2008-09 Student Computing Ownership and Use Survey
The 19th Annual Student Computing Ownership and Use Survey indicates that student ownership of computers has leveled off but the type of computers students are bringing is shifting. During the 2008-09 academic year students were asked to complete a very brief survey on their ownership and use of computers. Since the survey was directly tied to mandatory password changes the number of participants directly equaled the number of students taking courses at St. Olaf. The survey results found that 97% of the students brought a computer (or two) to campus. One of the more amazing facts we uncovered is that only 9 students from the first year class did not report owning a computer.
For a couple of years IIT has been watching the upward trend in Macintosh ownership. Last year 31.67% of the student body owned a Macintosh. This year the number has climbed to 39.80%. First year students lead the way with 49.35% Macintosh ownership, amounting to a 10% jump from the previous year. Laptops dominate with a total of 92.84% students owning a laptop. The number of students bringing multiple computers to campus has remained relatively flat at 6%.
Computer Ownership |
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| First Year | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
| Computer Ownership | 99% | 99% | 97% | 98% |
| Laptop Ownership | 98% | 94% | 93% | 93% |
These data are important to know as it helps determine the skill set the professional and student staff should have. In years past, Macintosh ownership among students, as well as use among faculty and staff, was so low that IIT had few staff with the expertise to answer more than just the basic questions about the Mac. IIT has had to retool skill sets in order to strengthen our support services without increasing staff.
High computer ownership has not significantly changed how students use the computing resources provided by the campus. An amazing 89% of the students indicated that they use the computing resources the college provides. This is down only 1% from the previous year.
Student Use of St. Olaf Computing Labs |
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| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Computer Ownership | 95% | 96% | 97% | 96% | 97% |
| Use Public Computing Facilities | 84% | 93% | 86% | 90% | 89% |
Residential hall lab use remains the most popular computing location with 74% of the students using these labs. The use of public printers has remained steady at 88%.
One measurement IIT uses to measure the effectiveness of our services is the student satisfaction rating. Students are asked to rate IIT services on a scale from poor to excellent. While there are some slight variations among the classes, the overall picture of satisfaction follows a similar pattern.
STUDENT SATISFACTION WITH IIT SERVICES
One area IIT has been monitoring is the change in satisfaction levels as students’ progress through their four years at St. Olaf. The chart below documents the current seniors satisfaction with IIT services from their sophomore year (first year of tracking this) to the current year:
CLASS OF 2010
SATISFACTION WITH IIT SERVICES
As the graph shows, the students in the class of 2010 are more inclined to be satisfied with our services than they were during their sophomore year. Note that the general pattern of satisfaction has not changed significantly. During the past 18 months, IIT has concentrated efforts into improving services and we hope to see a higher level of satisfaction at the conclusion of this years survey.
The most helpful part of our survey can also be the most painful– the student comments! This year 371 students provided their comments, suggestions, complaints and compliments. For the past few years the number of student who take time to comment has decreased. Back in 2004-05 we received 777 comments. The student comments provide us with feedback on some of the specific services we currently offer, as well as guide us to areas we need to research for future services.
Top Ten Issues for 2008-09 |
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Number of Responses |
% Among Responders |
|
| Requests for Faster or Better Wireless Network | 101 |
27.22% |
| Requests for more printers | 42 |
11.32% |
| Complaints about Technical Help | 39 |
10.51% |
| Complaints and Concerns About Printing Charges | 35 |
9.43% |
| Complaints about Changing Passwords | 23 |
6.20% |
| Positive Comments | 22 |
5.93% |
| Requests for more computers/labs/etc. | 13 |
3.50% |
| Requests asking for Quicker and More Help | 13 |
3.61% |
| Issues concerning File Storage | 7 |
3.23% |
| Complaints about Repairs and Maintenance | 6 |
1.62% |
Wireless network issues brought in the largest number of complaints, with 101 students sharing their frustrations with the network. This issue also topped last years Top Ten List. Printers and printer quotas were another hot issue for the students, ranking number 2 and 4 on the list. As the number of faculty who use Moodle increases and as the amount of materials students are asked to print for class increases we can only assume that the number of complaints will continue to grow. File storage was a new Top Ten issue that emerged. Students commented that they wanted more documentation on how to set up their computers to use the storage and they wanted staff help doing so.
It is helpful to look back at previous surveys to see the trends and changes in student comments. If IIT makes an effort to correct a problem through upgrades, new services or staff training we can often measure the success of our efforts if we see a reduction or elimination in complaints. For example, in 2007-08 students were very unhappy with our e-mail system. The switch to Google has completely removed e-mail as an issue among the students. In other cases, we can’t eliminate all complaints but we can at least reduce the number of students who are unhappy with our equipment, service, etc.
The following chart provides a look back on rankings of this year’s Top Ten issues.
Top Ten Issues |
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2004-2009 |
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(as a percentage of those who submitted comments) |
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04-05 |
05-06 |
06-07 |
07-08 |
08-09 |
|
| Wireless Networks | 6.05% |
10.54% |
14.24% |
26.88% |
27.22% |
| Requests for More Public Printers | 0% |
7.19% |
8.06% |
5.03% |
11.32% |
| Complaints about Technical Help | 0% |
0% |
4.63% |
6.03% |
10.51% |
| Complaints/Concerns About Printing Charges | 5.43% |
3.77% |
8.79% |
9.43% |
|
| Complaints about Changing Passwords | 0% |
0% |
0% |
7.29% |
6.20% |
| Had Positive Things to Say About IIT | 18.79% |
13.42% |
12.86% |
3.02% |
5.94% |
| Requests asking for Quicker and More Help | 14.93% |
7.03% |
4.46% |
3.52% |
3.61% |
| Requests for more computers/labs /etc. | 4.63% |
5.59% |
3.77% |
3.02% |
3.5% |
| Issues concerning File Storage | 0% |
0% |
0% |
3.23% |
3.23% |
| Complaints about Repairs and Maintenance | 7% |
2.7 |
4.63% |
5.03% |
1.62% |
| Request For Faster Network (Internet) | 16.86% |
10.06% |
7.72% |
3.77% |
1.35% |
Over the summer of 2009 IIT worked to address the student complaints and issues. Some of the projects included:
- Expansion of the number of wireless access points in the residence halls.
- Hired a new Helpdesk Manager charged with improving student services.
- Transitioned to new multi-purposes copiers in residence hall and public labs.
- Expanded Helpdesk hours
- Improved our student employee training program.
- Added external hard drives to the Macintosh media lab for file storage.
After 19 years, the student survey remains one of IIT’s most useful assessment tools we have.
