SurveyMonkey conducted a study with over 600 aged 18-44 college students in early September regarding their technology usage habit and perceptions as it related to their studying and learning. While most of the findings were to be expected, there were a few surprises (including more than half of respondents completing the survey on a mobile device):
- 76% of students are carrying 2+ Internet-connected devices on campus with 22% toting around 3 or 4 devices
- The two most popular devices on campus?
- Smartphones – 92% of students using on campus
- Laptops – 72% of students using on campus
- Tablet uptake is lagging a bit – only 23% of students carry them regularly
- Of the devices that contribute most to academic success laptops lead the pack with 76% of students citing them with smartphones well behind at 40%
- On the software side, 67% of students report that “having the right software applications” improves the quality of their work. Key feature requirements:
- Ease of use (75%)
- Increases student productivity (66%)
- Mobile compatibility (52%)
- Facilitates student collaboration (48%)
- Aids collaboration with faculty (39%)
- In terms of discoverability, 59% of students find out about software from their instructors – no surprises there – but 30% of students still report that getting access (user names, passwords) is a challenge
So while technology on campus has come a long way since the days of packed computer labs and hardwired Ethernet connections it seems that there is still work ahead on software and related services – particularly at improving immediate access and improving ease of use.
Maybe it’s a good time to mention that Junction offers turnkey LTI-based single-sign-on (SSO) with every major learning management system, including Google Apps, and that 80+% of students in every survey we’ve ever run find Junction easier to use than any other learning platform. No wonder more content providers are turning to Junction to power their next generation learning experiences.
Survey: Most Students Say Technology Boosts Academic Success — Campus Technology
Research Three out of four college and university students think technology has had a positive impact on their academic success, according to a recent survey. Their preferred tech tools are laptops and smartphones, and they look to their institutions to provide the software applications and resources they need.
