Digital Skills Survey

Background and Consent

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14% of survey complete.

You are invited to participate in a research study entitled: Integrating Digital Skill Development into Soil Science Education: Aligning undergraduate curriculum with industry needs.

Principal Investigator/Supervisor:

Chantel Chizen, Assistant Professor
Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan
306-966-6854 / chantel.chizen@usask.ca

Purpose and Objective of the Research:

Digital skills and data-driven approaches are rapidly transforming soil science, agriculture, and environmental management. This survey aims to gather insights from professionals, educators, and post-secondary students to understand which digital skills are most essential today and in the future for the agriculture and environmental sectors.

The objective of this research is to inform future directions in soil science education but may also have value to other disciplines within the agricultural and environmental sciences.

The survey will close on Friday September 18, 2026

Participant Inclusion Criteria:

The study aims to recruit approximately 100 participants to sufficiently capture diverse perspectives and experience levels.

Participants must be professionals or educators who are currently working or have previously worked in the agriculture or environmental sectors, or post-secondary students completing a program related to the agriculture or environment sector.

Participants who are currently studying or working outside of Canada will be excluded from the study. Individuals under 16 years of age or those not affiliated with soil science education or industry will be excluded. Participants unable to provide informed consent will also be excluded. We acknowledge that there are some post-secondary students that are 16-17 years old and that individuals in that age range can voluntarily consent to complete the survey. Any post-secondary students under the age of 16 will not be able to complete the survey.

Procedures:

This study uses a mixed-methods, cross-sectional design to assess how digital skill development can be better integrated into post-secondary curriculum.

Online surveys will be distributed to three key groups: industry professionals, educators, and current post-secondary students.

The survey will take approximately 15-25 minutes to complete.

Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic coding to compare perspectives across participants. Findings will inform curriculum recommendations aimed at embedding digital skills into post-secondary programs to better prepare graduates for evolving industry demands.

Funded by:

Jane and Ron Graham Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning – Spark Award. The researchers declare no potential or actual conflicts of interest associated with this funding.

Potential Risks:

There are no known or anticipated risks to you by participating in this research. However, some psychological or emotional discomfort may arise if participants reflect on negative educational or workplace experiences, such as feeling underprepared or excluded from career opportunities due to lack of digital skills training.

If you experience psychological or emotional discomfort, support services and associated contact information can be found on the following website: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html. USask students can also access supports through the USask student wellness centre (https://students.usask.ca/healt

Potential Benefits:

Your responses will help identify current gaps in post‑secondary education and guide the development of curriculum that better aligns with industry expectations. By sharing your experiences and perspectives, you are contributing to a broader effort to strengthen digital competency across disciplines connected to soil, land, and environmental stewardship.

Confidentiality:

Participation in this survey is completely anonymous. The research participant’s identity will not be known to anyone, including the researchers.

The data from this research project will be published and presented at conferences; as the survey collection is anonymous the research participant’s identity will not be identifiable. The data will also be reported in aggregate forms to show trends and patterns across the survey responses. Direct quotations from any open responses may be quoted, but prior to doing so any identifying information such as the mention of specific roles, organizations, locations in the response will be removed prior to use.

The survey contains questions related to demographics (i.e., ethnicity, age, gender) that are optional. The demographics data collected will be used to inform a general description of the participant population and not used to interpret the research data.

This survey is hosted by Survey Monkey. Your data will be stored in facilities hosted in Canada. Please see the following for more information on the Survey Monkey Privacy Policy: https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/legal/privacy/

It is possible that authorized USask representatives like members of the Research Ethics Board and Responsible Conduct of Research may look at your data, if required as part of an investigation into the conduct of the study.

Storage of Data:

Data will be stored through SurveyMonkey platform as it is collected, downloaded to a password-protected local computer that is USask managed, and also saved on USask OneDrive. This will ensure that there are 3 copies of the data to prevent data loss.

Data will be held for 5 years post-publication.

Once the data is no longer required and following the required storage period, the data will be destroyed beyond recovery.

Chantel Chizen, Andrea Cline, and Runa Akter will be responsible for the storage of data.

Right to Withdraw:

Participation in this survey is voluntary.

You can decide not to participate at any time by closing your browser or choose not to answer any questions you do not feel comfortable with. Survey responses will remain anonymous. Since the survey is anonymous, once it is submitted it cannot be removed.

Follow up:

To obtain results from the study, please see the DIGSS website for the latest research findings, including presentations and a research snapshot.

Join the DIGSS mailing list for project updates here: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/PRXMJCG

Results are expected to be available by June 2027.

Questions or Concerns:

Please direct any questions or comments to Andrea Cline (andrea.cline@usask.ca) and cc' Chantel Chizen (chantel.chizen@usask.ca).

This research project has been approved on ethical grounds by the University of Saskatchewan Behavioural Research Ethics Board. Any questions regarding your rights as a participant may be addressed to that committee through the Research Ethics Office: ethics.office@usask.ca; 306-966-2975; out of town participants may call toll free 1-888-966-2975.

By completing and submitting this survey, your free and informed consent is implied and indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation in this study.