DOCUMENT RESUME JC 990 338 ED 430 651 Weglarz, Shirley AUTHOR Internet Training Needs Inventory. TITLE Johnson County Community Coll., Overland Park, KS. Office of INSTITUTION Institutional Research. 1999-01-00 PUB DATE NOTE 49p. Research Reports Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) PUB TYPE Tests/Questionnaires (160) (143) MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Community Colleges; *Distance Education; Instructional DESCRIPTORS Development; *Internet; *Job Training; Mail Surveys; Professional Development; Questionnaires; Tables (Data); *Technology; Two Year Colleges *Johnson County Community College KS IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT The Office of Institutional Research at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), Kansas, conducted a survey to help determine the level of interest in Internet training courses. Surveys were mailed in November 1998 to 9,982 individuals selected from six lists representing the JCCC Business and Industry Division's current and potential clients. A total of 667 replied. Major findings indicate that 83% of all respondents currently have access to the Internet. Over two-thirds of respondents with current or future access to the Internet are interested in taking training courses on the Internet. Interest level in taking training courses on the Internet is The top lowest for Accountants (53%) and greatest for Skilled Trades (72%) . (1) Windows '98; ten topics of interest to 40% to 70% of respondents include: (7) Project (6) Leadership; (5) Finance; (4) Access; (3) Word; (2) Excel; (9) Communication Skills; and (10) (8) Supervisory Skills; Management; Business Writing. The preferred method for getting technical support while taking a training course on the Internet is an 800 number. Respondents expected that most courses would cost between $75 and $99. Appended are tabled survey results and the questionnaire. 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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES official OERI position or INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 INTERNET TRAINING NEEDS INVENTORY Office of Institutional Research Johnson County Community College January 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog Introduction 1 Background 1 Methodology 1 Internet Access 3 Internet Access by List 4 Interest in Internet Training 5 Interest in Internet Training by List 6 Likelihood of Taking Internet Training 7 Likelihood of Taking Internet Training by List 8 Top Internet Training Topics 9 Bottom Ten Internet Topics 1 0 Top Courses by List 1 1 Top Courses by Subject Area 1 2 Preferred Technical Support 1 3 Payment of Course Fees 1 4 Expected Cost of Internet Training 15 Acceptable Ways to Enroll 1 6 Preferred Way to Enroll 1 7 Providers of Training 1 8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Mailing Lists/Response Rates 1 Figure 2 Internet Access 3 Figure 3 Internet Access by List 4 Figure 4 5 Interest in Taking Training Courses on the Internet Figure 5 Interest in Internet Training Courses by List 6 Figure 6 Effect of Offering Course on Internet on Likelihood of Taking Training Course 7 Figure 7 Effect of Internet on Likelihood of Taking Training Courses 8 Figure 8 Top Ten Topics for Internet Courses 9 Figure 9 Bottom Ten Topics for Internet Courses 10 Figure 10 Top Courses by Respondent Group 11 Figure 11 Top Course(s) by Major Subject Area 12 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog Figure 12 Preferred Method for Assistance or Technical Support for Internet Training 13 Figure 13 Percent of Course Fees Paid by Self/Friend/Relative 14 Figure 14 Expected Cost of Internet Training Courses 15 Figure 15 Acceptable Ways to Enroll in an Internet Course 16 Figure 16 Preferred Method of Enrollment 17 Figure 17 Respondents Taking Training Course at JCCC in the Past Three Years by List 18 APPENDICES Appendix A Tabled Survg Results 19 Appendix B Questionnaire and Cover Letter 35 INTRODUCTION Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog Background Distance Learning is a much-discussed topic in the field of education because of the advantages of offering classes to educational consumers at their convenience instead of in time-and place-bound arrangements. Distance Learning may also provide a course delivery alternative to address untapped markets as an additional way to increase higher education enrollments. Representatives of Continuing Education's Business & Industry (B&I) Division and the Center for Professional Education, as members of the JCCC Continuing Education Distance Learning Task Force, requested that Institutional Research develop and conduct a survey to help determine the level of interest in training courses offered on the Internet among their current and potential clients. Methodology Surveys were mailed November 3rd through 9th to a total of 9,982 individuals selected from six lists representing B&I's current and potential clients as detailed in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 Mailing Lists/Response Rates Response List # Returned # Mailed Selection Rate Insurance agents, property/ Every 16th name 1987 5.0% 99 casualty life/ health Real Estate Every 3rd name 96 1982 4.8% (agents, appraisers) Nurses (RN's and Every 4th name 1983 9.5% 189 LPN's) Accountants 1080 5.1% All 55 Skilled Trades 812 47 All 5.8% Business & Industry 2138 8.5% All 181 Total 9982 Various 667 6.7% 6 1 INTRODUCTION (cont'd) Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog The overall response rate for this survey was 6.7%, based on 667 total responses. Response rates ranged from a low of 4.8% for the Real Estate list to 9.5% for the Nurses' list. Major findings are summarized in the bulleted points and figures on the following pages. Tabled results are in Appendix A and a copy of the survey is in Appendix B. Respondents' written comments from the surveys are recorded verbatim in a supplement to this report. Please direct any questions or comments about this survey, as well as requests for the supplement of respondents' verbatim comments, to: Shirley G. Weglarz, Research Analyst Office of Institutional Research Johnson County Community College 12345 College Boulevard Overland Park, KS 66210-1299 PHONE: (913) 469-8500, ext. 2443 FAX: (913) 469-4481 E-MAIL: [email protected] 7 2 INTERNET ACCESS Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog Eigh97-three percent of all respondents currently have access to the Internet. An additional 8% expect to have access within the next year. Thus, the percent of all respondents who either currently have access or expect to have access to the Internet within the next year is sizeable, 91%. (See Table I, Appendix A, and Figure 2, below.) Figure 2 Internet Access 1 111111111111111111111111. Current Internet Acces 1 83% 1 Future Internet Acces 8% No Internet Acces 9% 8 3 INTERNET ACCESS BY LIST Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog The percent of respondents by list who have access currently or who expect to have access to the Internet in the future range from a low of 7996 for Nurses to 100% for Real Estate (see Table 1, Appendix A, and Figure 3, below.) Figure 3 Internet Access by List Total 100% OCurrent Accountants I 100% Internet access B&I 100% Future Internet Insurance 100% access ONo Internet Nurses I 100% access Real Estate F. 100% Skilled Trades 100% Note: Each bar above totals 100% for that respondent group. These percentages begin to establish the parameters of the market for Internet training courses offered by Business & Industg and the Center for Professional Education. Tweny-one percent of the Nurses' group indicated thg did not have current or future access to the Internet. Therefore, this group currently has the smallest potential of respondent groups surveyed as a target market for training courses on the Internet. 9 4 INTEREST IN INTERNET TRAINING Fall 1998 Internet Training Needs Inventog Over two-thirds of respondents with current or future access to the Internet are interested in taking training courses on the Internet (see Table I Appendix A, and Figure 4, below). An , additional 20% are undecided. One in nine respondents are not interested. Figure 4 Interest in Taking Training Courses on the Internet 69% 20% I I% Interested Not Interested Undecided _1 0 5 .1