2007 UW-Madison
Student Computing Survey Report
Report Completed: August, 2007
Prepared by: Mary Evansen and Brian Rust
rust@doit.wisc.edu
Division of Information Technology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Contents
I. Introduction
and Methodology
II. Summary
of Results
III.
Detailed Results
Questions
Ownership
and use of hardware and software 1-6
Awareness and satisfaction 7-16
Security
and computing practices 17-21
Instructional
tools 22-26
Service awareness, use and satisfaction 27-29
Training 30-31
Miscellaneous 32-33
Demographics
34-39
I. Introduction and Methodology
The 2007 UW-Madison Student Computing Survey was developed and implemented by the Division of Information Technology Communications Group. The primary purpose of the survey was to gauge usage and satisfaction of technology products and services available to students on the UW-Madison campus. The information will be used to determine future decisions regarding products and services offered.
For the 2007 survey, a random sample of 1246 UW-Madison undergraduate, graduate, professional, and special students were selected. The students were sent an email invitation to participate in the survey. The survey was administered via WebSurvey@UW for the first time this year. After the initial mailing, the students were sent two follow-up email reminders. A random drawing incentive of either an iPod nano or $100 Tech Store gift certificate was awarded to five respondents. Of the 1246 survey recipients, 356 responded resulting in a response rate of about 29%.
II. Summary of
Results
• 77 percent of students reported owning a laptop, up from 64% in 2006. 48% of students own a desktop machine, up from 46% in 2006. We didn’t ask the general computer ownership question, so we cannot report total computer ownership; both laptop and desktop ownership are up from last year.
• 85% of students reported owning some type of cell phone, either a simple cell phone without web access or a smart phone (combination cell phone and PDA device). 79% of students reported owning a cell phone in 2006.
• 64% of students own an iPod or other MP3 player, an increase from the 53% reported in 2006.
• 67% of student own a portable storage device (flash drive, USB, thumb drive, etc.)
• 82% of students use Windows (
• 91% of students indicated overall satisfaction (either Satisfied or Very Satisfied) with technology UW-Madison provides, up from 89% in 2006. Their mean rating is 4.28 on a 1-5 scale.
• Connection to the Internet via the campus wireless network has increased to 50%, up from 30% in 2006.
• The top five technologies used on campus in were email - 97%, Google searching – 92%, cell phone – 88%, Wikipedia – 78%, and digital camera – 76%.
• Students identified the College Library computer lab as the general access computer lab they use the most (43%).
• 84% of students report that they never intentionally share a password.
• 38% of students reported that they rarely back up their data. Only 9% indicated that they never back up their data, a marked improvement over last year when 40% said they never backed up their data. 17% back up data monthly, 9% weekly and 17% back up data at least once a year.
• When asked to rank new or additional technologies in order of their importance, more wireless locations on campus was the top choice with 222 students (out of 356 respondents) choosing it as important. New computer lab on campus ranked the lowest with only 107 students selecting it as important.
• 83% of students have used Learn@UW as part of a University course. Of those students, 77% described their experience as Positive or Very Positive.
• Interestingly, PowerPoint was mentioned most often when students were asked what technology they would like their instructor to use in class.
III.
Detailed Results
Ownership
and Use of Hardware and Software
1.
Which of the following information technology products do you own? [Check all
that apply]
Cell phone ownership is just slightly ahead of laptop ownership. Portable storage has steadily increased. PDAs and Smart Phones (cell phones with internet access) appear to be dropping.
|
|
2003 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Simple Cell phone (w/o web access) |
64% |
87% |
79% |
79% |
|
Laptop computer |
39% |
56% |
64% |
77% |
|
Portable storage device |
-- |
32% |
45% |
67% |
|
Portable music/video player (iPod) |
-- |
35% |
53% |
64% |
|
Desktop computer |
70% |
61% |
46% |
48% |
|
PDA |
18% |
17% |
17% |
-- |
|
Smart Phone (cell phone and PDA) |
-- |
-- |
-- |
6% |
2. Which operating
system(s) do you use on the computer(s) you own? [Check all that apply]
Over 81% cited Windows
3. Do you use your
cell phone to send text messages?
71% said yes.
4. Which of the following services, if any, do you use on your smart phone?
Over 73% keep a contact list, 50% use a calendar or schedule, 49% use it for web access, 24% use it for email, 19% use it for portable storage, and 11% said they do not use any of the above services on their smart phone.
5. Are there any functions you would like to be able to do with your smart phone that are not available on the UW-Madison campus?
No one requested additional services.
6. Do you use your smart phone to access the campus Wireless Network?
No one said they do.
