City University of New York (CUNY) City University of New York (CUNY)

CUNY Academic Works CUNY Academic Works

Publications and Research New York City College of Technology

2019

“Technology is great, but it’s really time-consuming:” “Technology is great, but it’s really time-consuming:”

Understanding Students’ Digital Academic Lives Understanding Students’ Digital Academic Lives

Mariana Regalado CUNY Brooklyn College

Maura A. Smale CUNY New York City College of Technology

How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know!

More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_pubs/516

Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu

This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: AcademicWorks@cuny.edu

1

“Technologyisgreat,butit’sreallytime-consuming”UnderstandingStudents’DigitalAcademicLives

MarianaRegalado,MauraA.SmaleCUNYITConference,December6,2019

We’dliketostartoffwiththanks,firsttoLisaandallofthefolxwhoorganizedtheconferenceforinvitingustospeakthismorning–weareverygladtobehere.WewereinterestedtohearLarryIrving’skeynoteyesterday–muchofthegroundhecoveredalignswellwithwhatwe’llbetalkingabouttoday.Andbeforewetalkaboutourresearchandwhatwe’velearned,wewantedtothankeveryonewho’smadeourworkpossible:thestudentsandfacultyweinterviewed,ourterrificresearchassistants,andourlibrarycolleagues.

Likeallofyou,we’reinterestedinhowwecanhelpourstudentsbesuccessfulincollegeandaftertheygraduate.Wearelibraryfaculty,andwemostoftenworkwithstudentsoutsideofclasseswhentheyusethelibrary:tostudyanddohomework,toaccessprintandonlineresources,andtofindhelpwiththeirresearch.(ThisisthereferenceandtechsupportdeskatBrooklynCollege.)Aslibrarianswecanobservestudentsusingourlibraries,sowe’reespeciallyinterestedinwhereandhowthey’redoingcourseworkwhenthey’renotinthelibrary.Andwe’realsointerestedinwhat(ifanything)mightbepreventingthemfromdoingtheirworkinthelibraries.

Our unique perspective

2

We’vebeenresearchingtheCUNYstudentexperienceforover10years,andourinterestisinwhere,when,andhowCUNYundergraduatesdotheiracademicwork.Wehaveinterviewedandsurveyedover900studentsandover130facultyat6CUNYcolleges.Here’sabriefoutlineoftheresearchwe’vedone,andyoucanfindourfullprotocolsonourresearchwebsite(andwe’llsharethelinkforthatattheend).Howarestudentsusingdigitaltechnology?Inourresearchwe’vehearddirectlyfromourstudentsabouttheirexperiencesusingawiderangeofdigitaltechnologyinsupportoftheircoursework.Wealsoheardfromstudentsabouthowtechnologycansometimespreventthemfromdoingtheiracademicwork,barriersthatmaytakemanyforms.

Our research

2009-2011:photosurveys,mappingdiaries,retrospectiveresearchprocessinterviews,facultyinterviews

2015-2016:mappingdiaries,tech-specificinterviews,student/facultyquestionnaireonhybrid/onlinecourses

2018-2019:weeklyresearchprocessquestionnaires

2017-2018:readingpracticesinterviews

3

Aseveryoneatthisconferenceisaware,mobiletechnologyisacriticalcomponentofourstudents’academiclandscapes.Smartphonesaretheall-but-universaltechnologyforstudents.Whilewedidmeetstudentsinourfirstroundofresearch10yearsagowhodidn’thaveasmartphone(andevenafewwithoutacellphoneatall),everystudentwehaveinterviewedsince2015hashadasmartphone.(Andthesearesomephotosstudentstookin2010,asyoucanprobablytellfromthe“vintage”Blackberryontheleft.)It'sworthnotingthatwe’veseenstudentsusingthesamestrategieswithsmartphonesfortheiracademicworkthroughoutthe10yearsofourresearch.

Smartphones are (almost) ubiquitous

4

UbiquitoussmartphoneuseisatrendwecanseeinaJune2019reportfromthePewResearchCenterwhichshowssteadyincreasesinthenumberofUSadults,andespeciallybetweentheagesof18and29,who“goonlinemostlyusingasmartphone”orevenexclusivelyusingasmartphone.It’simportanttonotethatrelianceonmobiledevicesforaccessingtheinternetis,accordingtoPew’sresults,increasinglycitedasareasonfornotpayingforbroadbandathome.

Smartphone use is increasing

(PewResearchCenter,June2019)

5

AsweheardinLarryIrving’stalkyesterday,homebroadbandaccessisdownintheUS,andmanypeopleusesmartphonesastheirsoleinternetaccess.ThesamePewsurveyrevealsthat27%ofUSadultsreportthattheydonothavebroadbandinternetintheirhomes.Andincreasingly,exclusiveuseofsmartphonesforaccessingtheinternetoccursatahigherrateforpeopleofcolorandpeopleinlowerincomebracketsaswell,demographicsthatmatchourstudents.

• 27%ofU.S.adultsdonothavebroadbandathome• Smartphonesareincreasinglycitedasareasonfornothavinghomebroadband

(PewResearchCenter,June2019)

Home broadband is declining

6

Ourstudentparticipantstoldushowmuchtheyappreciatetheirsmartphonesandtakefulladvantageofthevariousfeaturesinsupportoftheirschoolwork,asthisquoteillustrates.Studentshavetoldusaboutusingthecameratotakephotosofreadingsornotesonthewhiteboardinclass,andinthelibraryweseethemtakingphotosofcallnumbersintheonlinecatalogwhenwehelpthemfindabookatthereferencedesk.Theyusethemanytimeandanywheretocommunicatewithinstructorsorclassmates,aswellastoaccessthevariousdigitalplatformstocheckonrequirementsandduedates,andtocompleteworkfromanylocation,includingonthecommute.Smartphonesalsofeatureinstudentacademiclandscapesinmorepersonalways,forexampleonestudentrecountedtousthatshewasinbedathomelateatnightandfoundshehadasuddeninspirationforherpaper.Ratherthangetupandretrieveherlaptopshesimplyusedhersmartphonetotypeupherthoughts.

Students appreciate their smartphones

“Iamabletoaccessmygrades,typeupapaper,reviewapowerpoint,etc.

inthepalmofmyhand.”

7

AnotherreasonCUNYstudentslovetheirsmartphonesandusethemforschoolworkisbecausetheyspendalotoftimeonthecommute,andtheyappreciatethatasmartphoneallowsthemtorecordandaccesstheiracademicworkonthego.Thisslidedepictsanaggregatemapfrom2015whenweaskedstudentstomaptheirmovementsoveroneday:thereddotsrepresentBMCCstudents,greenforBrooklynCollege,andblueforCityTech.Mobiletechnologyseemsready-madeforourcommuterstudentbody.CUNYstudentshavelongcommutes–ourparticipantstoldus,andCUNYstudentexperiencesurveysconfirm,thatthemajorityofstudentsarecommutinganaverageof45to60minuteseachway.Fullyhalfofstudentswhorespondedtothe2016studentexperiencesurveyreportedthattheycommutetocampusbetween6and20hoursperweek.(Andthatdoesn’tevenincludecommutingtoworkorforleisure–theyspendmostofthattimeonpublictransportation!)WealsoknowthatmanyCUNYstudentscometoclassmultipledaysperweek,andsomeevencometocampuswhentheydon’thaveclass,iftheyneedaplacetostudy.

CUNY students commute…

8

Studentshavetoldusthataccesstomobiletechnology,particularlysmartphones,allowsthemtheopportunitytodoreadingsandsometimeswritingonthecommute.Weweresosurprisedthefirsttimeastudenttoldusaboutwritingapaperontheirphone,mimingtypingwiththeirthumbs,andwhenweheardconfirmationfromfacultythattheyreceivedassignmentswiththe“sentfrommyphone”textatthebottom,thoughthisisnowadecadeago.(Theseimagesareinresponsetoaskingstudentstakeordrawapictureofalocationwheretheydotheiracademicwork.)Whilethecommuteisoftennotacomfortablespaceforstudentstowork,somedescribeitasawayto“escape”thenot-always-pleasantconditionsofthesubwayorbus.Students’workwithtechnologyonthecommutemustaccommodateintermittentaccesstotheinternetonmostsubways,thoughcellularaccessispossibleonthebus,andincreasinglywifiisavailableonbusesaswell.Becauseinternetaccessmaybelimited,somestudentshavetoldusaboutsometimeselaboratepreparationsinvolvingphotographingorscanningordownloadingreadingstotheirsmartphonessotheyareabletoreaduninterruptedonthecommute.Inourresearchwe’veseenaninterestingshiftinstudents’expectationsabouthowtheyusesmartphones–adecadeagostudentsviewedtheuseofsmartphones(oripodtoucheswhichwerementionedin2009)foracademictasksasanadditionalstrategy,ontopoftheothertechnologiestheyuseforschool.Assmartphoneownershiphasincreasedsotoohastheexpectationanddesireamongstudentstobeabletousethemforanyacademictask,includinginteractingwithBlackboardandCUNYFirstaswellasotherapplicationstheirinstructorsuse,writingpapers,anddoinghomework.

…and they work on the commute

9

Studentexpectationsforhowmobiletechnologywillworkarenotalwaysbeingmet.Weheardfrommanystudentsinourmorerecentinterviewsthatasmartphoneisnotenough–it’sjustnotpossibleforstudentstorelysolelyonasmartphoneforalloftheircoursework,andtheyarefrustratedwhentheyencounterbarriers.Notwithstandingthefactthatsomestudentsdoactuallytypeentirepapersontheirphonesonthecommute,otherstudentshavetoldusthattheystruggletoviewcoursematerialsandtotypeorotherwiseinputdataorinteractwiththeirschoolworkonthesmallscreenofasmartphone.Anotherpotentialbarriertousingsmartphonesforschoolworkisaccesstowifiandtheinternet.Manyofourstudentrespondentshavenotedthatwithoutwifiordataaccesstherearelimitstotheacademicworktheycanaccomplishontheirphones.Andmobiletechnologyisnotnecessarilyasreliableforweb-basedapplicationsaswemighthope.Asthisstudentquotesuggests,manywebsitesremainmobile-unfriendly:theymaynotdisplayproperlyorincludeallfeaturesonmobiledevices.Aswell,whenworkinginsomeweb-basedormobileappsthereisoftennota“save”featurethatcouldserveasabackupincaseworkislost.Itisclearthatnotallstudentsfullyunderstandwhysomecloudcomputingapplicationsdosave,whileothersdonot.

Smartphones are not enough

“Ipersonallydon'tuseasmartphoneortabletforschoolworkbuthavebeen

presentnumeroustimeswhilemyfriends’workwasdeletedorwouldnotupload

fromoneofthesedevices.”

10

Studentshavetoldusthattheyappreciatemanyaspectsofdesktopcomputersandlaptops,whichwethinkofasfull-featuredcomputing.(Andherearesomestudentdrawingsofthewaysthattheyusedesktopsandlaptopsintheirschoolwork.)Afullkeyboardiseasiertotypeon,especiallyforlong-formwritingandindepthresearch.Theyalsoappreciatethelargedisplayandhavetoldusthatmanywebsiteslookbetteronandareeasiertousewiththelargerscreenofapersonalcomputer,especiallythosethatrequireinteractionlikeenteringdataorthosethatspawnpop-upwindows(e.g.Blackboard,CUNYfirst,etc.).Studentswhohavethemhaveravedtousaboutlaptopsasatechnologytheymostappreciatefordoingtheiracademicwork.Theynotefull-featuredcomputingcombinedwiththeabilitytoworkinlocationsthatareconvenientforthem,includinginvariouslocationsathomeandoncampus,andsometimesevenonthecommute.

