A Seminar presented at the University of South Africa on the students current and expected use of technology in relation to their learning. Presented on behalf of the Institute for Open and Distance Learning (IODL).

1. Student experiences and
expectations of technology
Associate Professor Michael Sankey
Director, Learning Environments and Media
Presented at the University of South Africa, Friday 19 September 2014

2. Why this research?
Higher Education Drivers
 Mobility
 Connectivity
 Seamlessness
 Smartphones and Tablets
 Analytics
 Flipped classrooms
 Social media
 Sticky – billabongs
 Democratisation of
knowledge and access
“Over the next 10-15 years,
the current public university
model in Australia will prove
unviable in all but a few cases”
(E&Y Report 2012)

3. Why this research?
 The evolving opportunities technological change provides requires the
frequent evolution of services and curriculum to facilitate engaged
learning.
 The resources and costs involved need to be carefully weighed up
against the potential benefits of the affordances.
 Important to have an evidence-based approach to inform strategy
and planning.
 Understanding how and what students’ use and what their
expectations of technologies for both life and study is clearly
essential.
 The technologies explored here included, institutional systems
(email, LMS), Web2.0 technologies (social networking, cloud & shared
spaces) and personal devices.
 This presentation provides some initial findings and reflects on some
implications for emerging learning environments and meeting
expectations for ‘todays’ student.

4. The tool and method
 Methodology: Mixed Methods
 Students’ Experiences and Expectations of Technology Survey (SEETS)
 It contained 127 questions, coving student’s access and use of technologies
 Plus four open-ended response questions
 Online focus groups (n=34) using Blackboard Collaborate
 Five main sections
1. Technologies currently used in everyday life for social and work purposes.
2. Current & preferred use of technologies for learning and communicating
with the wider university.
3. The services and support provided for learning.
4. The technologies used to interact with the university for administrative
purposes.
5. General demographic information

5. Base demographics
 N = 1181
 68% external/distance
 56% Part-time
 65% Female
 73% Mature age
 67% Undergraduate
 40% In their first year
 40% Work full-time
 29% No paid
employment
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
380
internal/on-campus external/distance student
Internal/on-campus or external/distance student
801
68%
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
18 or less 19-20 21-25 26-30 31-40 41-50 Over 50
Age
60
103
161 155
331
217
154
28%
73%

6. The computing equipment they
have access to
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Desktop
computer at
home
Laptop
computer at
home
Laptop on
campus with no
internet
connection
Laptop on
campus with
wireless
internet
Computer labs
on campus
Computer at
work
Mobile phone
with internet
access
IPad or Android
pad with
wireless
internet
Gaming
console with
internet access
610
1055
47
211
368
510
785
318
207
90%
67%

7. Primary Internet access
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Dial Up ADSL (1 or 2) Cable Satellite 3G 4G Wireless (no plan) Through Uni or
other third party
What level of primary Internet access do you have?
14
707
91
26
177
33
67 66
60%
1%

8. Technologies Surveyed
Instant messaging Online multi-user computer games
Text message (SMS) 3D Virtual worlds
Blogs and Wikis Library search engines
Collaborative technologies Internet search engines
Email Podcasts or webcasts
ePortfolios Presentation software
Mobile’s for voice calls & internet Software to create audio/video materials
LMS (Moodle) Web development software
RSS feeds Interactive whiteboards
Social networking sites Data analysis software
Social bookmarking / tagging Google docs
GPS tagging of photos on the web Tablet computer (eg iPad)

9. Top 10 tools used outside study
1200 1137 1121
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1061 1047
907
851
633 622
551
413
96%
35%
77%

10. Some interesting shifts
1000
900
800
700
500
400
300
200
100
0
600
Library online
resources Pod/Vodcasts
by Lecturers Pod/Vodcasts
by students Pod/Vodcasts
on the web RSS feeds
relevant to
studies
Blogs by other
students
747
721
175
333
183
187
942 965
492
681
539
448
Current use
Future use
82%

