Students Opinion of IT: A National View

The Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR) has released a study of the use of technology by students. Data was collected from 18,000 students at 63 institutions. The findings are available to all at Educause. Here are some of the findings:

• Undergraduates live with abundant technology and networks;
  
• Students look to IT for convenience. They like IT in their courses but in moderation;
  
• Students are comfortable with a core set of technologies (such as word processing) and less comfortable with advanced technolgies (such as editing video and audio). Most beleive they do not need to know these advanced technologies;
  
• Students view technology as supplemental to the course experience, not transformational;
  
• Stdeunt exposure to technology is connected to academic dscipline;
  
• Studnet use IT for education, connectedness and entertainment. Men use IT for entertainment more often than women;
  
• Students report that their experience using Course Management Systems is positive and the technology is helping them learn.

It is interesting to compare these results with the results from CSCC's survey of summer 2005 web student. CSCC student opinion generally falls in line with ECARs data. One issue I think we need to consider is at what point do we look at insuring that a CSCC student leaves here with a minimum level of technological literacy.

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