Ásrún Matthíasdóttir

Online Data Collection in Academic Research: Advantages and Limitations.

Online data collection in academic research might be replacing paper-and-pencil surveys or questionnaires in the near future. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of online data collection, with particular reference to the conduct of two qualitative studies involving upper secondary school teachers and students in Iceland in 2002. Email was used for contacting the participants to ask them to visit a designated website in order to complete the questionnaire. Some problems arose with the use of an online web-based programme for data collection. Among them were the unreliability of the email address lists and the lack of willingness, particularly among students, to participate. The paper concludes that while online surveys can access large and geographically distributed populations and achieve quick returns, they may no longer be as universally appealing as was once believed. Reaching the population sample remains a problem in online as well as in traditional data collection.

How do teachers use information and communication technology in Icelandic high schools in 2002

In this paper the focus will be on teachers, information and communication technology and how it relates to their teaching. The study described in this paper is one part of a three-year project that started in the autumn of 2002 in Iceland. The use of the Internet by teachers is quite common; as a source for teaching materials, for receiving student assignments, and for communication via e-mail. Teachers attitudes toward information and communication technology (ICT) are positive, but their experience of using new opportunities such as interactive projects and e-tests is not common.

The Power of Self-evaluation Based Cross-Sparring in Developing the Quality of Engineering Programmes

This paper discusses how the quality of engineering education can be improved in practice by using a process of sharing and critique. Starting with a self-evaluation followed by a cross-sparring with critical friends, this new approach has proven successful in initiating change. With a focus on quality enhancement as much as quality assurance, the engagement in and attractiveness of the engineering education are key considerations of the development activities that are inspired by the process. In the process programmes are paired with appropriate partners and, using the self-evaluation as a foundation, the cross-sparring enables each partner the best opportunities to learn from each other. The approach has been developed in an ERASMUS + project involving eight European universities and has been called QAEMP (Quality Assurance and Enhancement Market Place).