The Internet Goes to College:
College Students, Faculty and Internet Use
Steve Jones, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow, Pew Internet & American Life Project
Professor of Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago
Research Associate, Electronic Visualization Laboratory
Adjunct Research Professor of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Internet Goes to College
Overview:
Background
What we know about college faculty
and student internet use
What it means - implications
Background - Computing
First computing experience
Background - Computing
UIUC late-1970s: mainframes, punch cards &
paper tape
I was using Plato…
Not
Not thisthis Plato, the Plato, the
other
PLATO IV at UIUC
Why, when I was their
age…
Background - the “other”
PLATO
PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching
Operations) invented by Prof. Don Bitzer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, early 1960s
What were some other features?
Talkomatic & Term-Talk: one-to-one chat
Notes evolved into Personal Notes (think Usenet)
and Group Notes (think Lotus Notes)
Multiplayer games
A lot of talking about music
Background - Pew Internet &
American Life Project
Dedicated to examining the Internet's
role in everyday life in the U.S.
Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts
January 2000 - December 2005…and
beyond?
Core research is a daily tracking survey,
Background - The Internet Goes to
College
Online survey randomly distributed in May
2004 to college instructors at institutions of higher education across the United States.
2,316 college faculty completed the survey.
Comparisons made with findings from study
of college students’ Internet use in 2002.
Currently in the field (Spring 2005) with
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Reasons for using the Internet to communicate with students
Faculty (2004) Students (2002) Make class announcements 95% 89%
Provide information about class assignments
71% 82%
Provide feedback on assignments
7% 60%
Discuss course-related problems
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Internet communication has had a positive impact 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Strongly agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
Faculty (2004)
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
• The Internet is a social technology for college
students, but it is not the only one:
• Two-thirds (69%) of college students said they are more
likely to use the phone than the Internet to communicate socially, even though 85% of college students consider the Internet to be an easy and convenient choice for
communicating with friends
• Cell phone use while being online is prevalent
61% of 18 - 24 year olds own a cell phone (and the number
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Top Three Internet Tools
Faculty Students
92%
62%
Instant messaging
24
29
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Has plagiarism increased in your
students’ work since the internet’s
spread?
Yes - 44%
No - 23%
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Do you use the Internet to check
for plagiarism?
Yes - 74%
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Faculty comments:
“Confusion reigns about the difference between
‘academic’ sources and internet blog or ‘junk’ sources. I’m amazed at how little students seem to know about how best to research via the internet.”
It is a “mixed blessing for student research that the
internet provides, as both a great resource and an unfortunate substitute for sustained research and inquiry.”
Scholars and libraries must examine and instill critical skills
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Most faculty computer use is split between home (51%) and work (49%).
Slightly more student computer use (59%) takes place at home.
For checking email 93% of college students,and 92% of college faculty, reported using their home computers the most.
Observations in campus computer labs showed that, while
often crowded, students do not spend a great deal of time in them.
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Mobility (wi-fi, laptops) becoming more common.
17% of faculty reported using wi-fi, laptops
(comparable to 18% of all internet users, 27% of students (early number)).
Public spaces can quickly become public
‘computer labs,’ for long periods of time.
Students often sit and work together in such
spaces.
But as in other public areas generally segregate by
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Weblogs, or ‘blogs,’ increasingly
common among faculty and students.
Wikis are on the rise.
Multi-tasking very common.
Downloading and file sharing continue.
60% of college students said they had
What We Know - The Internet Goes
to College
Student and faculty library use has
decreased as time spent in the
library ...
but
Library use has increased as access to
What It Means - Implications
Increasing habit of using the most
convenient computer, the one “at hand.”
Mixing of work and social activity online.
Mirrored by blurring of boundaries between
What It Means - Implications
Students expect near-ubiquitous Internet
access.
Even in class, at events, concerts, dining,
recreation and leisure areas.
Faculty are coming to expect this as well.
Students and faculty expect
high speed
What It Means - Implications
Issues apparent with the spread of cell
phones, such as etiquette and distraction, are likely to emerge as students are able to
access the Internet anywhere, including in libraries, classrooms.
Students and teachers would benefit from
What It Means - Implications
Some libraries
adopting presence
What It Means - Implications
Non-tech infrastructure: Support, training,
need better integration with faculty, student work.
Tech infrastructure: Internet technologies
could be better integrated with faculty work.
Increasing expectations of technology use.
•
Students critical of professors, others, whoWhat It Means - Implications
The Web in particular has become an
information cornerstone for students and
faculty, and the Internet is their
info-‘Swiss Army Knife.’
Why do students use the information tools
What It Means - Implications
Early data from ethnographic interviews
“I use Google because I heard it searches for more things”
(than other sources).
“I believe I can find anything on the Internet. There hasn’t been
anything I haven’t been able to find.”
“Because I’m lazy.”
Books have “so much information that no one can go through it
all.”
What It Means - Implications
Was this foreseen years ago (1987) - but
is still not realized?
What It Means - Implications
What might reliance on Google (or other
sites) mean for the future?
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
What It Means - Implications
Collaboration and interdisciplinarity will
continue to increase in part due to Internet use.
VICI
Visualization Interaction Collaboration Immersion
VR & high-speed networking
Virtual heritage, large data sets,
scientific visualization, etc.
QuickTime™ and a Video decompressor
What It Means - Implications
Given present realities and forthcoming
technologies, how might ARL’s strategic
What It Means - Implications
Strategic Direction I (sustainability, access,
support of teaching, learning, research,
service) - Pay particular attention to ICT use across (and in some cases outside)
institution.
Strategic Direction III (engage in
transformations affecting research and
For More Information
Websites
http://info.comm.uic.edu/jones/
http://www.evl.uic.edu
http://www.pewinternet.org
http://aoir.org
sjones@pewinternet.org, sjones@uic.edu