Full-featured computing is preferred

11

Whileit’stechnicallyaccuratetodescribelaptopsasmobiletechnology,manystudentshavetoldustheyarenotabletotakefulladvantageoftheirlaptopsassuch.Forsomestudentsitissimplythattheydon’tbringtheirlaptopswiththemtocampus–manyhavelongdaysandevenalightweightlaptopcanbeanaddedweightthatstudentsdon’twanttocarry,asyoucanseeinthisstudentquote.Anumberofstudentswehavespokenwithhadbadexperiencesofforgettingtochargetheirlaptoporleavingtheirchargerathome,andthatexperiencehadsouredthemonbringingalaptopwiththemtoschool.Otherstudentshavecomplainedaboutproblemswithwifiaccessoncampus,includingslowconnectivityonsaturatednetworksorwifideadzonesinclassroomsorothercampuslocations.

Laptops are not always mobile

“[Ibringmylaptop]maybeonceaweek.Becauseit'sheavy.Plusmybooks.It'sheavy.Itkillsmyback.BecauseI'min

schoolfrom11:00until8:30.”

12

Andpersonalcomputersdorepresentanexpense,anexpensethatstudentshavetoldusfranklyincludeschallengeswithcomputermaintenance,everythingfromhardwareproblemstosystemupdatestoviruses.Sometimesstudentsareunabletosolvetheseproblemsortoarrangeforrepairs,whichmaketheircomputersunusable,likethestudentquotedhere.Andofcourseanimportantexpenseisthecostofinternetaccessathome,whichisallbutrequiredforcomputerstobemaximallyuseful.Themovetowardsrelianceonsmartphoneaccesstotheinternetandthedecreaseinhomebroadbandaretrendsthathavealotofpotentialtoimpactourstudents.Withtheemphasisonmobiletechnologyinconsumerculture,andgivenhowbusyweknowourstudentsare,wemightanticipatethatoldertechnologymodelslikethecampuscomputerlabarelessrelevant.However,basedonwhatweknowaboutstudents’heavyrelianceonmobiletechnologyandhowtheymayincreasinglynothavebroadbandathome,it’snosurprisethattheyareheavyusersofourcampuscomputerlabs.

Personal computers are not always usable

“Ihaveacomputerathome,it’sannoyingthoughbecausesometimesmycomputerwillbebrokenalittlebitandIhavetosendittoGeekSquadandthenIdon’treallyhaveacomputerforaweekortwowhichisvery

stressfulbecausemymajorisincomputers.”

13

ThestudentexperiencesurveyshowsthatstudentsuseourcampuscomputerlabsextensivelyInthe2016survey,78%ofstudentsreportedusingthematleastoncepersemester.Andyoucanseethatstudentsreportedavarietyofreasonsforusingthelabs,whichwe’vealsoseeninourresearch.Notetherelativelysmallpercentageofstudents–4%–whoreportthattheydonothaveinternetaccessathome.Keepinmindthatwhile4%isasmallproportionofstudents,thatis4%of240,000CUNYundergraduates,about9,500students,orjustaboutonestudentineveryclass,onaverage.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Idonothaveacomputerathome.

Idonothaveaprinterathome

Idonothaveinternetserviceat

home.

Idonothavetherequiredcomputerprogramsathome.

Itismoreconvenientto

completemyworkoncampus.

Other

Whydidyouusecomputerlabson-campus?

(2016StudentExperienceSurvey)

Using campus computers

14

The2018studentexperiencesurveyresultscontinuetoshowextensiveuseofcomputerlabsoncampus,with76%usingthematleastoncepersemester.Andstudentsalsoreportedthattheyarelargelysatisfiedwiththelabs.However,whatwelearnedfromtalkingtostudentsduringourresearchismorenuanced.

(2018StudentExperienceSurvey)

Satisfaction with campus computers

IamsatisfiedwiththeservicesIreceived.

Stronglyagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Stronglydisagree

Thissemester,haveyouusedcomputerlabson

campus?

YesNo

Printing remains necessary

“Ialwaysprintit,causeit’skindofhardformetositatthecomputerandreadstuff,IwillgetboredandIwillfindsomethingelse

todowhileI’montheinternet.”

15

Printingisoneofthemainreasonsstudentsusedourlabs.Itisdifficulttooverestimatetheusefulnessofourlabsforprinting,becausewhileitseemslikewe’realwaysjustonthecuspofmovingtoapaperlesssociety(andhavebeenfor20years),infact,wehavefoundthatprintersremainacriticaltechnologyforstudents.Thereareanumberofreasonsforthis.Ourworkwithstudentsaccordswithseveralrecentstudiesthathaveshownthatundergraduateshaveaclearpreferenceforreadingacademictextsinprint.Theyreport“betterfocusandretentionofinformationpresentedinprintformats”andpreferring“printforlongertexts”(Mizrachi,Salaz,Kurbanoglu,&Boustany,2018,p.1).AndwewanttoespeciallyrefertoourQueensCollegecolleagueNancyFoasberg’s2014articleaboutstudentreadingpractices.Mostofthestudentswehavespokenwithprintoutonlinereadingsiftheycan,ortheybuy,rent,orborrowthephysicalratherthanthedigitalbook.Studenttoldusthattheyoftenfindreadingonlinetobedistracting(likethestudentquotedhere),andtheyalsoappreciateprintasaformatthatiseasyforthemtoaccessontheircommutes.

Anotherimportantreasonstudentsoftenneedprinters,asweknowfromourresearchandalsofromourworkasacademiclibrarianswhohavecomputerlabsinourlibraries,isthatstudentsprinttheirassignmentswhenfacultyrequireit.Whilesomefacultydoencouragesubmitting,markingupandediting,andreturningwrittenworkthroughweb-basedapplications,ourstudentparticipantstoldusthattheymostoftenarerequiredtoprinttheirassignmentstohandin.

Printing can be a pain point

16

Evenstudentswhohaveprintersathomeoftenwillchoosetoprintoncampustosaveonexpensiveconsumablesuppliessuchasinkandpaper.AtthesametimealloftheCUNYcollegeshaveatleastsomefreeprintingallocationforstudents.We’veoftenheardfromstudentsthatprintingassignmentsbeforeclassisapersistentpainpoint:anticipatingfrustratinglylonglinesincomputerlabs(asyoucanseeinthisstudentphoto),they’vedescribedorganizingtheirentiredayaroundtheneedtoprintanassignmentasafocalpoint,includingleavinghomeearly,andskippingsocialorstudytime.Andthecrushofstudentsthatweseeatcomputersinourlibrariesatthetimeswhenclassesbeginconfirmsthis.Otherreasonsstudentshavetoldustheyrelyoncampuslabsincludeconvenience–particularlyiftheyhavealonggapbetweenclassesordon’thaveaquietplacetoworkathome–aswellaslackingaworkingcomputerorprinter,orpropersoftware,orbroadbandathome.Withtheaccesschallengesstudentstoldusabout,it’snotsurprisingthatmanydousethecomputerlabsinourlibrariesandothercampuslocations.Whileit’sgoodtoseethestudentexperiencesurveyresponsesthatindicatethatstudentsaresatisfiedwithcampuslabs,it’sworthnotingthatinourresearchstudentshavesharedthattheyareoftenfrustratedintheirattemptstousecomputersincampuslabs.

Thisquoteisoneofourfavorites,andillustratesthetensionthatmanystudentsexpressedtouswhentryingtogettheircourseworkdoneinabusy,crowdedcomputerlabwhereother

Space negotiations on campus

“Myfirstyear,Ididn’thavetheMicrosoftWordapplicationsoIcouldn’ttypeessays.SoIwouldspendHOURSonhourssittinghereandtryingtofocuswhilepeoplearechewinggumandtalkingonthephoneandarguingandhittingeachother.Itsaysit’sa

‘LearningResourceCenter’butinactualityit’sa‘HangOutWithYourFriendsandLookatYourCousin’sWeddingPicturesCenter’...‘onFacebook.’”

17

studentsarenotdoingacademicwork.Andasthisstudentalsomentions,sometimestheyneedtousesoftwarethattheydon’thaveaccesstoathome,sotheymayberequiredtousecampuscomputerlabstocompletetheircoursework.

Forsomestudentshomeisanidealplaceforthemtodotheircoursework,affordingthemquietaccesstothetechnologytheyneedfortheiracademicwork,includingacomputer,printer,etc.Oneimportantadvantageofworkinginsharedhomespacesforsomestudentsisthesupporttheygetfromfamilymembers.Butmanystudentsdon’thaveprivateorquietspaceathome,thoughmobiletechnologycanhelp(laptop,smartphones).Sharedtechnologycanmeanlotsofnegotiatingathomeforsomestudents,jugglingtheiracademicneedswiththeneedsofothersintheirhouseholds,likethestudentquotedhere.Andsomestudentsjustdon’thavemuchtechnologyorinternetaccessathome(orevenany,beyondasmartphone).

Space negotiations at home

“Myhouseisverynoisy,it’salotofnoise,andthethingaboutitisifIcan’tstudyon

campus,Iwouldgohomeandsitinthislittlecorner[...]everybodyknowsthatwhileI’minthelivingroomandI’mstudying,they

can’tcomeinandwatchTV.”

18

We’vealsolearnedaboutstudents’useoftechnologyfortheiracademicworkinotherplaces,includingattheirjobs,atpubliclibraries,andotherpubliclocations.Clearly,workplacesmaynotbethemostconducivetofocusedstudy,thoughsomestudentstoldustheycouldtakeadvantageofdowntimeattheirjobs,asthisquoteillustrates.Manyofourstudentsarefamiliarwiththepubliclibrariesfromtheirhighschooldaysandusepubliclibrariesneartheirhomesforcomputerandprintingneeds.Inadditiontoalsobeingpublicandpotentiallycrowded,printingatthepubliclibrarycarriesafee.SomestudentsworkattheCUNYlibrarynearesttheirhome–somethingweencouragewithgenerousaccesspoliciesthatallowspaceandcomputeruseaswellasCUNY-wideborrowing.Forschoolworkthatrequiresinternetaccesselsewhere,studentstellustheylookforfreewifiatBarnesandNobleorWholeFoods;whilepubliclyavailablewifiisincreasinginNewYorkCityit’sstillnoteverywhere.“Technologyisgreat,butit’sreallytime-consuming”Aseagerastheyaretousetechnologyfortheiracademicwork,studentshavealsosharedtheirconcernswithusaboutusingcollege-providedsystemsandinfrastructure,andthetime-consumingbarrierstheyencounter.

Space negotiations elsewhere

“IliketodoitatworkbecauseIdoalotofmultitasking,Ihave,Isplitmyscreen,oneforhomework,and...oneisonBlackboardandtheotherisontheoffice.SousuallyI’mdoingboththingsbackandforthandstill

answeringthephones.”

19

StudentsmostoftenmentionthechallengestheyencounteredwhenusingBlackboard,andoccasionallywhenusingothersystems.TheirperceptionofBlackboard’spoorusabilityisaprimaryconcern;studentsmentionthecluttereddesignandclunkyinterfacewhichmakesitchallengingforthemtofind,participatein,andsubmitassignments,especiallyfromasmartphone.Anothercommonfrustrationiswhencollege-providedplatformsareunavailableduringtimeswhenstudentsandfacultyneedtousethem,whichyoucanseeinthisquotefromastudent.Studentsandfacultyacknowledgedthatwhilesomeoutagesareduetounforeseencircumstances,othersaretheresultofrequired,scheduledmaintenanceduringbusytimesofthesemester.

Technology availability challenges

“Sometimeswhentryingtoaccessblackboardtocheckorpostassignments,thesystemistemporarilydownwhichisfrustratingespeciallywhendoinggroupassignmentsthathaveastrictdeadline.”

20

Wifispeedandreliabilityisespeciallyaconcernforstudentswhoownlaptopsortablets,someofwhomhavetoldusthattheyhavetousethe(wired)computersinthecomputerlabsratherthantheirowndevicesforcertaintasksbecausethewifiisunreliable,especiallyiftheyareattemptingtocompletehigh-bandwidthassignmentssuchaswatchingarequiredvideo(asinthisstudentquote)ortakinganonlinetest.Studentsalsonotethefrustrationofotherstudents“wastingbandwidth”–usingcampuswifitowatchmoviesorplaygames.

