2007-08 Student Computing Ownership and Use Survey
For the past 18 years, IIT has surveyed the students on their use and ownership of computers. These survey results provide IIT with necessary information we use for resource planning and allocation. For the first time, the survey data was collected electronically as students changed their passwords. A total of 3031 students completed the survey.
Over ninety-six percent (96.37%) of the students reported that they own a computer. Macintosh ownership continues to rise on campus. Last year, 25% of the students indicated that they owned a Macintosh. This year, 31.67% own a Mac. Slightly over 39% of the first year students brought a Mac with them to campus! The continued success of the iPod and the iPhone are likely contributors to the success of the Mac on campus. St. Olaf has recently switched to the Mac hardware platform for all desktop computing, using both Mac OS and the Windows operating systems.
Computer Ownership |
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| First Year | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
| Computer Ownership | 98% | 96% | 96% | 97% |
| Laptop Ownership | 92% | 91% | 86% | 81% |
Laptops dominate the campus scene with 87% of the students electing to bring a laptop to campus. Just two years ago only 67% of the students reported that they owned a laptop. Macintosh owners are more likely to own a laptop with 94% of the Mac owners having a laptop. Of PC owners, 86% have a laptop. One could speculate that more PC owners have desktop computers because of the highly competitive market for desktop systems has significantly driven down the price. The number of students bringing multiple computers to campus has remained relatively flat over the past couple of years at just over 5%.
In addition to personal ownership questions, we also ask students about their use of the St. Olaf-provided campus resources. Ninety percent (90%) of St. Olaf students use one or more of the St. Olaf computing labs on campus. The most popular computing sites are the residential labs at 76% usage. A number of factors could influence students decisions to use the St. Olaf provided labs: specialty software, group projects that are easier with a larger monitor, worms and viruses (you don’t want others using your computer), and the social aspect of computing. We don’t question students why they choose to use the resources, but we know that they do use the resources!
| Student Use of St. Olaf Computing Labs | ||||
| 1991-92 | 1996-97 | 2001-02 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| 81% | 87% | 82% | 86% | 90% |
Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the students rely on the St. Olaf public lab printers for some or all of their printing needs. We have seen a steady decline in the number of students who own a printer. At the high in 2004-05, 60% of the students came to campus with their own printer. This year that number has dropped to 38%. Forty-eight percent (48%) of the first year students have printers, while the percentage among the seniors came in at only 29%. Interestingly enough, when the seniors came to campus as first year students, 49% of them brought a printer with them.
Once again, in addition to asking students to provide general comments about IIT and the services we provide, we specifically asked the students to rate their overall satisfaction with IIT services. While the overall results are very positive, an underlying statistic is troublesome. It appears as though overall satisfaction with IIT services declines with the age/year of the student. First year students are more satisfied with our service than the upper class. This is an area that we will have to watch to ensure that satisfaction levels don’t drop as students move through the ranks.
Without a doubt, the comments students include with their surveys provide the most honest — and sometimes brutal — feedback on IIT services. This year, 388 students provided comments on IIT services, ranging from their dissatisfaction with the wireless service in some of the residence halls to their pleas for IIT staff to fix personally owned computers. The number of students providing comments is down significantly from past years. Last year 575 students provided comments; in the 2004-05 academic year, 777 students took the time to write down their thoughts.
Top Ten Issues for 2007-08 |
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Number of Responses |
% Among Responders |
|
| Requests for Faster or Better Wireless Network | 103 |
26.88% |
| Complaints and Concerns about Printing Charges | 35 |
8.79% |
| Complaints about Changing Passwords | 29 |
7.29% |
| Complaints about E-Mail | 28 |
7.29% |
| Complaints about Technical Help | 24 |
6.03% |
| Complaints about Repairs and Maintenance | 20 |
5.03% |
| Requests for More Printers | 20 |
5.03% |
| Request for Faster Network(Internet) | 14 |
3.61% |
| Requests asking for Quicker and more Help | 14 |
3.61% |
| Positive Comments | 13 |
3.35% |
| Requests for more computers/labs/etc. | 12 |
3.02% |
| Request for IIT to Repair Personally Owned Computers | 9 |
2.26% |
Each year the issues don’t change significantly except for the rankings. For the second year in a row, concerns about the wireless network was the top concern among the students. This summer, IIT staff enhanced the wireless capabilities in a number of the residence halls that should eliminate many of the student concerns. Three new issues made it to the Top Ten list: password changes, requests for repair services for personally owned computers, and e-mail service. None of these issues came as a surprise. We expected that the issue of password changing would emerge as the survey was distributed at the time students changed their passwords. Based on the number of calls the Helpdesk receives from students who have computer virus or worm infestations, it’s logical that students might turn to the college for repair services. E-mail service has been a topic of discussion among all members of the community.
Last year Internet gaming and server reliability made the Top Ten list but failed to make the list this year. In fact, there wasn’t a single complaint about server reliability. The complaints about the lack of Internet gaming capability virtually disappeared last fall when we more than doubled our Internet bandwidth. While Internet gaming is not a high priority for IIT, we do recognize that recreational activities are important for students and Internet gaming is a popular activity for the students.
Top Ten Issues |
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2003-2007 |
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(as a percentage of those who submitted comments) |
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03-04 |
04-05 |
05-06 |
06-07 |
07-08 |
|
| Wireless Networks | 5% |
6.05% |
10.54% |
14.24% |
26.88% |
| Complaints/Concerns About Printing Charges | 2.45% |
5.43% |
3.77% |
8.79% |
|
| Complaints about Changing Passwords | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7.29% |
| Complaints About E-Mail | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
7.29% |
| Complaints about Technical Help | 0% |
0% |
0% |
4.63% |
6.03% |
| Complaints about Repairs and Maintenance | 16% |
7% |
2.7 |
4.63% |
5.03% |
| Requests for More Public Printers | 0% |
0% |
7.19% |
8.06% |
5.03% |
| Request For Faster Network (Internet) | 6% |
16.86% |
10.06% |
7.72% |
3.77% |
| Requests asking for Quicker and more Help | 3% |
14.93% |
7.03% |
4.46% |
3.52% |
| Requests for more computers/labs /etc. | 10% |
4.63% |
5.59% |
3.77% |
3.02% |
| Had Positive Things to Say About IIT | 21% |
18.79% |
13.42% |
12.86% |
3.02% |
| Request for Personal Computer Repair Service | 0% |
0% |
0% |
0% |
2.26% |