Awareness,
satisfaction, and use of services
7. Overall, how satisfied are you with the technology the UW-Madison provides (such as computer labs, My UW-Madison, networks, campus wireless, email, etc.)?
[1-5 scale, with 1=very dissatisfied and 5 very satisfied]
Mean of 4.28 (91% said they were satisfied to very satisfied). Satisfaction continues steady improvement: in 2004, the mean was 3.9; in 2005, the mean was 4.1, and in 2006, the mean was 4.2.
8. Think back to last year at this same time. Compared to last year, what is your current satisfaction level with the computing resources at UW-Madison?
Excluding those who were not at the UW in the previous year, 75% said they were equally satisfied; 18% were more satisfied; 4% were less satisfied.
(9.) Those who said they were more satisfied were asked why. Responses included
“more aware of services,” and “more/better wireless coverage.”
(10.) Those who said they were less satisfied were also asked why. There were a handful
of varied responses.
11. How do you access
or connect to the Internet? [Check all that apply]
Portability and versatility continue to be priorities for students. There were large increases in the number who said they use computer labs, wireless and kiosks.
Here is a comparison with previous years:
|
|
2000 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Computer labs (Memorial Library, College Library, etc) |
42% |
44% |
34% |
60% |
|
Campus wireless network |
-- |
26% |
30% |
50% |
|
Commercial broadband (cable modem, DSL from Charter, TDS SBC, etc.) |
6% |
58% |
45% |
49% |
|
Computer Kiosks around campus (free-standing Internet access stations) |
-- |
33% |
18% |
40% |
|
Department specific computer lab (Engineering, SoHE, Business, etc.) |
-- |
21% |
18% |
34% |
|
Direct UW-Madison network connection from my room (ResNet) |
28% |
22% |
22% |
31% |
|
Commercial wireless network |
-- |
10% |
14% |
20% |
12. Please indicate
which of the following technologies you use. [Check all that apply]
Email, Google searching and cell phones were the top of over two dozen technologies students use on campus. Here are their responses to the complete list:
Email 97% Blogs 23%
Google searching 92% Skype/VoIP 19%
Cell phone 88% Wikis 17%
Wikipedia 78% Bluetooth 17%
Digital camera 76% Online calendar 15%
Flash drive/USB 72% Portable gaming 10%
Facebook 72% TiVO 10%
Wireless Internet 71% PDAs 7%
MP3 player (iPod, Zune) 66% Social bookmarking 7%
YouTube 65% Flickr 7%
Text Messaging 65% RSS 6%
Instant messaging/Chat 63% Multiplayer games 6%
Download music 50% Smart phone (cell and PDA) 5%
Computer kiosks 49% E-portfolio 2%
Google applications 35% Blu-ray disc 2%
Gaming
consoles (Xbox) 31%
Podcasts 27% Virtual worlds <1%
Message board 25% Gaming <1%
MySpace 24% Mashups <1%
Digital video 23%
13. Please indicate
the general access computer lab(s) you use. [Check all that apply]
College Library Lab 43% ARCH at Gordon 5%
Memorial Library Lab 34% LSS Lab 4%
Don’t use any 30% CALS Lab 3%
Union South Lab 16% ARCH at Chadbourne 3%
Wendt Library Lab 15% ARCH at Liz Waters 2%
Steenbock Library Lab 13% ARCH at Kronsage 2%
Health Sciences Lab 8% Smith Hall TLC 2%
MSC/SOO Lab <1%
14. During what hours
do you tend to use a computer lab? [Check all that apply]
A slight majority of students tend to use the labs at night, as opposed to mid-morning until evening.
6 PM – 10 PM 44%
10AM – 2 PM 41%
2 PM – 6 PM 41%
10 PM or later 28%
Never 23%
6 AM – 10 AM 14%
15. How do you use
your WiscMail email account?
As primary email account 62%
To keep UW correspondence separate from personal email 29%
Only to forward email to an alternate account 10%
16. How often do you
check your WiscMail email account?
Daily 92%
Never 2%
Rarely 2%
2-3 times per week 2%
Weekly 1%
Once per year <1%
Security
and Computing Practices
17. To what extent do you keep your NetID and other University passwords private?
Overall, more students this year than last say they take steps to protect their passwords.
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
|
I never intentionally share a password |
76% |
84% |
|
I occasionally share a password |
13% |
9% |
|
If I share a password, I change it promptly |
3% |
5% |
|
It depends: some passwords I share, some I don't |
7% |
1% |
|
I freely share my passwords |
1% |
1% |
18. How often do you back up your important digital data?
The majority of students say they back up their data at least rarely.
