ECAR Study of UG Students

2013 Results: Nationally & UoMS. J. Schaeffer, III, EdD

Advanced Learning CenterFall 2013

Started by EDUCAUSE in 2004◦ UoM began participating in 2005 ◦ 2013 was the 8th year that UoM participated

Method:◦ Data collected in Spring 2013◦ All UG classes solicited (Only Fresh/Senior in past)

◦ Online survey request: Email from CIO TigerLAN prompt page at login

Study Overview

General Resultsand Findings

250+ institutions participated in 2013

Response rate:◦ US – 29,262◦ UoM – 771 (2.6% of all responses)

120 Freshmen / 143 Sophomores / 190 Juniors /262 Seniors / 56 Other

72% Female / 28% Male (similar to previous years)

Summary of Participation

In most cases the results from UoM students largely mirror those from other institutions in this study. This is a trend we’ve seen since beginning participation in this study.

A few notable exceptions are highlighted in this report.

Worth Noting: Our students continue to look like other students across the U.S.

Equipment OwnershipOwn… UoM Nationally

…Laptop 95% 97%

…Desktop 53% 42%

…Tablet 52% 42%

…eReader 29% 22%

…Smart Phone 85% 85%

Notes:

• Laptop up from 83% in 2011

• Desktop is down from 56% 2011

• Tablet is up from 20% in 2011

• eReader is up from 10% in 2011

• iPhone is up from 62% in 2011

Observations and Implications

85% of our students say that their personal laptop is very or extremely important to their academic work and success.

In addition, 67% say the same about their smartphone 90% of our students own two (2) or more internet-enabled devices

and 60% own three (3) or more.

Observation: Personal ownership of internet-enabled personal technology is very relevant to our students’ academic success.

Implications: Innovative pedagogical strategies (BYOD, flipped, in-class polling, etc.) that rely on personal devices can be readily pursued.

How our students use lab equipment: When they leave personal laptop at home (57%) Printing (67%) Specialty software (31%) Faster internet (27%)

Observation: Campus investments in computer labs are seen by students as primarily for convenience & printing.

Implications: Consider print-only labs or similar spaces? Expand the benefit of bringing personal laptops to campus (charging stations, furniture, space, etc.)?

Things they can do with a mobile device: Access library resources (40%) Check grades (61%) Register for courses (49%) Check financial aid (51%) Access online course information (40%)

Observation: Campus support for mobile device as a practical tool is making headway.

Implications: Explore other ways in which the campus can take advantage of student’s willingness to use personal mobile equipment for conducting business as a student.

Coursework, Faculty, Etc.

Observation : Perception of faculty use of technology is improving

2011 201330%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Use Tech Ef-fectively

2011 201330%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Have Adquate IT Skills

Most or All Faculty…

Implications: Campus faculty community is becoming more prepared for teaching with technology. (A similar survey of faculty self-perceptions might be useful.)

Students want faculty to use more: Regular email (65%) Face-to-Face conversation (61%)

…but not so much on social networking: Texting (34%) Chat (23%) Facebook (13%) Twitter (10%)

Observation: Students still prefer direct communication with their faculty via traditional means.

Implications: Faculty should not feel bad sticking to traditional means of connecting with their students.

Pct of our students who did not use the LMS in the last 12 months is 21%, while the US average is 5%. However, 40% wish faculty would use the LMS more often to communicate.

The campus LMS is perceived to be very important for your academic success?◦ UoM = 51%, US = 74%

Observation: Campus use and perceived value of LMS (D2L) lags other campuses in US.

Implications: Need to understand why our faculty use the LMS less than at other campuses. Perhaps need programs/incentives to encourage more use.

More use of personal equipment in the classroom:◦ Laptops (53%), Smartphone (40%), Tablet (38%)

In terms of how technology helps them:◦ 54% say is makes them more actively involved

◦ 74% say it helps them achieve academic success

◦ 73% say technology prepares them for future educational plans.

But our faculty seem to be going in the other direction:◦ 70% report smartphones being discouraged or banned entirely in

class

◦ Only 1 in 5 report encouragement to use their laptop in class

Observation: Students would like to have more use of technology in the classroom.

Implications: Disconnect between students and faculty on the role of personal technology in the classroom. What are the impediments? (wireless, furniture, culture, skills)?

Good news: 50% have taken a fully O/L course in the last 12 months.

Bad news: Only 10% prefer fully O/L. Preference: Blended is preferred by 60% of

our students.

Observation: While fully O/L has become mainstream, students do not prefer it.

Implications: Perhaps better understand why students feel this way? Is there a need to improve fully O/L experiences for students?Should we explore formalizing a broader use of blended courses for the future?

Classroom lecture capture – 62% want more access to video-recorded classroom lectures that are available via the web.

MOOCs are not on students’ radar:◦ Only 2% of our students have taken a MOOC in the last

12 months with only 0.4% reported completing it.

◦ 75% don’t even know what a MOOC is.

◦ These numbers are essentially identical to U.S.

Miscellaneous Observations:

Implications: Should we be cautious about our MOOC investments and instead think about more lecture capture technology?

= ?

= Yes

Recap

1. The UoM continues to mirror national trends (significant variances are rare; e.g., LMS usage).

2. Students see our faculty as having better skills using technology in the classroom.

3. Ownership of personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) is nearing 100%.

4. Student perceptions on the value of technology in classes is strong,…

5. But there is a disconnect with actual use in the classroom.

Recap of Findings

Presenter: sandy.schaeffer@memphis.edu

EDUCAUSE/ECAR: http://www.educause.edu/ecar

All past ECAR study data on UMwiki

Follow up: