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
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“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
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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
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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)
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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.”
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AnotherreasonCUNYstudentslovetheirsmartphonesandusethemforschoolworkisbecausetheyspendalotoftimeonthecommute,andtheyappreciatethatasmartphoneallowsthemtorecordandaccesstheiracademicworkonthego.Thisslidedepictsanaggregatemapfrom2015whenweaskedstudentstomaptheirmovementsoveroneday:thereddotsrepresentBMCCstudents,greenforBrooklynCollege,andblueforCityTech.Mobiletechnologyseemsready-madeforourcommuterstudentbody.CUNYstudentshavelongcommutes–ourparticipantstoldus,andCUNYstudentexperiencesurveysconfirm,thatthemajorityofstudentsarecommutinganaverageof45to60minuteseachway.Fullyhalfofstudentswhorespondedtothe2016studentexperiencesurveyreportedthattheycommutetocampusbetween6and20hoursperweek.(Andthatdoesn’tevenincludecommutingtoworkorforleisure–theyspendmostofthattimeonpublictransportation!)WealsoknowthatmanyCUNYstudentscometoclassmultipledaysperweek,andsomeevencometocampuswhentheydon’thaveclass,iftheyneedaplacetostudy.
CUNY students commute…
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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
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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.”
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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
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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.”
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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.”
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ThestudentexperiencesurveyshowsthatstudentsuseourcampuscomputerlabsextensivelyInthe2016survey,78%ofstudentsreportedusingthematleastoncepersemester.Andyoucanseethatstudentsreportedavarietyofreasonsforusingthelabs,whichwe’vealsoseeninourresearch.Notetherelativelysmallpercentageofstudents–4%–whoreportthattheydonothaveinternetaccessathome.Keepinmindthatwhile4%isasmallproportionofstudents,thatis4%of240,000CUNYundergraduates,about9,500students,orjustaboutonestudentineveryclass,onaverage.
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Idonothaveacomputerathome.
Idonothaveaprinterathome
Idonothaveinternetserviceat
home.
Idonothavetherequiredcomputerprogramsathome.
Itismoreconvenientto
completemyworkoncampus.
Other
Whydidyouusecomputerlabson-campus?
(2016StudentExperienceSurvey)
Using campus computers
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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.”
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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
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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.’”
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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/
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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
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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”
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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!
MauraA.Smale
[email protected]@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.