Now in its third year, the CDW-G 21st-Century Campus Report examines the role of technology in higher education. CDW-G surveyed more than 1,000 college students, faculty and IT staff to understand their perceptions of campus technology.
While the 2008 report provided a baseline for campus technology use, and the 2009 study examined how student needs are changing, the 2010 report focuses on what colleges are getting right, and how they are incorporating new tools into interactive learning experiences.
CDW-G also compares these findings to the results of the recent CDW-G 21st-Century Classroom Report, to determine how the expectations of today’s high school students will further advance the 21st-century campus.
Click to Tweet: Next-Generation College Students’ Technology Expectations Surpass Students’ Today, Annual #CDW-G Survey Finds http://bit.ly/azqbOF
- Higher education faculty and IT staff value technology as an essential tool for student success
- Institutions are incorporating newer technology tools that are connecting and resonating with students, who grew up using technology. This technology empowers students and faculty to personalize and expand the learning experience
- Institutions say that defining – and supporting – the new learning environment is a challenge. Many IT professionals report that their IT infrastructure needs to be updated to ensure future success
- Incoming college students have even higher expectations for technology than today’s college students
Campuses are Focused on Technology
- College students, faculty and IT staff place a high value on technology as a learning tool
| 85% | of college students say technology is important in their ability to study for their major/chosen field |
| 88% | of faculty say technology is essential or useful as a learning tool |
Different Views on Essential Technology
- More than 3/4 of faculty say it is important that they teach in a 21st-century classroom
- But when it comes to the essential technology – and new technology – for the classroom, IT staff have an expanded view of what is possible
IT Infrastructure Needs Support
- Forty-four percent of campus IT professionals believe their infrastructure needs to be, or could be refreshed
- To provide stakeholders with reliable, “always on” access to 21st-century technology, IT professionals highlight storage and security as their biggest needs
How would you rate your campus’ IT infrastructure?
Colleges are Expected to Deliver
- Institutions offer the core technologies that tomorrow’s college students expect
- But, IT needs to consider how it will meet students’ demand for newer technologies as a learning tool
Calls to Action
- Understand that technology means different things to different people and different generations: Move beyond just having technology to understanding how technology can change the learning process
- Survey students, faculty and IT staff to understand their expectations for technology use: The 21st-Century Campus Report Assessment Tool provides a starting point for institutions to evaluate the community’s needs and disaggregate data to develop a path forward
- Consider demonstration labs to give faculty and IT staff hands-on experience with newer technologies: Watch Millennials’ tech habits; consider how institutions can support and integrate their tools into the learning process
Sample Size and Margin of Error:
- 1,019 Full Sample: ± 3.0% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
- 415 Students: ± 4.8% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
- 303 Faculty: ± 5.6% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
- 301 IT Staff: ± 5.6% margin of error at 95% confidence level
