Results

To assess SOBA-Net's success, the data was manipulated in two ways: (1) a survey was posted on SOBA-Net and student users were asked to respond; and, (2) the total logins and users' activity were tracked. The survey's correlating message explained its purpose, indicated that it would not take more than five minutes to complete, and offered several give-away items as an incentive. The resulting sample was 211 completed questionnaires, a 14.4 percent response rate.

The questionnaire consisted of both close-ended and open-ended questions. The close-ended questions asked about login instructions, ease of navigation, and usefulness of information. The open-ended questions allowed the respondents to indicate their answers in their own words and inquired about items that could be added to improve SOBA-Net. In addition, it included an area for additional thoughts if the respondent wished to express.

Table 1 illustrates the fall 2001 semester's basic results of SOBA-Net users, average hits per day, and the percentage of users who have logged in, as compared to the overall user base. The figures do not equal the Current Total because summer activity is not reflected in the table. The formal implementation was September 2001. In considering adoption of this initiative, statistics show that 1,035 users out of 1,683 potential users, or 61.5 percent of all potential users, had accessed SOBA-Net as of January 7, 2002. Of the potential users, 1,470 are students, (87.3 percent of all potential users), 46 are full-time faculty (2.7 percent of all potential users), 63 are adjunct instructors (3.7 percent of all potential users), 16 are administrators (.95 percent of all potential users), and 88 are staff (5.2 percent of all potential users).

Table 1: SOBA-Net Statistics for Fall 2001 Semester

	Total Users	Total Logins	Unique Logins	Average Hits/Day	Ratio: Users vs. Potential Users
September 2001	1,364	5,943	523	198	38.3%
October 2001	1,439	10,797	670	348	46.6%
November 2001	1,678	3,992	380	133	22.6%
December 2001	1,680	3,435	356	111	21.2%
Current Total	1,683	28,217	1,035	222	61.5%

Over 28,000 user logins were recorded as of end December 2001, with an overall average of 222 hits per day. Of the potential respondents, 1,035 users (61.5 percent) have logged into SOBA-Net, and as documented in a recent survey, 54 percent of those student users cited "professor or instructor" in response to the question, "How did you learn about SOBA-Net?"

Table 2 illustrates the basic results of SOBA-Net users during the 2001-2002 academic year, average hits per day, and the percentage of users who have logged in as compared to the overall user or potential user base. In considering adoption of this initiative, statistics show that 1,341 users out of 1,708 potential users, or 78.5 percent of all potential users have accessed SOBA-Net. Of the potential users, 1,495 are students, 46 are full-time faculty, 63 are adjunct instructors, 16 are administrators, and 88 are staff. Nearly 50,000 user logins were recorded by the end of May 2002, with an overall average of 206 hits per day. Research is currently being pursued to determine characteristics of regular users, occasional users, and infrequent or non-users. The infrequent or non-users will be surveyed for needs analysis and improvement of SOBA-Net.

Table 2: SOBA-Net Statistics for 2001-2002 Academic Year

Total Users	Total Logins	Unique Logins	Average Hits/Day	Ratio: Users vs. Potential Users
1,708	49,728	1,341	206	78.5%

SOBA-Net serves its main purpose as a means of school-wide communication medium through its ease of use, high percentage of users, and variety of user options. In terms of ease of use, 92 percent of respondents found login instructions easy to comprehend and follow, while 75 percent reported navigating through SOBA-Net was simple.