Rarely 38%
At least once per year 17%
Monthly 17%
Weekly 9%
Never 9%
Daily 6%
2-3 times per week 4%
19. When was the last
time you updated or patched your computer software (operating system, Web
browser or applications) with released patches or new versions?
Within the past week 36%
Within the past month 33%
Within the past year 12%
Never 12%
Rarely 8%
20. Are you aware of the University’s Appropriate Use Policy, which governs the security of your computer and the campus network and your responsibilities as a campus computer user?
71% of students say they are aware of it.
21. Please indicate
below which of the following security products are installed on your computer.
[Check all that apply]
Other anti-virus software product 51%
UW-Madison Security Starter Software (anti-virus, firewall, etc.) 51%
Other anti-spyware software product (AdAware, etc.) 48%
Firewall software 45%
WiscVPN software 13%
None of the above 4%
Instructional Tools
22. What technologies would you like your instructor to use in class?
Most respondents to this open-ended question said PowerPoint.
Others ranged from Learn@UW and web to email and “doesn’t
matter.”
23. What technologies would you like to use in class or in support of your coursework?
There was no clear recommendation to this open-ended question.
24. Have you taken a
course that used Learn@UW (the University’s course management system)?
Over 83% said yes.
25. How would you
describe your overall experience using Learn@UW?
Mean of
3.91. Over 77% said they were positive to very positive, which is up significantly from 66% in 2006. Negative responses continue to decline slightly.
Here
is a comparison with previous years:
|
Experience with Course Management System |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Very Positive |
10% |
11% |
10% |
20% |
|
Positive |
53% |
53% |
56% |
57% |
|
Neutral |
31% |
29% |
28% |
17% |
|
Negative |
4% |
7% |
5% |
5% |
|
Very Negative |
2% |
0% |
1% |
0% |
26. What would help
improve your Learn@UW experience?
Answers to this open-ended question varied from “improve user interface” to “nothing/not sure.”
Service Awareness,
Use and Satisfaction
27. Please tell us
which of the following services are you aware of:
See next question and table.
28. Please tell us
which of the following services have you used:
Services that keep students connected are in use by almost all students. See the table
below:
Aware Used
My UW-Madison 100% 99%
WiscMail 100% 99%
Computer labs (general access) 98% 82%
Campus wireless network (in public
locations) 95% 71%
DoIT Tech Store 93% 54%
Campus computer kiosks 95% 82%
Learn@UW 94% N/A
My WebSpace (free Web-based
storage) 90% 49%
WiscCal (online calendar) 90% 24%
Help Desk (Tech Support) 89% 46%
Laptop and equipment checkout 84% 35%
DoIT Repair Service 81% 21%
Anti-virus software (free CD or
download) 79% 61%
Software Training for Students
(free classes) 76% 20%
WISC software (discounted
Microsoft, Adobe, etc. ) 69% 32%
TechNews (DoIT’s email newsletter) 56% 21%
IT Bytes (DoIT’s monthly page in
the Badger Herald) 23% 7%
DATN (television channels viewable
via the Internet) 20% 12%
Professor-invited software trainer in academic class 18% 5%
Here is a comparison of service use between 2006 and 2007. Some service outlet descriptions were combined for 2007.
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
|
My UW-Madison |
67% |
99% |
|
WiscMail |
65% |
99% |
|
Computer kiosks |
39% |
82% |
|
General access computer labs (InfoLabs) |
30% |
82% |
|
Campus wireless network |
37% |
71% |
|
Anti-virus software |
28% |
61% |
|
DoIT Tech Store Showroom |
14% |
-- |
|
DoIT Tech Store Product Sales |
15% |
|
|
DoIT Tech Store (online catalog) |
12% |
|
|
DoIT Tech Store (all) |
-- |
54% |
|
My WebSpace |
23% |
49% |
|
Help Desk by telephone |
16% |
-- |
|
Help Desk walk-in area |
11% |
|
|
Help Desk web site |
10% |
|
|
Help Desk (all) |
-- |
46% |
|
Laptop checkout |
11% |
35% |
|
WISC software |
12% |
32% |
|
WiscCal |
12% |
24% |
|
DoIT Repair Service |
12% |
21% |
|
TechNews (DoIT's email newsletter) |
6% |
21% |
|
Software Training for Students |
7% |
20% |
|
IT Bytes |
3% |
7% |
29. Please rate your satisfaction with each of the following products/services on a 1-5 scale. (1=very dissatisfied, 5=very satisfied)
A comparison of mean ratings between 2006 and 2007 is below. Several service descriptions were changed for the 2007 survey, possibly accounting for overall lower mean scores.
