Study shows UD students are committed to computing use
Study shows UD students are committed to computing use
A study of student computer use during 2001-02, conducted in May, indicates that UD students are committed to the use of computers and that the level of use increases as they progress from freshmen to seniors, according to Dick Sacher, manager in Information Technologies/User Services, who analyzed the results of the survey.
Of those responding, the vast majority of UD students own a personal computer (98 percent responded that they own at least one computer, either desktop or laptop). Of that number, 77 percent own at least one desktop computer and 31 percent own at least one laptop.
According to Susan Foster, vice president for information technologies, "We are very pleased to learn of the very high degree of self-sufficiency that Delaware students report in their use of computing resources and of their willingness to help one another. I believe that this is a very strong indicator of how much information technologies are embedded in the University's way of life and how widely accepted and valued they are."
Nearly 82 percent of students use at least one Information Technologies (IT) computing site, and each college class--freshman to senior--reports a higher percentage of use than the preceding classes. Also, 82 percent of students living in residence halls reported that they used the UD Network Connection CD, which enables students to access the University network.
The survey shows that most students attempt to be self-sufficient when solving IT problems: 72.5 percent reported they try to resolve issues by themselves, and 71.7 percent said they ask for help from a friend, while 25 percent reported they use some IT service. There appears to be no real difference between men and women students in computer use, but men report being more self-reliant and women more social in their problem-solving approaches, Sacher said.
Some 88 percent of students report owning their own printer, though students residing off-campus seem less likely to own one
(78 percent). The leading reason that students report using student computing sites is to print (60 percent).
Students also appear to be "mobile," with 30 percent owning laptops, but very few have wireless connection cards for them. In contrast, 70 percent of students have cell phones.
The survey indicates that 90 percent or more of students use productivity software, such as word processing, web browser, PDF reader, Instant Messenger and spreadsheet. Unfortunately, almost 70 percent admit using peer-to-peer file sharing, such as KaZaA, Winamp and BearShare, and this is where bandwidth abuse and pirating of copyrighted materials take place.
This survey finding reinforces the University's decision to promote proper computer use through "The Code of the Web" campaign, an education initiative designed to raise awareness of problems of bandwidth abuse and copyright infringements. For information, visit the web site at [www.udel. edu/codeoftheweb].