Wifi reliability challenges

“Themostfrustratingthingisourschoolswifi.WhenI’moncampustryingto

watchourvideositdoesn'tloadproperlyitwillpausefrequently.”

21

Studentsalsoarticulatealotoffrustrationaboutperceivedlackoftechnicalandacademicsupport,inparticulartheynotealackoftechnicalsupportforonlinelearningoutsideofbusinesshoursortheregularacademiccalendar.Thisquotefromastudentisaboutwriting,butspeakstotheneedforsupportattimeswhenwemightnotthinksupportisneeded.AcommonlyreportedstudentfrustrationiswiththeinflexibilityofdeadlinesinBlackboard,whichmaynotallowforlatesubmissions,andthelackofsupportatcertaintimesfortechnologytheyarerequiredtouse.Forexample,the11:59pmdeadlinetosubmitworkisthedefaultinmanyonlinesystems,atimewhensupportfromneithertheinstructornorthecollegehelpdeskistypicallyavailable.Thiscanpreventstudentsfromsuccessfullysubmittingtheirworktoanonlinesystem.Studentshavealsotoldusthatemailsupportisproblematicasthelatencyinherenttoemailespeciallyfrustratesthemwhentheyhaveaquestionorarestrugglingwithtechnology.Howarestudentsandfacultyusingtechnologyinonlinecourses?We’vealsostudiedsomeofthewaysthatCUNYstudentsandfaculty–specificallythoseinonlineandhybridcourses–usetechnology.

Support availability challenges

“I'mworriedmythesisisn'tasstrongasitneedstobeandbecauseits

springbreakIdon'tknowwheretogethelpeditingit.”

22

Resultsfromthe2016StudentExperienceSurveysuggestthatmanyCUNYstudentsareinterestedinadditionalopportunitiesforonlinelearning:thisgraphshowsthat40%agreeorstronglyagreetowantingmoreonlinecourses,and45%reportthesameforhybridcourses.We’vealsoseenarapidincreaseintheavailabilityanduseofOERs–openeducationalresources–atCUNYinrecentyears,facilitatedinpartbytheNewYorkStatefundingtosupportOERadoptionwhichbeganin2017.Inourresearch,studentsandfacultyreportarangeofexperiencesintheiruseoftechnologyinonlineandhybridcourses,includingsomeofthechallengesthatwe’vealreadymentionedandthataffectallstudentsandfacultyusingtechnology:accesstotechnology,theusabilityofrequiredplatforms,andtheavailabilityofsupport.Theyalsosharedconcernsaboutskillswithtechnology,andcommunicationandconnectioninonlinecourses.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Stronglyagree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree

Iwouldlikemycollegetooffermore_____courses

Fullyonline Hybrid(2016StudentExperienceSurvey)

Student interest in online learning

23

Unsurprisingly,facultytoldusthatthey’reusinglearningmanagementplatformsforonlineandhybridcourses,includingthoughnotlimitedtoBlackboard,ourCUNYwidelearningmanagementsystem.Alsocommonwasuseofonlinecollaborationtools,presentationsoftware,andstreamingmedia.Fewerfacultyreportthattheyusefeedbacktools,lecture-captureorscreencastsoftware,ordataanalysisapplications.Facultyhavetoldusthattheysometimesstruggletoeffectivelycreateandcuratethetechnologyenvironmentfortheirhybridandonlinecourseswithintheconstraintsofthetechnologiesavailablethroughtheuniversityandontheopenweb,asthisquoteillustrates.

Teaching with technology

“IhavetocobbletogetherthebestexperienceIcanfromawholeslewof

differenttechnologies,eachofwhichhasitsmeritsbutfallsshortinsomeotherway,

andIhavetopickjustthetop3-4technologiesforasingleclass,because

otherwisethestudentsgetoverwhelmed.”

24

Keepingthisinstructionaltechnologycontextinmind,wehavealsoaskedstudentsaboutthekindsoftechnologytheyuseintheirhybridandonlinecourses,andwheretheyuseit.Thesestudentsreportasimilarcombinationofalaptopathome,adesktopcomputeroncampus,andtheirsmartphonesinalllocationstocompletetheirhybridandonlinecourseworkasallCUNYstudents.Indeed,it’simportanttorememberthatforCUNYasawhole,mostundergraduatestakingonlinecoursesarenotdistancelearningstudents–theyaretakinghybridandonlinecoursesinconjunctionwithin-personclasses.Aswehaveobservedinourlibraries,andasourresearchconfirms,studentsinhybridandonlinecoursesareconsistentlyusingcampuscomputerstocompletehomeworkassignments,andevenexamsintheirhybridandonlineclasses,asyoucanseefromthesetwostudentquotes.Wethinkofthisasonlinelearningwithin-persontechnology.

Online learning with in-person technology

“IwouldsayitisthecampuscomputerinwhichIdomostofmyworkforthehybrid/onlineclass.”

“IhavetousetheschoolscomputersifI'mtakingtheonlinecourses,asthewifislowsdown.”

25

Thisstudentquoteillustratesthatmanyofthetechnologyconstraintswe’vealreadydiscussed–thatsmartphonesareinsufficientforstudentsasthesoledeviceforcompletingcoursework,thatcampuscomputerlabaccesscanbechallenging,thatinconsistentcampuswifiisabarriertohigh-bandwidthacademicwork–areespeciallyproblematicforfacultyteachingandstudentstakinghybridandonlinecourses.Andtheimpactofthesebarriersonstudentsusingcampus-basedcomputingforhybridandonlinecourseworkisreallyimportanttokeepinmindastheuniversitycommitsmoreheavilytoonlinelearning.

Frustrations of time and technology

“ThemostfrustratingwaswhenyouronatimedschedulewithotherclassesthatareallpriorityandInternetisslowcomputerlabsarefullandwhenyouneedcertaintoolsonly.Likewhencertainassignmentucanonlydoonadesktopandcan'tonmyipadortabletit'sinconvenient

andhardertodotheassignment.”

26

Somefacultymembersacknowledgethattechnologymaybeabarrierforstudentsincompletingtheirhybridandonlinecoursework.Asthesequotessuggest,facultyareawarethatCUNYstudentsmayhaveinconsistentaccesstotechnologyorinternetoffcampusthatisrequiredfortheiracademicwork.

