Student Technology Survey

University of Alberta Students' Union
Learning Systems, University of Alberta

Note: The following article contains the findings of a survey of University of Alberta students undertaken jointly by the Students' Union and the Learning Systems division. The complete 21-page report, including information on the survey methodology and eight pages of survey results in tabular format, can be downloaded as an Adobe Acrobat file from:

http://www.su.ualberta.ca/gov/documents/Other_Documents/STSsur.pdf

Technology is becoming an increasingly large part of today's society and, accordingly, that emphasis is being reflected in university classrooms across the country. Prior to making decisions about where limited funds should go, it is crucial to determine the access and skill levels that students currently possess. It is also essential to make those decisions based on student determined priorities since it is the students themselves who can best judge what technologies are required to complement their education.

In order to understand the current use of technology by University of Alberta students, a survey was undertaken through a co-operative effort between the Students' Union and University Learning Systems. The purpose of the survey was twofold. First, it was designed to assess students' present access to computers and to determine what students need in order to be able to utilize technology to enhance their learning environment and abilities. Second, the survey was developed with the intention of using the information gathered to evaluate and plan for future technological infrastructure, support and training services. A wide variety of areas were examined, ranging from computer/Internet ownership and use, to opinions about support and usage of technology in learning at the University of Alberta.

Computer Ownership

The first section of the survey concerned personal computers that students already owned or could access. In response to questions about access to a computer, students indicated that their access is quite high with 66 percent of students possessing their own computer. Of those who do not own a computer, 59 percent of students could access a computer through family, friends or work whenever they wanted, and 35 percent of students had limited access to a computer. Compiling these figures, it becomes apparent that almost 98 percent of students either own or have some form of access to a personal computer. Of the students surveyed, 78 percent did not plan on purchasing a new computer within the next twelve months.

Very few students, only 6 percent, owned a laptop computer, and of those students, 12 percent were willing to bring their laptop to campus. This indicates that the majority of students with access to a personal computer are utilizing a desktop model. Therefore, there is a suggested need for students to be able to easily access public computing facilities on campus so that they can use technology even when they are away from their personal computers.

Students were also surveyed about the type and capabilities of the computer they were accessing. The majority of students used an IBM-compatible (16 percent were Macintosh users and 84 percent used an IBM-compatible model); Pentium and 486 models were the most common. There was a wide variety in the specifications of the computers but many students did have a modem (68 percent), a CD-ROM drive (81 percent), or a personal printer (93 percent). Windows operating systems were used by 87 percent of students. The sophistication of these machines and their capabilities demonstrates that students are familiar with and can access fairly contemporary technology.

Computer Use

The next section of the survey examined how students used computers as a component of their University studies. Students were asked how many hours per day they utilized a computer for course-related work or e-mail. Over 80 percent of responding students used a computer for fewer than two hours per day and very few (4.6 percent) used it for more than five hours per day.

When indicating their skill level with different applications, the majority of students felt that their skills with word processing, using a web browser and using the University Library's GATE system were either good or excellent. By contrast, most students were not as comfortable with their skill levels in designing presentations (e.g., PowerPoint), using graphics programs (e.g., Photoshop, AutoCAD), designing web pages or doing computer programming.

When asked where they acquired their computing skills, students felt that most of their abilities were self-taught, with a fair amount also coming from a required course at a college or university. Less of their knowledge came from high school or campus technology courses.

Student response was quite diverse as to what their preferred method of receiving computer instruction would be: 34.3 percent of students would prefer a hands-on group training session for a fee, 25.8 percent preferred self-study tutorials via the web, and 27.8 percent would rather have self-study courses in computer labs (i.e., on CD-ROMs). Most students would prefer to receive computer training at the beginning of the term (in September or January) and slightly fewer would be willing to receive training at any time during the term. Thus, since no clear preference was indicated between methods of receiving training, it is clear that the University requires a varied approach in its offerings.

As to their experiences on campus, students felt that they knew where the computer labs were and thought that the software was adequate and the hardware was reliable. A total of 89 percent of students responded that they do make use of computer labs but 79.5 percent felt that the labs were too crowded and 61.5 percent thought that the labs were over-booked. This indicates that, although many students do own or have access to a personal computer, they also rely heavily on the campus computer labs in order to do their course work.

While students' needs are being met by the technical capabilities of the available hardware and software, the survey results also suggest that a greater number of publicly accessible computer labs, which are not dedicated to instructional purposes, are required to service the large number of users and to alleviate some of the problems that have been cited such as crowding and over-booking. It is also clear that students do not feel that the technical support that they require is provided as only 32 percent of students agreed that the assistance is adequate.

For course-related work, students tend to use computers for preparing papers, doing library research, accessing the Internet and using e-mail. Less commonly used applications include desktop publishing, multimedia development, electronic conferences and simulations/games. Respondents indicated that class activities or presentations often included checking material on a website (40.2 percent were required to do so and 47.3 percent had the option) or optional use of personal e-mail communications with instructors or other students.