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
|
WiscMail |
4.3 |
4.1 |
|
My UW-Madison |
4.2 |
4.1 |
|
Campus wireless network |
4.2 |
4.0 |
|
Anti-virus software |
4.4 |
4.0 |
|
WISC software |
4.4 |
4.0 |
|
General access computer labs (InfoLabs) |
4.2 |
4.0 |
|
My WebSpace |
4.1 |
3.9 |
|
Help Desk by telephone |
4.1 |
-- |
|
Help Desk (all) |
-- |
3.8 |
|
Laptop checkout |
4.0 |
-- |
|
Software Training for Students |
4.0 |
3.8 |
|
Help Desk walk-in area |
3.9 |
-- |
|
Help Desk web site |
3.8 |
-- |
|
DoIT Tech Store (online catalog) |
3.8 |
-- |
|
DoIT Tech Store Showroom |
3.8 |
-- |
|
DoIT Tech Store (all) |
-- |
3.8 |
|
Computer kiosks |
3.7 |
3.8 |
|
Laptop and other equipment checkout |
-- |
3.7 |
|
DoIT Repair Service |
4.1 |
3.6 |
|
Online software training |
3.7 |
-- |
|
WiscCal |
3.7 |
3.4 |
|
TechNews |
3.4 |
3.4 |
|
DATN |
-- |
3.4 |
|
IT Bytes |
3.1 |
3.2 |
Training
30. On what topics
would you like to have free computer training? [Check all that apply]
Graphics
and Animation (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash) 49%
Web
design (Dreamweaver) 46%
Spreadsheets
(Excel) 43%
Hardware
(installing, fixing or upgrading your computer) 36%
Presentations
(PowerPoint) 32%
Databases
(Access) 30%
e-Portfolio
development (creating an online resume & work sample) 29%
Security/anti-virus
(hands-on security workshop with your computer) 25%
Multimedia
(ACID, Vegas or iMovie) 23%
Operating
systems (Windows, Mac OS X or Linux) 22%
Emerging
Technology (wikis, blogs or podcasts) 17%
None 17%
Desktop
publishing (InDesign, Quark Xpress) 16%
Word
processing (Word) 12%
UW-provided tools (WiscCal, My WebSpace, etc.) 11%
31. Regarding free software training, how
likely would you be to take the following?
[1-5 scale, with 1=very unlikely and 5 very likely]
Students are far more likely to take a
free online class (mean score 3.6) than a free 2-
hr. class led by
a student (mean score 2.9).
Miscellaneous
32. Please rank your
first, second and third IT service choices from the list below, in
order of their
importance to you.
The top three—more wireless, faster
network and additional discounted software—
were all very
close. More laptops for checkout, a new computer lab and more
computer
kiosks—were ranked lowest. Here is a table comparison of rankings from
2006 to 2007:
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
|
More wireless locations on campus |
1 |
1 |
|
Faster campus network |
3 |
2 |
|
Additional discounted software offerings |
2 |
3 |
|
More content in My UW-Madison |
5 |
4 |
|
More computers in computer labs |
6 |
5 |
|
Help with computer security/anti-virus protection |
4 |
6 |
|
More computer kiosks around campus |
11 |
7 |
|
More laptops available for checkout in computer labs |
9 |
8 |
|
New computer lab on campus |
10 |
9 |
33. What new or improved information
technology service or resource would you like at UW-Madison?
Besides
the most popular answer, “don’t know,” answers varied widely to this open-ended
question.
Demographics
34. Where do you live?
Over 70% of respondents live off
campus.
35. In what discipline(s) are you majoring?
[Check all that apply]
Letters and Science 39%
Engineering 11%
Business 11%
Graduate School 9%
Ag. & Life
Sciences 7%
Education 7%
Medicine and Public Health 5%
Human Ecology 3%
Pharmacy 3%
Journalism & Mass Comm. 3%
Law School 3%
Nursing 3%
Environmental Studies <2%
36. Please indicate
your age.
21 19%
19 14%
20 13%
22 10%
18 9%
25 4%
27 4%
23 4%
24 3%
28 3%
… 17%
37. Please indicate
your gender.
Female 54%
Male 46%
38. Please indicate
your year in school.
Senior 22%
Grad Student 18%
Freshman 16%
Junior 16%
Sophomore 15%
Dissertator 6%
Professional 4%
Guest 1%
Special 1%
39. Are you
interested in providing additional information at a future time?
109 students responded yes.