What Do Students Think about Technology?

Use of Colour, Library & Learning Centre, UEL
Last week Educause released the 2018 Students and Technology Research Study, along with a not-quite-convenient for printing infographic.

Contrary to dated stereotypes about faculty being reluctant to use technology, the survey shows that “the majority told us instructors use tech to engage them in the learning process and enhance their learning with additional materials. Nearly half of students also agreed that their instructors encourage them to use technology for creative or critical-thinking tasks.” Students were pretty split over whether they were allowed to use their own devices–particularly phones–in the classrooms, despite the fact that smartphones are the most widely owned/accessible form of student technology (Definitely check out figure 1.) As the ECAR researchers note, this suggests that the next step for faculty is to develop more student-centered, rather than faculty-centered, uses of technology in the classroom.

The survey has sections on LMS use/satisfaction, accessibility, and more. If you’re interested in students’ technology habits and preferences, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Photo “Use of Colour, Library and Learning Centre, UEL by Flickr user Jisc infoNet / Creative Commons licensed BY-NC-ND-2.0