Web Watch
ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology, 2004

Today’s undergraduate students at U.S. universities are for the most part “digital natives” who have grown up with computers and Internet and communication technologies. This contrasts with most university faculty, who, as “digital immigrants,” have become familiar with these technologies at different stages and to different extents (Prensky, 2001).

It is perhaps not surprising, then, that technology integration in university courses shows discrepancy between students’ technical know-how and the sophistication of the tools employed. In the “ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology, 2004,” recently released by Educause, a majority of students report benefiting from the convenience of online management of course information and digital communication with instructors, but only 12.7 percent indicate that the most significant benefit of technology is improved learning. However, a majority of students also indicated a desire to take courses that make moderate to extensive use of technology.

The study focused on first- and fourth-year students enrolled at 13 U.S. institutions of higher education. Some 4300 students responded to a written survey, while an additional 132 were interviewed extensively in focus-group settings. Although the full report of the study is available only to subscribers or by purchase from the Educause website, an abstract, table of contents, executive summary, roadmap, and the survey instrument are freely available. Educause, a nonprofit association working in the area of technology use in higher education, offers numerous other resources and reports at its website.

Reference

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

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Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted November 2004
© 2004 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232