Notes

Outline

Students’ Perceptions of Technology in Learning Scott E. Siddall Denison University

Objectives To determine our students’ authentic feelings toward technology in undergraduate learning To test the survey instrument

The Survey Equivalent web and print formats Web version is much less costly Three elements, blended in the survey K-12 and college selection experiences Estimate their desires for technology Characterize the respondent 54 Likert scale questions: Five levels (SA, A, NO,D,SD) Neutral mean = 3.0 One textual response US mail invitations with incentives

The Students 800 students 400 from each Denison University and Kenyon College 100 from each graduating class Stratified random sample 30% response rate (n=242)

Analytical methods SPSS release 9 Crosstabs One sample t-tests One-way ANOV where variances were homogeneous SNK multiple range post-hoc tests Likert scale data treated as interval data           (Jaccard and Wan, 1996) Statistical inferences all at 95% confidence level

Descriptive results Summary data available on the web: http://siddall.info/talks/percept/data.html

Overall student perceptions Institutional IT commitments are not a factor in selecting colleges for most students Those who considered IT had significantly greater access to high-tech classrooms in K-12 Positive experiences with IT in college classes are strongly correlated with professor’s effective use of technology

Overall student perceptions Students used computers more this year than last Students put a higher premium on support than on outstanding facilities Students very strongly value face-to-face contact with faculty, and they value outside speakers in class Students prefer short lectures and feel that printed, web-based or taped lectures can be as effective

Students who say they know more… Own a computer Are more willing to engage in remote collaboration (video conferencing) Find group work less productive Are not comfortable with intuitive approaches; they want manuals Are more often math majors and less often majoring in art and religion

On collaborative work…. Do you like large group work? 64% no, 18% yes, 16% no opinion Is group work more or less productive? 32% more, 46% less, 21% no opinion Is collaborative work shared equitably? 59% no, 28% yes, 12% no opinion Where does most learning take place? 43% outside of class, 36% inside, 18% no opinion

On anonymity… 55% report holding back comments in class 31% would contribute anonymously if they felt they could These remarks are strongly associated (p<.001)

Gender differences More men claim to have searched library catalogs than women Fewer women claim to be highly knowledgeable about computers More women report a lower level of positive experiences with technology than men More women than men are negative about outside speakers via video conferencing More women are more inclined to seek anonymity than men and they find group work more productive than men do Men approach computers more intuitively than women and show a preference for shorter lectures than women

Differences between survey formats Web respondents profess to have more knowledge about computing than print respondents (possible bias for web format) Web respondents want a computer in each classroom; print respondents are neutral Web respondents favor computing requirements in class more than print respondents Print respondents do not want anonymous tools; web respondents are neutral Web respondents are more intuitive about using computers than print respondents Web respondents tend to write much longer textual responses

Differences between campuses Institutional commitments to IT influenced Denison students more than Kenyon prospectives Kenyon students reported greater access to high-tech K-12 resources and home computers than Denison students Denison students are interested in taking classes at other schools; Kenyon students are not Denison students think that computing will be more influential in the future than Kenyon students

Where do you learn? "Real learning occurs back in the dorm, where I learned how to live" "One doesn't learn by passively absorbing information.  Most learning takes place outside of class when one has the opportunity to sift through ideas and distill the important concepts." "...learning takes place outside of class when people are truly engaged and interested instead of discussion for a grade." "I think that the learning that goes on outside class, just spending time with others and talking to them, is just as important as in-class not talking." "I learn more reading the material or studying it on my own.  Too many professors just regurgitate the chapter you read for the homework the night before." "I personally tend to tune out and just take notes and not  really think about what my professor is saying.   Afterwards I will look at my notes and decipher what the professor has said   This takes place out of class and  it is where most of my learning occurs."

Where do you learn? "...getting away from the formality of the classroom  being able to think about the idea in any direction you want to take usually involves thinking and questioning and finding answers through different ways of seeing an idea" "Email discussions with fellow students or professors  Web searches of other libraries or academic websites." "I am a shy person in large classroom situations . I do well when I can talk to my professor one on one.     I also agree in having outside lecturers come and speak by way of two way conferencing. " "I went to a small liberal arts college so my teachers could know me by name."

Broad Interpretation of Results Our students are conservatively optimistic about technology in their learning and in post-graduate life Technology will not replace instructors but our students want instructors who use technology well

Specific Interpretation of Results Our students have strong K-12 experiences that effect their expectations but not decisions about selecting a college They want support for their increasing uses of technology and do better when their instructors use technology well Most are accepting of alternate classroom methods:  online lectures, video conference speakers, etc. Most are uncomfortable with large group collaborations; some seek tools for anonymous expression

Conclusions about the Survey Tool Useful information gathered; potential of student survey confirmed Several areas for improvement identified Web surveys are appropriate for some questions Focus will change over time as results suggest Possibility to include more institutions Contact Scott E. Siddall   siddall.info This presentation at:  http://siddall.info/talks/

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