Relevant CAT: Attitude Survey

Discipline: General Science

Description:
TextRev is a free survey tool to help instructors gather data about how their students are using and valuing the textbook and its ancillaries. After an instructor completes an on-line questionnaire, TextRev generates a customized survey for the students in the course. Students can complete the survey on-line in less than five minutes. The survey will ask students about the amount of time they spend each week using the textbook, CD-ROM, companion website, study guide, etc. It will also ask students how helpful they find particular features of the text, e.g., images, sample problems, real-world examples, etc. Instructors can even add up to five questions of their own to the student survey. Then TextRev will analyze the data and provide the instructor with an immediate, detailed summary report. Confidence limits are calculated for every numerical score along with a ranking that compares the class average with national averages. TextRev also posts aggregate reviews of textbook titles to help inform the adoption decision as instructors select textbook resources for future courses.


Tool:

Authors:

Dennis Jacobs (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, University of Notre Dame, jacobs.2@nd.edu, 574-631-8023)

Bradley Smith (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, University of Notre Dame)

Selected References:
Smith, B. D., Jacobs, D. C. (2003) "TextRev: A Window into How General and Organic Chemistry Students use Textbook Resources" Journal of Chemical Education, 80:99-102.