Trendspotter
Technology Makes the Difference
How much of a difference does technology really make to students, when it comes to the following three critical areas?
- College Search
- Study in a Chosen Field
- Communicating With Instructors
The folks at CDW-G wanted to know, and the result of their interest is the CDW-G 21st Century Campus Study, released this past fall. The study surveyed more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff in higher education, to uncover technology impact and implications for campus IT.
Top five areas of study/majors that reported technology was important or very important to their college selection
Tech Matters in the College Search
When it comes to the hunt for the right college, for instance, students across top areas of discipline concentration uniformly reported that the more up-to-date the school's technology profile in their field, the more likely they would be to head to that particular institution. Understandably, a solid technology infrastructure was especially critical to vocational students and those pursuing technical studies (90%), but even 78% of business-focused students and 73% of education students said they were seeking top-notch technology at their schools of choice.
Students who believe technology is important or very important to their ability to study for their major
Tech Matters in the Classroom
The ability to study effectively in a chosen field was a primary issue as well: A full 100% of respondents pursuing engineering majors said a school's technology was "important" or "very important," and even fine arts (76%) and liberal arts (72%) majors indicated that without an effective technology infrastructure, their studies would probably suffer.
Percentage of students who want online chat with professors
Students Want Faculty Linked in
And regular, immediate communication with instructors was so important to those surveyed, they rated online chat their No. 1 desired technology capability-- the capability that would be most useful to their studies. The sad news? Only 23% of IT staff canvassed say their campus currently offers it.
For more statistics presented by the study, download the CDW-G 21st Century Campus Study.