO in the 1960s, making the method truly international.

With the diary method, respondents keep a record of everything they do via a standardised 10-minute diary. Not only recording what they do, but also the location where it happened and with whom they did it.

The result is a nuanced look at the behaviour patterns of people and families in various areas of life. Since that time, the diary research method has been a leading method for the UN for highlighting the issue of unpaid work in developing countries. It is also used for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US and EUROSTAT for examining the cultural differences and trends between countries and states. The context regarding behaviour makes these differences more understandable.

This contextual setting is both the strength and weakness of diary method research. It provides a detailed survey, but collecting data is labour-intensive and hence expensive. As a result, data can only be gathered with significant intervals and usually only on a population level.

A solution involving both an online and a modular strategy

Gathering data online is one obvious solution for reducing costs. However, you need a modular strategy for developing a research method that is both reliable and valid. The MOTUS software was developed to meet this need.

The MOTUS software platform makes it possible from a technical point of view to:

– define the research methods;

  • develop online questionnaires
  • put together online time registration systems (list of activities, length of intervals in between, number of reference days, etc.)
  • allocate context questions to activities and by doing so delve more deeply into specific activities

– establish a research flow that supplies a survey or time registration system in a particular sequence;

– evaluate registered data via algorithms and reminders and have any errors corrected by the respondents themselves;

– carry out the research via a web browser (computer, laptop) or application (smartphone, tablet);

From an administrative point of view there are various possibilities:

– automatically allocate respondents to surveys, spread respondents (randomised) over the survey period, allocate start days, etc.

– monitor and follow up respondents in real-time during the survey via notifications on the screen and/or via automated e-mails and/or text messages.

– store input from respondents immediately, which makes the information usable in follow-up questions.

– track fieldwork via a dashboard

– follow up a longitudinal research set-up and use a behaviour panel

– offer surveys and research in various languages

By doing so, MOTUS succeeds in gathering context-rich behavioural information at a very low cost. It is also tailored to every research question and within every target group.

MOTUS gathers context-rich behavioural information at a very low cost.

MOTUS as a reliable and valid research platform

The aim from the outset was to gain faster and cheaper insights into the behaviour patterns of people and target groups. Not only by translating the traditional diary method into an online method, but also by reinforcing the method by taking a modular approach.

The MOTUS software platform first demonstrated its ability when collecting data from 3,260 respondents in Flanders.

Each respondent:

  • completed a socio-demographic preliminary survey
  • kept a record of his or her use of time for 7 successive days, and
  • to complete the process, filled in a follow-up questionnaire.

The data was collected between January and December 2013. At the same time, the Statistics Belgium division of FPS Economy also conducted a diary-based survey using the traditional pen-and-paper method, in line with EUROSTAT guidelines, this time for one weekday and one weekend day.

A comparative study showed that MOTUS recorded the general behaviour patterns in an equally valid manner, while at the same time it was better in terms of travel movements and media usage. And by collecting the data online, MOTUS also managed to gather more context regarding behaviour – faster and at a lower cost.

Accurately examining the workload of university teaching staff in the US

Posted on February 14, 2017 by -

The ADVANCE programme in the US

The ADVANCE programme is designed to examine the workload of university teaching staff in various faculties. This programme runs over a period of 5 years: from 2015 to 2020.  The aim: to obtain a picture of the problems and obstacles experienced by a university teacher in carrying out his or her job.

Accurate screening as a condition for decision-making

Teachers divide their time between giving classes, providing services and carrying out research. But exactly how they do that is a contentious issue.

Until recently the discussion was about their workload, based on data collected using questionnaires. However, there was also a need for more accurate and more nuanced way of looking at teachers’ use of time.

A survey using the MOTUS software platform provided the solution. Because MOTUS looks beyond simply how long each activity lasts: it includes the timing, tempo and sequence of the tasks to be carried out.

MOTUS looks beyond simply how long each activity lasts: it includes timing, tempo and sequence of the tasks to be carried out.

Universe and method

Teaching staff at the ‘Big 10’ universities in the US was the universe aimed at by the survey. Some 9,000 teachers at a total 14 faculties were involved, ranging from social sciences to physics and mathematics. They were invited to register their tasks retrospectively for 24 hours (4 am – 4 am). The list of work activities was produced in conjunction with the University of Maryland and Professor Dr Liana Sayer.

The survey set-up divided the 9,000 teachers into 6 groups. Each group was allocated to either a Tuesday or a Wednesday.

The fieldwork was spread over 3 weeks in February/March 2016. The MOTUS software platform automatically invited every teacher to register their use of time at the right moment. If necessary, the teachers received up to a maximum of 2 reminders, each exactly one week after the previous invitation/reminder. This was also done automatically.

Collect & repeat

At the present time, individual teachers are receiving guidance based on the data collected. And thanks to the data, the coordinators of the respective faculties and universities can make strategic choices within their institutions and disciplines.

High schools in the US will also be working with this set-up in 2017.

Study time: who studies what, how much, when and why?

Posted on February 14, 2017 by -

Better future organisation of the study programmes

A study programme is a combination of the contents of the subjects and the number of study credits allocated for each one. A year’s education consists of an average of 60 credits, which converts to 1,800 study hours. Which is the same number of hours worked by a full-time employee.

The higher the number of credits for a subject, the more time a student needs to invest per subject. However, there is a major difference between the estimated study time and the actual study time. So the question is whether the current estimate for each subject is also realistic. An accurate time estimate can contribute towards the better organisation of the study programmes.

But it is difficult for a student to make an accurate estimate. That’s because there are classes, revision weeks and exam weeks. There is also mandatory attendance, group work and independent study.

A changing environment caused by the flexibility decree

Having a single process that applies to a large group of students is no longer the case on account of a number of factors:

  • students are able to shape their own study programme and hence study subjects in various faculties and disciplines;
  • new target groups can come into the equation via part-time programmes, bridging programmes, preparatory processes for students with poor earlier education in a particular subject;
  • students with a specific background (international, work students, etc.) can do subjects they select themselves.

Retrospective calendar registration

A flexible environment requires a flexible research set-up that creates insights into the questions of who studies how many subjects or attends classes, when and for what.

To find an answer to this, the students were given:

  • a questionnaire focusing on the student’s study programme, providing information about the factors that encourage and obstruct the ease of studying;
  • the request to register details of their study time for the previous week (7 days) via a study calendar for each subject on their study programme;
  • addition questions about context, depending on the subject and the activity (lecture study, exam, etc.);
  • a concluding questionnaire providing more insights into the registration week, study pressure and planning for the future.

A flexible study programme requires a flexible research set-up for gaining insights into who studies how many subjects or attends classes when and for what.

The survey asked the students to take part in the survey via the MOTUS software platform in both the first and second semester. This was done both during a normal classes week or during a revision or exam week. The introductory questionnaire was not presented again after the first questionnaire.

Added value for everyone: university, student and teacher

The results were on various levels:

  • the university and Department of Education policy succeeded in better assessing the workload – and hence the study credits – for each subject and hence identify possible problems;
  • the students were given an individual summary of their study time to be used as a valuable base for study programme guidance;
  • the teachers received important information about how their students evaluate their subject and how/when students invest time for their subject.

The study time measurement is repeated annually to detect changes and to adjust the policy.