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SECTION II: SURVEY REPORT

3.0 THE SURVEY

3.1 General Observations

199 questionnaires were distributed, and 93 (47%) returns made by mid January 1995. The encouraging return appears to reflect the degree of interest and enthusiasm expressed for using the video-conference service. Data consisting of over 200 variables was entered into the statistics package SPSS and basic summary descriptive results then used to inform the contents of this report.

The majority of users in the survey indicated that they first started using the videoconferencing system in 1992. The rate at which new users have then joined subsequently appears to have dropped away, although use overall is still increasing. There is no clear explanation for this although at some sites booking possibilities may have reached an optimum given existing resources.

Regular users are also very active - booking the system from once per term to once per week in some cases. Totals available from the booking statistics are provided (Table 2) for the six months February 1994 to July 1994 and indicate a high overall network usage. Academic departmental hours however do not disaggregate direct teaching use from meeting and committee use.

College	         No of          No of   Academic Dept
		Sessions        Hours   Hours

Aberystwyth	114             217     106
Bangor	        119             227      91
Cardiff	        141             256     128
Lampeter         46              87      28
Medicine         13              37       -
Registry         39              85       -
Swansea	        118             212      104

Totals	        590            1121      457

Table 2.

Actual site usage (Feb.1994 to July. 1994)

This survey has addressed separately both the issue of committee & meeting use - including research - and teaching and learning use - involving course delivery and student activity. The survey however did not include sampling of student experience. Table 3 indicates the comparison of overall committee and direct teaching activity derived from the samples collected.

College	     Committee     Teaching     Totals
             Use           Use

Aberystwyth     9            5            14
Bangor	       13            4            17
Cardiff	       20            4            24
Swansea	       17            5            22
Lampeter       11            3            14
Medicine        2            -             2

Totals	       72 (77%)	   21 (23%)       93

Table. 3

Questionnaire samples by category of use

It would appear that whilst teaching and learning use has grown steadily with many different departments using the system over a period of time, meeting use has grown quickly and substantially. Committee and meeting use has now established itself as a regular pattern of video- communication for many users. As one user indicated, video- conferencing is now part of their vital "tools of the trade". Direct teaching is, however, also to be seen as a significant component in network use and involving a wide range of subject areas.

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