ECAR Survey Tracks Student Technology Use
November 08, 2007
A nationwide survey of college and university students about information technology reveals steady trends in increasing computer and technology use. The undergraduates surveyed, however, clearly stressed that they felt technology cannot wholly substitute for face-to-face interaction with instructors.
The 2007 Students and Information Technology survey was created and compiled by ECAR (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research). ECAR evaluated 27,864 undergraduates from 103 colleges, universities, and community colleges in a survey and in focus groups. The survey asked how students use different types of technology, and the effect that technology has on their academic experience. ECAR has been surveying students on IT issues annually since 2004, when the group evaluated 4,374 students at 13 institutions of higher education.
Significant growth occurred in mobile technology use, such as laptops and smart phones (cell phones with PDA capability). Nearly all respondents owned a computer, and nearly three-quarters owned laptops. Twelve percent owned smart phones. However, the number of students who owned non-phone PDAs has been decreasing slowly since 2005.
In addition, although students were using popular technologies like instant messaging (84.1 percent) and social networking (81.6 percent), they preferred to use those tools for personal activities, and said they did not like to use the tools in a learning environment. More than 85 percent of the surveyed students preferred e-mail for official college and university communication. Eighty-two percent of respondents wanted a university e-mail account, not a commercial one, to use for communicating at their institution.
Wireless connectivity for respondents increased from 12.4 percent in 2005 to 24 percent in 2007, and nearly a quarter of the students used wireless internet as their first point of connection. Students said they spent an average of 18 hours a week online performing activities for work, school, or recreation. According to the UTnet annual status report (PDF), UT has 2,300 public wireless access points. At UT, 74 percent of undergraduates use the campus wired and wireless networks.
Engineering and business majors used the Internet more than other students, as was true in the 2005 and 2006 studies. Students in these majors also liked IT in courses more than other students. The Public Network Access Usage report (PDF) from Spring 2007 shows that on the UT campus, the colleges with the heaviest student Internet use were Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences, Business, and Engineering.
Many respondents felt that IT in courses improved their learning experience. More than half also agreed with statements that IT in courses improved their learning, led faster feedback from instructors, and helped them research more efficiently. However, a large minority did not feel that IT has a positive role in learning.
Open-ended survey questions demonstrated that students identified IT as an enabler of learning most frequently when faculty used it well in courses. The students were sensitive to the ways and the extent in which technology was used in their courses, including underuse, overuse, misuse, and overdependence on technology.
One of the most significant changes since the original survey in 2004 has been student use of course management systems (CMS). Eighty-two percent of the respondents had used a CMS at least once, up from 69.7 percent in 2005. Most students reported a positive or very positive experience with CMS use, and said they liked the ability provided by CMS to keep track of assignments and grades, and to gain access to sample exams and quizzes.
For more information about the survey and a complete report of the results, visit the ECAR 2007 Web site.
