ERIC Number: EJ792750
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Apr
Pages: 17
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-2542
EISSN: N/A
Evaluating the Quality of a Chat Service
Arnold, Julie; Kaske, Neal K.
portal: Libraries and the Academy, v5 n2 p177-193 Apr 2005
A quantitative study of a university chat reference service (online synchronous) addresses the following research questions: (1) What types of questions are being asked? (2) Who is asking the questions of the service? and (3) Did the customers get correct answers to their questions? All the transcripts (351) from January through August 2002 were examined, yielding 419 questions that were analyzed. The relationships among accuracy of answers, types of questions, and customer groupings were analyzed. Correct answers occurred 91.72 percent overall, with a wide range between question types. Analysis by types of questions posed from different customer groupings is provided, along with changes made and planned for the chat service. (Contains 7 figures, 7 tables and 15 notes.)
Descriptors: Reference Services, Computer Mediated Communication, User Needs (Information), Communication Research, Network Analysis, User Satisfaction (Information), Program Effectiveness, Statistical Analysis, Academic Libraries
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A