Faculty wishes for student tech access

“Abasicinternetconnectionathomebysomestudentsisabarrierforgoodperformance.”

“ItwouldbesuperifIcouldgiveourstudents

goodlaptopstouseathome.”

Expectations for educational technology

“Iwouldgetanalerteverydaywhenmyonlineassignmentsarecoming

due.Justlikemybankalertsmewhenbillsarecomingdueaweekinadvance.Thatwillbegreat.”

27

Wehavealsoheardexpectationsfrombothstudentsandfacultyforeducationaltechnologytoperformaswellasandinsimilarwaystotechnologytheyuseinothersettings,forexample,commonly-availablecommercialInternetapplicationsthattheyuseforbanking(asinthisstudentquote),shopping,andsocialmedia.

Therelatedissueofsupportalsoloomslargeinhybridandonlinestudentreplies,withstudentsnotingthattheywishformoreavailabilityofbothtechnicalsupportandacademicsupport(thatistosay,supportfromtheirinstructors).Likeallstudentswehaveheardfrom,themainissueswithtechnicalsupportwehearfromhybridandonlinestudentsisitslimitedhoursofavailabilitycomparedtoanytimeonlineaccesstotheplatform.Onlineandhybridstudentsmoreconsistentlyexpressastrongdesireforsupportandfeedbackfromtheirinstructorsrightinthemomentthattheyneedit,thanotherstudentsdo.

Students want support

“Aplacewhereyoucangetfeedbackorquestionsansweredrightawayfromyourprofessor.Likeaninstantmessagingportionratherthanemail,

whichtakestime.”

28

Facultyalsoexpressedtheirdesireforsupportinteachingonline.Severalhavementionedtheirowninexperiencewithtechnologyasabarriertofullyengagingwithonlineteachingtools.SomereportthattheyuseBlackboardbecauseitisthetechnologytheyknow,notbecausetheyfeelitisthebesttechnologytouse.Otherfacultyexpressawishthattheyhadmoreinstructionaltechnologysupporttoassistthemindesigningandimplementingtheirhybridandonlinecourses.Manyfacultyalsonotethetimeneededtokeepupwithtechnologyforteaching,likethefacultymemberquotedhere.

Faculty want support

“WeareinanageoftechresourceoverabundanceandIjustwish

therewasaway(andtime)formetocurateitandkeeptrack.”

29

Finally,bothstudentsandfacultyexpressedawishformoreinteraction–synchronousandasynchronous–intheirhybridandonlinecourses.Whilefacultywishformorestudentengagementondiscussionboardsandotherareasoftheonlinecourseplatform,studentsnotealackofcommunityandasenseofisolation,asthesestudentquotesillustrate.DataprivacyineducationaltechnologyThelasttopicwe’lltouchontodayisdataprivacy,whichiscriticaltoconsiderastheuniversityinvestsmoreresourcesintoonlinelearningandstudentsuccess,includingtheacquisitionofeducationalapplicationsandplatformsforstudentandfacultyuse.

Community and connection

“It’snotasintimateasbeinginaclassroomenvironment.Sometimestechnologybecomes

moreofthefocusthanthecontent.”

“Idomissseeingthefacesofmypeersnprof.”

30

WithateamofresearchersfromIndianaUniversity,UniversityofIllinois,UniversityofWisconsin,andNorthwesternUnivrsity,we’recurrentlyparticipatingintheDataDoublesprojecttoinvestigate“studentperspectivesofprivacyissuesassociatedwithacademiclibraryparticipationinlearninganalyticsinitiatives”(http://datadoubles.org).Thisprojectprovidesanopportunitytohearinstudents’ownvoicesaboutwhattheyexpectandpreferthatourlibrariesandcollegeswilldowhencollectingandusingtheirdata.We’recominginatthesecondyearofa3yearproject,andwe’vebeeninterestedtoseetheresultsfromstudentinterviewsconductedlastyearattheotheruniversities.Ourco-researchersfoundthat“studentstrusttheirinstitutions”“seevalueindatagatheringtoinformserviceimprovement”butatthesametimetheywanttobeinformedofthe“scopeofdatacaptured”preferablythrough“activeconsent”(Jonesetal.,2019,p.272).NextSpringwe’llbeimplementingasurveywithourco-researchersatCUNYandtheotherinstitutionstogatherlarger-scaledataonstudents’understandingofandpreferencesfortheireducationaldataprivacy.EarlierthissemesterweinterviewedtwoCUNYstudentsaspartoftestingthesurveyquestions,andasweprogressedthroughthesurveythestudentstoldusthatthesurveyquestionsmadethemthinkabouttheirdatainwaystheyhadn’tbefore,illustratingthevalueofeducatingstudentsabouttheinstitutionalacademictechnologiesweuse.Aseducators,wehavearesponsibilitytoprovidestudentswithopportunitiesforcriticalthinkingaboutwhatwe’redoingwiththeirdata,especiallydatathatiscollectedbysystemsthatwe

What do students think?

“Initialdatasuggeststhatstudentstrusttheirinstitutionsandseesomevaluein

datagatheringtoinformserviceimprovement,butthattheywouldliketo

provideactiveconsent,[and]betterunderstandthescopeofdatacaptured.”

(Jonesetal.2019)

http://datadoubles.org/

31

licensefromthirdpartyvendorsorthatisstoredoutsidetheuniversity’sservers.

Andinatimelycoincidence,justacoupleofweeksagothePewResearchCenterreleasedanewreportonAmericans’perceptionsofprivacy.Thistablefromthereporthasafewdatapoints,butwespecificallywanttohighlightthehighpercentageofrespondentswhofeelthattheyhavelittlecontrolovertheirpersonaldatathatiscollectedbycorporationsandthegovernment,andespeciallythat81%areconcernedthattherisksoutweighthebenefitsspecificallywhencompaniescollecttheirdata.

