Thanks to everyone who provided newsletter feedback. Your responses
will be used for future improvements, including those made by the
incoming editor who starts in 2021. I summarize the responses of
the 77 people who responded to the survey below, most of whom
are regular readers (see Figure 1).
Results
The survey was administered to learn what readers most value and to find out what they would change and/or what kinds of content they would like to see added. Respondents indicated that they most often read the presidential message, information about the annual meeting and the focus articles, with roughly equal numbers of people selecting each option (49 to 52 respondents). The spotlight member interview, committee updates, graduate student corner, and award winner information were also read equally (by 27 to 30 respondents).
About a third of respondents (n=27) suggested content
that might be added to the newsletter. The most common responses included requests that newsletter represent issues faced by the full community of measurement specialists
and that the newsletter be used as a vehicle for professional learning. As shown in Table 1, respondents varied with respect to which communities need better representation
and with respect to whom should be targeted for professional learning.
Readers also requested that the newsletter better capitalize
on its digital format through improved graphic design and especially improved design and expanded use of video. Readers differed in their reaction to the new, digital
format—three readers suggested that the newsletter be shortened, two noted that it is difficult to scroll through the newsletter and browse the collection of articles (instead readers have to click through links to each article), and two said that they liked the new format. The limited number of respondents, with relatively equal numbers providing contradictory feedback, leads to little consensus for a particular change. However, it does seem prudent to explore potential improvements, especially to make the most of digital opportunities.
Future improvements
Survey results seem to indicate that initial efforts to move the newsletter into an online format were well-received for the most part. However, there is much work left to do. One task involves being proactive to ensure that the newsletter better reflects the varied interests of the NCME membership. To accomplish this, I will reach out to the contacts for each SIGIMIE to see if they would be willing to contribute a newsletter article or to suggest a focal topic, graduate student corner writer, or spotlight member interview. The Educators of Measurement SIGIMIE might also contribute information on professional learning to expand upon André Rupp’s greatly appreciated ITEMS updates that regularly appear in the newsletter.
Other, less immediately visible responses to this feedback will involve collecting examples of other newsletter formats to look for approaches that will allow users to access the newsletter in a scrollable format. I will also start to research approaches for developing and presenting better-designed videos. This information will be shared with the incoming editor to ensure that they are well-prepared to improve upon the newsletter and to implement their vision for future issues.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at megwelsh@ucdavis.edu with any additional suggestions that you may have. And, as always, thanks for your continued support of the newsletter.
Best,
Megan