Use and Users of Digital Resources: a Focus on Undergraduate Education in the Humanities and Social Sciences
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Center for Studies in Higher Education UC Berkeley Title: Use and Users of Digital Resources: A Focus on Undergraduate Education in the Humanities and Social Sciences Author: Harley, Diane, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley Henke, Jonathan, University of California, Berkeley Lawrence, Shannon, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley Miller, Ian, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley Perciali, Irene, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley Nasatir, David, Department of Sociology, UC Berkeley Publication Date: 04-05-2006 Series: Research and Occasional Papers Series Publication Info: Research and Occasional Papers Series, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley Permalink: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/8c43w24h Additional Info: This paper is the final report from the Digital Resource Study, a multi-year research project studying the use of digital resources in undergraduate education in the humanities and social sciences. For more information about this project, see http://cshe.berkeley.edu/research/digitalresourcestudy/. Generous funding for the project was provided by the A.W. Mellon Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, with additional funding provided by CITRIS, the Hewlett-Packard Company, the California Digital Library, and the UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor of Research. Supporting material: Complete report text, without appendices Copyright Information: eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Use and Users of Digital Resources: A Focus on Undergraduate Education in the Humanities and Social Sciences April 5, 2006 Authors: Diane Harley, Ph.D., Principal Investigator Jonathan Henke, Shannon Lawrence, Ian Miller, Irene Perciali, Ph.D., and David Nasatir, Ph.D. With contributions from Charis Kaskiris and Cara Bautista Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE), University of California, Berkeley Funders: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Hewlett-Packard Company, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), the California Digital Library (CDL), and the Vice Chancellor of Research, UC Berkeley Principal Investigator: Diane Harley, Ph.D. Center for Studies in Higher Education South Hall Annex, #4650 Berkeley, CA 94720 (510) 642-5040 Project website: http://digitalresourcestudy.berkeley.edu/ © 2005–2006, Center for Studies in Higher Education Use and Users of Digital Resources — Harley et al./CSHE/UCB April 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 1-1 1. Understanding the Humanities and Social Science Digital Resource Landscape ........................... 1-2 2A. Faculty Discussion Groups and Online Faculty Survey .................................................................. 1-3 2B. Investigation of Transaction Log Analysis and Online Site Surveys .............................................. 1-5 3. Why Study Users? Summary of Digital Resource Provider and User Researchers Meeting ........ 1-6 Introduction and Rationale for the Project ........................................................................................................ 2-1 Research Goals and Methods .............................................................................................................................. 2-5 Overview of the Methodology ................................................................................................................... 2-5 Some Thoughts on User Research Methods ............................................................................................. 2-6 Goal 1: Understanding the Humanities/Social Science Digital Resource Landscape and Where Users Fit Into It ........................................................................................................................................ 3-1 A. Defining the Universe of Digital Resources and Associated User Studies ..................................... 3-1 1. Unrestricted Digital Resources: What Are They? How Can We Organize Them? .................. 3-1 2. Definitions: What Are We Studying? What Do Faculty Use in Their Teaching? .................... 3-2 B. Understanding Use and Users: A Literature Review ......................................................................... 3-3 1. The Larger Context for Understanding Technology and the Humanities and Social Sciences .................................................................................................................................................... 3-3 2. Specific Research on Digital Resource Use ..................................................................................... 3-9 3. Complex New Media ........................................................................................................................ 3-13 C. Developing a Typology—But from Whose Perspective? .................................................................. 3-15 1. The User Perspective ......................................................................................................................... 3-16 2. The Site “Owner” Perspective ......................................................................................................... 3-16 3. Typology Development .................................................................................................................... 3-17 4. Usefulness and Limitations of a Typology Approach ...................................................................3-18 Goal 2: How Are Digital Resources Being Used Among Diverse Communities? ....................................... 4-1 Goal 2A: Faculty Discussion Groups and Faculty Survey ............................................................................. 4-1 A. Discussion Groups – Methods ............................................................................................................... 4-1 B. Faculty Survey – Methods ....................................................................................................................... 4-2 1. Target Population: Institutions and Disciplines ............................................................................. 4-3 2. Sampling .............................................................................................................................................. 4-3 3. Identifying Participants and Finding Contact Information .......................................................... 4-5 4. Delivery Mode: Online vs. Paper ...................................................................................................... 4-6 5. Design of Survey Instrument ............................................................................................................ 4-6 6. Pilot Testing ......................................................................................................................................... 4-7 7. Electronic Survey System .................................................................................................................. 4-7 8. Survey Recruitment: Online and By Mail ....................................................................................... 4-7 9. Human Subjects and Confidentiality ............................................................................................... 4-8 10. Data Cleaning and Calculated Variables ....................................................................................... 4-8 11. Response Rates .................................................................................................................................. 4-9 12. Non-Response Survey ..................................................................................................................... 4-11 13. H-Net Survey ................................................................................................................................... 4-13 http://digitalresourcestudy.berkeley.edu ii Use and Users of Digital Resources — Harley et al./CSHE/UCB April 2006 14. Principle Component Analysis ...................................................................................................... 4-16 C. Faculty Survey and Discussion Group Results .................................................................................. 4-20 1. Aggregate and by Institution Type ................................................................................................. 4-20 a. Types of Resources Faculty Say They Use ................................................................................ 4-20 b. Where People Find Resources .................................................................................................... 4-24 c. Curricular Materials ..................................................................................................................... 4-24 d. How Are Resources Used in Teaching? .................................................................................... 4-25 e. Motivations for Using Online Resources .................................................................................. 4-26 f. Reasons for Non-Use