Students were less inclined to use computer-designed slides/presentations, submit assignments electronically, do computer programming or make video/film/audio presentations. Almost 46 percent of students found that electronically communicated course information was available in an alternate format and, not surprisingly when compared to data from other questions in the survey, 80.9 percent of students had found usage of the Internet to be helpful in their program of study.

Computing Services on Campus

Students were also asked about computer services and improvements that they felt needed to be made to enhance the University's current computer systems and services. A very high percentage of students (92.6 percent) had activated their campus computer account (i.e., GPU IDs) and almost as many (88 percent) use their accounts.

When ranking how important they consider improvements to specific University systems or services, the three improvements that were ranked as most important were to increase access to student services via the web, to add more computer labs and to upgrade equipment and software in existing computer labs. This emphasis on increasing access to technology on campus reflects the high utilization of computer labs that was indicated in the survey as well as the opinion that computer labs tend to be crowded or over-booked.

By contrast, potential improvements that were ranked least important by students include providing laptop plug-in capability in study halls and extending Help Desk phone service hours. Considering that only 6 percent of students own a laptop computer and even fewer bring that computer onto campus, it is not surprising that students did not rank plug-in capability very highly.

Internet Connectivity

The survey also asked students about how they connected to the Internet. A little over half of the respondents (54.2 percent) replied that they access the University of Alberta network from home through the University modem pool while approximately a quarter of the respondents use a different Internet Service Provider. The most common reason that students choose not to use the University modem pool was that it takes too long to get on. Over half of the students often give up without getting online when trying to access their University accounts. Most students use fewer than two hours on average per Internet session and over 80 percent of students spend fewer than twenty hours on the Internet per month.

Most responding students would prefer a pricing formula where they received unlimited usage for a fixed monthly fee. But, as a large majority are using less than twenty hours on the Internet per month, it would likely be less expensive for students to have a fixed rate for a number of hours, since the amount of time that they spend on the Internet is already limited.

As indicated in an earlier section of this article, many students have not had much experience with web page design; this observation is reinforced by the fact that 83.1 percent of respondents do not have their own web page. Approximately half of students download files from home and two-thirds do not access the Library GATE system from their home.

Student Opinions

Students were asked to rate whether they disagreed or agreed with twelve different statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Strongly Disagree" and 5 being "Strongly Agree." Interestingly, while 67.4 percent of students felt that it is essential to have access to a computer to obtain better grades, only 53.1 percent agreed that it was essential for students to own a personal computer. This indicates the high value that students place upon being able to access a computer while on campus and demonstrates that increasing the ability of students to utilize publicly accessible computer labs should take precedence when determining where technology funding should be designated.

Nevertheless, the majority of students would not support fee increases used to augment the number of computer labs on campus. This suggests that students feel that they should not need to contribute more money but rather that spending should be prioritized in order to meet students' computing needs effectively.

Students were either neutral or in slight disagreement with the statements about whether the University provides adequate information on required technology skills, available computer facilities or whether training opportunities for new students are adequate. A total of 65.6 percent of students disagreed with the statement, "the University provides adequate information about what kind of personal computer to buy," suggesting that better communication is required on what configurations are recommended.

There was a very mixed view on whether a course in general computing skills should be required by the University; however, a large majority of students (74.9 percent) felt that low-cost mini-courses or workshops should be offered in specific computer skills and applications.

While most students do feel that access to a computer aids their academic studies, 46.2 percent of students responded that they would have been discouraged from entering their program of study if that program had required students to buy or lease a computer. When asked under what circumstances they would consider purchasing or leasing a computer, 32.3 percent of students replied that they would do so only if guaranteed that more courses would require the use of a computer and 26.3 percent would only if the costs were eligible for student loans or grants. Some 15.1 percent of the students would not consider purchasing or leasing a computer under any circumstances.

Survey Summary

Following an examination of the survey results, it is apparent that students do consider access to technology to be an important part of their studies. While many students own or have access to a personal computer, the survey indicates that students require computers to be readily available so that they can work on their assignments on the University campus. Students were not willing, however, to support a fee increase that would be used to increase the number of computer labs on campus. This implies that spending needs to be prioritized to satisfy student needs with the limited funds that are available. As indicated by the survey, these priorities would include increased access to student services via the web, adding more computer labs and upgrading equipment/software in existing computer labs.

Although a large number of students felt that access to a computer was essential to getting better grades, many also responded that a requirement for students in their program to buy or lease a computer would have discouraged them from enrolling in that program. When asked under what circumstances they would purchase or lease a computer, students responded that they would consider that option only if guaranteed that more courses would require their use or only if the costs were eligible for student loans/grants. The need to retain the choice of whether to obtain a computer or not may be indicative of already stretched finances where students would require financial assistance to afford such a purchase or, at the very least, a guarantee that such an investment would be essential to their studies.