author

AIR FORCE SURVEY AUTHORING SYSTEM

--------------------------------------------------- A joint development effort by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Institute for Job & Occupational Analysis (Author), and Metrica, Inc. (OASurv)

WHAT IS AUTHOR?

A Windows-based survey authoring shell used to generate a variety of types of surveys on DOS-executable, master disks ready for copying. AUTHOR is designed with maximum flexibility in how a survey designer can:

Create task lists, equipment lists, background items, and tailored questions.

Implement logic branching on both background items and task lists which can channel survey respondents around inappropriate items.

Cut and paste lists from word processor or ASCII file to import into item editor files.

Select survey software to administer the platform-independent survey definition created in AUTHOR.

Process completed disks into an integrated study data base in CODAP or ASCII format.

HOW IS AUTHOR USED?

By Functional Managers for collecting several types of information about an occupation (specialty) or group of related specialties for use in planning training, education, career development, and other specialty structuring decisions.

By Task Inventory Developers and Occupational Analysts to create task lists and job inventories for normal and special occupation analysis studies.

By Training Evaluation Specialists to generate disk-based surveys to follow up trainees on-the-job experiences and field performance.

By Researchers to test new procedures, approaches, and technologies for the collection of occupational, training, attitude, organizational climate, or other types of information needed by managers and decision makers.

By others interested in occupation information to improve job specification and productivity.

After a successful large-scale laboratory test of computer-assisted survey software (Albert, et al., 1993), a feasibility study was conducted to assess the possibility of computer-assisted occupational analysis surveying in an operational environment. This study concluded that occupational data could be collected via diskettes more quickly and efficiently than by traditional paper-and-pencil surveys and with much reduced costs ( Mitchell, et al., 1994). One of the major recommendations made in the final report of the feasibility project was the need for the development of a windows-based authoring tool which could create master diskettes for occupational surveys and other types of surveys, such as training evaluation, other job analysis ratings, task performance estimates, and others (Mitchell, Weissmuller, Gosc, & Bennett, 1995).

AUTHOR

A developmental version of the Air Force Survey Authoring System (commonly referred to as AUTHOR) was completed in August 1995 and underwent initial user testing in subsequent months. An AFSAS Operational Guide was completed in November 1995 as was the first formal version of the AFSAS (Version 1.0, 2 November 1995). This system was distributed to selected users as a beta test of the operational system and feedback as to suggestions and problems was solicited. Using the feedback received by Version 1 users, a second version of the system was completed in February 1996 (Version 2.0), and a formal training program developed.

OASurv

OASurv is a survey administration engine developed by Metrica, Inc. to support automated survey requirements for US government data collection projects (Weissmuller, Grimes, Siem, & Kenney, 1997). OASurv is a program which reads a script file (a standard MS-DOS Text File), formats questions and collects, validates, and records data from survey respondents. OASurv is very much like an actor playing a part -- what you see will depend on the contents of the script. Ongoing maintenance and some enhancement efforts have been undertaken by the Institute for Job and Occupational Analysis (IJOA) to meet ever changing government needs in application areas such as training evaluation and occupational analysis.

OASurv Features

The system is currently designed to operate in a disk-based DOS environment since not all military units are equipped with recent Windows software and some are still using 286 PCs. To use OASurv, you need a diskette with a "batch" file to sequence the required computer issues like Virus Checking, Event Logging, and actually starting the OASurv program. OASurv can 1) Display Instructions; 2) Ask Background Questions; 3) Collect List-based information (such as Base List, Equipment List, Task List, etc.); 4) Accept Open-Ended Input; and 5) Conditionally Branch to or around items.

Operational Use of AUTHOR

With the refinement of AUTHOR and OASurv, it has become possible to do a wide variety of surveys.A series of four Medical Technician training evaluation surveys (with multiple passes to capture training time estimates) were accomplished using AUTHOR (Version 2.4) and OASurv (Version 2.3) in order to collect data from active duty, AF Reserve, and Air National Guard personnel (n = 3000). Many were hand delivered to selected AFRes and ANG sites around the country by development team members, who reported very few problems; administration times generally averaged about 1 to 1.5 hours. Data were collected from multiple respondents on a single double-sided, double-density disk; as many as seven cases in this study.

With feedback from such field data collection efforts, further revisions were made to both AUTHOR and OASurv to better meet operational surveying requirements. AUTHOR 3.02 (Oct 6, 1997) is now in the field, and is in operational use at the Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron for 15 normal occupational analysis projects.

AUTHOR and OASurv systems have now undergone rather strenuous testing, and have emerged as useful technology which the Air Force (and other services) can use in future data collection efforts. Collateral research and development is underway to expand the uses of the systems for other possible data collection purposes (performance assessment for training criteria for training evaluation studies, actual time data collection, and others). A windows-based survey system (internet enabled) is currently under development.

References

Albert, W.G., Phalen, W.J., Selander, D.M., Yadrick, R.M., Rouse, I.F., Weissmuller, J.J., Dittmar, M.J., & Tucker, D.L. (1993). Development and test of computer-administered survey software. Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association. Williamsburg, VA: U. S. Coast Guard.

Mitchell, J.L., Weissmuller, J.J., Gosc, R.L., & Bennett, W., Jr. (1995, September). Feasibility study of the development, implementation & evaluation of computer-based job & occupational data collection methods. Draft final report, prepared for the Technical Training Research Division of the Armstrong Laboratory, Human Resources Directorate, Brooks AFB, TX.

Mitchell, J.L., Weissmuller, J.J., Bennett, W.R. Jr., Agee, R.C., Albert, W.G., & Selander, D.M. (1994, October). A field study of automated occupational survey administration methods. In the symposium (Bennett, W.R., Chair), Training needs assessment and occupational measurement: Advances from recent research. Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: European Members of the IMTA.

Weissmuller, J.J., Grimes, G.R., Siem, F.M., & Kenny, J.E., (1997).. Automated surveys or paper & pencil: A real choice. Proceedings of the Ninth International Occupational Analyst Workshop. San Antonio, TX: Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron.

For further information, please contact Dr. Winston Bennett, Air Force Research Laboratory/AFRL/HEAA, 6001 South Power Road, Bldg 561, Mesa AZ 85206-0904; Comm (602) 988 6561, ext 297, or winston.bennett@williams.af.mil

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