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Technology Makes the Difference

  • 04/01/09

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.

 

Trendspotting
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.

 

Trendspotting
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.

 

Trendspotting
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.

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