This thing just popped into my inbox, and since I was a research marketing guy in my working days, I like surveys. I always take them. This was atrocious. Do the people from US Soccer read this forum? Because if they do, can they fire the firm who wrote this thing? I am into my second decade refereeing. I answered that question in the survey. The next group of questions pertained to someone who has never been a referee before. One last thing. I took the course about 5 months ago, which as we now know, was a different lifetime. I have ZERO recollection of the module. That’s how bad it was.
Re: writing surveys. I got a survey from the powers that be at work regarding employee "engagement". I took the survey (just 2 questions and an optional short answer) and submitted it. Then it asked me, "Want to submit another?" Yup, it let me do the survey again. A disgruntled employee could have stacked the deck!
As a college Sociology major, I had to work with a lot of surveys. I think part of the problem is that many people don't realize that there is a whole science behind writing valid and reliable questions on a survey. Then there is a whole science behind analyzing those results. Most people assume that you write a survey and look at the answers and it'll tell you something. However, when used properly, a survey is not a poll or popularity contest.
I am regularly frustrated with surveys that give me a fixed set of choices to answer a question, and none of them fits my opinion/situation. And then, even though it is a 'please help us with our survey' thing, if I try to leave the answer blank, it will sternly tell me that an answer is 'required.' Well, you can require this...……..
I was honest. Unfortunately honesty meant mostly saying it was horribly done. Unfortunately any feedback was needed at least 5 months ago if there was any realistic change of a meaningful change for the new year that starts up shortly. Any new course would have to have been designed months ago.
Way longer. It took years and millions of $$ to develop what apparently everyone hates. Personally overall I think it's very good for new referees. Most of the complaints are just egos from re-certifying referees that are too cool to watch something they think is beneath them.
I've hit a little slow period at work - because no one is in the office, no one is requesting development changes. So I have been reading some blogs and watching some videos for training. The most recent one I watched is nominally a beginners course - actually she veers off into some rather non-beginner topics, but that's neither here nor there. Watching the beginner stuff, I a reminded of a few techniques I might not be using currently, and have actually picked up a thing or two I didn't know. Experienced refs might pick up something if they have an open mind about it, rather than "I know all this" attitude.
Regarding the survey, I noticed how they conveniently didn't ask if it was easy to register for the site.
All posts here are true. Module was tedious and of very limited value for experienced refs, but a rare nugget could be found. For the new ref, seems it would be very good. Survey was not designed to be answered by the experienced ref, and just adds to the frustration of the non-novice. personally, I think if they can build on the design of the intro module to bring added content in an interactive way to the experienced ref, combined with the more engaging but contrived recert curriculum, we will have fewer terrible refs in the future.