Note: having never done real surveying before, I recognize that my proposal outline my be missing critical pieces:

1. Intro
   

   Prior to adopting a locally hosted social media platform for higher ed, the institution should weigh benefits of localized control against potential loss of authenticity and user appeal that may be inherent in institutional systems, and assess user attitudes towards competing institutional and public systems.

2. Question
   

   How do attitudes of prospective users in an educational community differ toward institutionally controlled learning and communication systems versus informal or independent learning and communication systems?

3. Description of survey instrument (type, size)
4. Survey questions
5. Data collection methods (electronic, database system used)
6. Disseminating the survey (e-mail to faculty, students, staff; hyperlinks from campus portal)
7. Timeline (December 2009 – February 2010)
8. Budget and resources (instrument development, staff time)

1. One-page summary, and description of the funnel shape and cadence of the summary
2. Outline of proposal and timeline
3. Draft of budget

I’ve already switched gears in terms of the project to align with a UVU project I’m working on. Here’s an initial 200 word intro with question:

Web-based social media applications are alluring to educators seeking to revitalize learning, maintain relevance, engage learners, and realize potential benefits of “Web 2.0″ memes. Educational institutions may seek to provide social media or Web 2.0-like systems to their campus through locally hosted solutions. While locally hosted and managed solutions offer advantages to the community (especially in satisfying perceived needs for institutional control of information and activities), they risk losing authenticity and genuine Web 2.0 corollaries such as network effects.

Such consequences may not even be realized, however, if the community rejects institutionally controlled social media in favor of existing authentic and non-institutional services. Institutions considering locally hosted social media systems may predict certain measures of success by first comparing prospective user attitudes toward public versus institutional social media. A survey aimed at measuring prospective user attitudes could also reveal general trends and attitudes toward digital culture, informal learning, and the prevalence of social media use amongst community populations. It might also suggest educational community attitudes toward institutional systems in general.

Q: How do attitudes of prospective users in an educational community differ toward institutionally controlled social media learning and communication systems versus authentic social media informal or independent learning and communication systems?