Perceptions of privacy

(PewResearchCenter,2019)

32

AswecontinuetoexpandtheuseofacademictechnologiesatCUNY,it’sabsolutelyvitalthatwearemindfulofdataprivacyandtheuniversity’shistoricmission,excerptedhere.WearetheuniversityforNewYorkCity.Manyofourstudentsaremembersofpopulationswhoarealreadyover-surveilledandpotentiallyvulnerabletothedangersofdatacollection,includingbutnotlimitedtoourundocumentedstudents.Ourstudentstrustus,theytrustthisinstitution.Wehavearesponsibilitytoensurethatweknowwhatstudentdataouracademictechnologiescollectandhowit’sused,andthatstudentsalsoknow.Howcanwebestsupportstudentandfacultyuseofdigitaltechnology?WewanttowrapupwithsomethoughtsandquestionsabouthowwecanbestsupportusingdigitaltechnologyforacademicworkhereatCUNYandelsewhere.Howcanwemakethingseasierforourbusystudentstosuccessfullycompletetheircourseworkandgraduate?Howcanwesupportallusersoftechnologyonourcampuses?

CUNY’s mission is critical

“TheLegislature’sintentisthatTheCityUniversitybesupportedasanindependentandintegrated

systemofhighereducationontheassumptionthattheUniversitywillcontinuetomaintainand

expanditscommitmenttoacademicexcellenceandtotheprovisionofequalaccessand

opportunityforstudents,facultyandstafffromallethnicandracialgroupsandfrombothsexes.”

33

Findingwaystolearnmoreaboutstudentandfacultyrealitiesandconstraintsiscritical.Wedothisresearchsowecanadvocateforandmakechangesinourlibrariesandonourcampusestosupportstudentsuccess,butthereareotherwaystolearnmoreaboutthestudentandfacultyexperience.Forexample,thebiannualCUNYstudentexperiencesurveyisagreatresource,asarelocalcampussurveysofbothstudentsandfaculty.Wecanalsothinkaboutwaystomakeiteasiertoshareinformation,tolearnaboutwhatwe’realldoingwitheducationaltechnologyacrossallcampuses.Thisconferenceisaterrificspaceforthatkindofsharing,buthowdowemakethismorevisible?Especiallyforfacultyacrosstheuniversity,whocanbeisolated,andadjunctfaculty,whoarebydefinitionnotoncampusfull-time.Onasmallerscale,facultycanaskstudentsatthebeginningofthesemesteraboutwhatkindsoftechnologytheyhaveaccessto,wheretheyfindspaceandtimetodotheiracademicwork,andwheretheymightneedsupportwithtechnology.Wecan’tmitigateeveryfactorthataffectsstudents–forexample,wecan’tgivethembroadbandinternetathomeiftheydon’thaveit(asLarryIrvingmentionedyesterday,roughly1/3ofNYChouseholdsdon’thavebroadband)–butknowingmoreabouttheirexperiencescanhelpushelpthemworkaroundtheirconstraints.

Recommendations

• Askstudentsandfacultyabouttheirrealitiesandconstraints•  Findwaystoshareinformationwithinandacrosscampuses• Beflexiblewherever/wheneverpossible•  Insistonrobustsupportformobiletechandusabilitybestpractices•  Experimentwithtechtomeetspecificstudentneeds• ConsidertechavailabilityforstudentsacrossCUNY•  Expandtechsupportforstudentsandfacultybeyondbusinesshours•  Increaseopportunitiesforandawarenessofinstructionaltechnologysupportandtrainingforstudentsandfaculty

34

Wecanalsobeflexiblewhereverpossible.Whenweteach,canweacceptsomeassignmentselectronicallyratherthanrequiringstudentstoprintthemout?Canwespendtimeatthebeginningofthesemesterreviewingthetechnologiesstudentswillbeexpectedtouse?Thesearejustafewexamples–again,knowingmoreaboutourindividualstudentscanhelpidentifyareasforflexibility.Smartphonesarethemostcommontechnologythatstudentshaveaccessto,thoughaswe’veseen,thelimitationsofrequireddigitalplatformscanconstrainstudentabilitytousesmartphonesfortheiracademicwork.WemustbesurethatthesystemsandapplicationsCUNYsuppliesandsupportsforstudentsandfacultytouseareevaluatedformobile-readiness,andwheneverpossibletechnologiesshouldbeselectedbasedonmobileusability.Mini-surveyscanallowstudentstosupplyfeedbackonavarietyoftechnologytopicsincludingcommonbarrierswithuniversitysystems,computerlabs,wifi,etc.Additionally,wehavefoundthatCUNYstudentsandfacultyusetechnologiesintentionallyandcreativelytoachievelearninggoals.Bothstudentsandfacultybringintotheclassroomfunctionalanduserexperienceexpectationsbasedonconsumer-facingtechnologies,andoftenreportthatrequiredacademicdigitalplatformsfallshort.CUNYshouldleverageitspositionasasignificantcustomertoseekimprovementstobringeducationaltechnologiesinlinewithcommercialstandardsinuserexperienceandusability.Studentsdomuchoftheiracademicworkoncampus,evenfortheirhybridandonlinecourses,andrequireaccesstorobustwifi,aswellasourcomputerlabs(withappropriatesoftwareapplications)andprinting;wemustrememberthattheymayhaveinconsistentaccesstotechnologyoffcampus.Continuingtomaintainandupgradecampus-basedcomputingsupportandinfrastructureiskeytostudentsuccess.It’salsocriticalthatwefindwaystoensurethatstudentscanfindanacademicenvironmentthatenablesthemtoworksuccessfully,andtofindwaystomitigatethenoisysocialenvironmentwesometimesseeinourcampuslabsandlibraries.Wemightconsiderothertechnologieswecanofferoncampus.Canwedistributekiosksorothermobile-friendlyprintsolutionsthroughoutcampus,notjustincomputerlabs?Canourlibrariesofferlaptoploanstostudentsratherthanfindingspacefornewcomputerlabs?AnditmaybeworthwhiletoexplorethefeasibilityofprovidingallCUNYstudentswithalaptopandcloud-basedaccesstorequiredacademicapplications,aswealreadydowithOffice365andtheCUNYvirtualdesktop.

35

Further,whilewearemostoftenembeddedinourlocalcontext,oneoftheuniquestrengthsofCUNYisthatweare25campusesaccessiblebypublictransportation.Weknowthatourstudentsstudy(andfacultydoresearch)atCUNYlibrariesthatareconvenienttotheirhomeorworkplaceevenifthat’snotthecollegetheyattend–howcanwemakeiteasierforallCUNYstudents,faculty,andstafftotakeadvantageofouruniversity?CanwestreamlinephysicalaccesstocampusforanyonewithaCUNYID?Canwelookintoofferingprintingforanystudentatanycampus?CanweofferuniversalwifiaccesstoallCUNYstudents,faculty,andstaff,regardlessofwhatcampuswe’reon?Studentsexpressedfrustrationwithalackoftechnicalsupportforonlinelearningoutsideofbusinesshours.CanweshiftthedefaultcoursedeadlinesinBlackboardandothersystemstowithinbusinesshours,aswellasincreaseafter-hourssupportCUNY-wide?Weneedtothinkcreativelyabouthowwesupporteducationaltechnology.Facultyfeeloverwhelmedbyinstructionaltechnologiesavailabletothemforteachinghybridandonlinecourses,andwantmoresupportastheyincorporatecollege-providedandexternalapplicationsandplatformsintotheirteaching.Andourstudents’priorexperienceswitheducationaltechnologyvarywidely–eventhosewhocometousfromtheNYCpublichighschools.Wecan’tassumethattheyarriveinourclassroomsandonourcampusesreadytousethetechnologyweaskthemtousewithnotrainingorsupport.Whilestudentsandfacultyareinterestedinmoretrainingandsupportaroundtechnologyusedinhybridandonlinecourses,wehavefoundthattheyarelargelyunawareofexistingopportunities.Increasingawarenessofcampustraining,andcreatingandpromotingonlinetraining,canhelpfillthisgapinperception.

36

Wewanttocautionagainstoverrelianceonthetropeofthedigitalnative:thebeliefthattoday’scollegestudentsarefundamentallydifferentthaninthepast,andthattheirskillandcompetencywithdigitaltechnologycanbeassumedsincethey’vegrownupin“thedigitalage.”Infact,researchhasshown(andprobablyyourownexperiencestoo)thatstudents’experienceofandpreparationforusingtechnologyintheiracademicworkisuneven.ArecentstudyofK-12studentsbythenonprofitJoanGanzCooneyCenterrevealedthatdigitalskillsareweakestforstudentsfromlow-incomebackgroundswhoseparentslackexperiencewithtechnology,whichputsthematadisadvantageincollegecomparedtostudentsfromeconomically-privilegedbackgrounds.Thisquotefromafacultymemberwhoteacheshybridandonlinecoursesisillustrative.

Resist the trope of the digital native

Students“aresavvywithgadgetsandsoftwarethatenhancetheirpersonallives,buttheyloseconfidencewhennavigating

technologiesforlearning.”

37

Andfinally,asoureducationaltechnologyeffortsexpand,wemustremembertheimportanceofdataprivacy,forourstudentsaswellasourselvesasCUNYfacultyandstaff.ManyofusareexcitedaboutthepotentialforstudentsuccessplatformslikeEABandStarfishaswellashomegrownplatforms(whichwegettoseeatthisconference)toimproveourstudents’outcomes,butwemustbemindfuloftherisksinherentinanydatacollection–especiallythosehousedexternallytotheuniversity–aswellasthepotentialbenefits.WeatCUNYarewell-positionedtoinsistonstrongdataprivacypoliciesforourstudentsandourselves.It’simportanttoeducateourselvesandourstudentsaboutdataprivacy,andtoconsiderstraightforward,clearlanguageaboutconsentasaformofeducation,too.Wehopethathearingstudentsvoicesfromourresearchinspiresyoutoaskyourownquestionsonyourcampus,andencouragesusallasweworktogetheracrossCUNYtobestsupportstudentsandfacultyusingtechnology.

Learn about data privacy

“Iputacertainamountofconfidencein[mylibraryandcollege]tonotuseinformationwithmalintent,notusinginformationinawaythatdoesn't

benefitmeormysuccessorbenefitmypersonalsituation”

38

ReferencesFoasberg,N.M.(2014)."StudentReadingPracticesinPrintandElectronicMedia.”Collegeand

ResearchLibraries,705-723.https://academicworks.cuny.edu/qc_pubs/10.Jones,K.M.L.,Perry,M.R.,Goben,A.,Asher,A.,Briney,K.A.,Robertshaw,M.B.,&Salo,D.

(2019).Intheirownwords:Studentperspectivesonlibraryparticipationinlearninganalyticsinitiatives.ProceedingsoftheAnnualMeetingoftheAssociationofCollegeandResearchLibraries,262–274.http://datadoubles.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ACRL_2019.pdf.

Mizrachi,D.,etal.(2018)."AcademicReadingFormatPreferencesandBehaviorsAmong

UniversityStudentsWorldwide:AComparativeSurveyAnalysis."PLOSONE,13(5),e0197444.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197444.

PewResearchCenter.(June2019).“MobileTechnologyandHomeBroadband2019.”

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/06/13/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2019/.

PewResearchCenter.(November2019).“AmericansandPrivacy:Concerned,Confusedand

FeelingLackofControlOverTheirPersonalInformation.”

Thank you!

MarianaRegaladoregalado@brooklyn.cuny.edu

MauraA.Smale

msmale@citytech.cuny.edu@mauraweb

https://ushep.commons.gc.cuny.edu

https://ushep.net

39

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/.

Rideout,V.J.&Katz,V.S.(2016).“Opportunityforall?Technologyandlearninginlower-income

families.AreportoftheFamiliesandMediaProject.”NewYork:TheJoanGanzCooneyCenteratSesameWorkshop.https://joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/opportunity-for-all-technology-and-learning-in-lower-income-families/.

Smale,M.A.,Regalado,M.,andAmaral,J.(2018).OnlineLearningwithIn-PersonTechnology:

Student&FacultyExperiencesinHybrid/OnlineCoursesatCUNY.CUNYAcademicWorks.https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_pubs/263.