11. Technologies for learning
900
800
700
600
400
300
200
100
0
500
Use Twitter
Create Wikis
Online
document
sharing
Social
networking Vitrual worlds
Self-testing
quizzes
47 79
210 253
23
483
184
344
479
540
172
821
Current use
Future use
14%
16%
70%

12. Develop an ePortfolio as a record of learning
and experiences for professional or employment
purposes
While 8.7% reported
current regular use of
ePortfolio for professional
or employment
purposes, 37.1%
reported wanting to use
this more often.
 541 students (57%) who
had selected ‘never to
rarely’ moved their
preference to wanting
some level of
engagement with this
technology.
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Never or Rarely A few times a
SEMESTER
A few times a
MONTH
A few times a
WEEK
One or more times
a DAY
948
131
54 40
8
407
336
247
140
51
CURRENTLY do this WOULD LIKE TO do this

13. Use web conferencing or video chat (eg Skype,
Wimba, FaceTime) to join in remotely to
lectures or tutorials
 80% (944) of students
have not used web
conferencing to join in with
lectures or tutorials in the
past
 65% (618) of these
respondents said that they
would like to in the future.
 This has significant
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
implications as to how
USQ may look to engage
with this type of technology
in the future 0
200
100
Never or Rarely A few times a
SEMESTER
A few times a
MONTH
A few times a
WEEK
One or more times
a DAY
944
101
66 64
6
326
239
267 279
70
CURRENTLY do this WOULD LIKE TO do this

14. Use web-based document tools (eg Google docs)
to work collaboratively on activities and
assignments
 17.8% of students reported
current regular use of web-based
document tools,
 47.3% reported wanting to
use these more often.
 504 students (43%) moved
their preference from ‘never
to rarely’ to wanting some
level of engagement with this
technology
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Never or Rarely A few times a
SEMESTER
A few times a
MONTH
A few times a
WEEK
One or more
times a DAY
845
126
96
75
39
341
281
261
214
84
CURRENTLY do this WOULD LIKE TO do this

15. Communicating: Student with staff
Student with student
900
800
700
600
400
300
200
100
0
500
Instant messaging
Text messaging
Email
In LMS
75
173
682 704
281
368
862
847
119
292
523
632
308
454
748 781
Current with staff
Future with staff
Current with staff2
Future with student

16. Technologies for Admin Purposes
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Not At All
Useful
Twitter RSS feeds
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
781
160
101 78 61
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little
Useful
Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
176
199
247
346
213
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Paper-based letters or memos
Not At All
Useful
A Little
Useful
Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
305 306
243
204
123
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
20
44
118
367
632
Email
67%

17. Technologies for Admin Purposes
Facebook Mobile voice calls
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Mobile apps Communications through LMS
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
49
104
216
406 406
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
384
186
172
210
229
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
343
246 248
189
155
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Not At All
Useful
A Little Useful Moderately
Useful
Quite Useful Very Useful
226
133
165
295
362
50/50

18. But

19. Take home messages from FGs
They are starting to use iPads more but mainly still use laptops.
Recorded lectures provide flexibility/mobility, eg. able to play on
iPod and listen while travelling etc. Able to repeat sections.
Hearing/seeing lecturer gives better ‘feel’ for information than
reading a printed page. Other students ask questions during
lecture, which can give additional information. Feel more
connected to group.
Respondents saw the StudyDesk as adequate in contributing to
their feeling part of a ‘community of learners’ and were opposed
to using Facebook which they see as for personal use only.
 ‘Consistency’ was a main theme that has emerged both from this
survey and Focus Groups. Consistency in the ‘look and feel’ of
study desk, the quality of resources available, the staff interaction
online. But not sameness.
Strong preference for us to provide online training for
technologies.

20. Observations
 We should celebrate the extent to which students are happy with the
way we use technology to support their learning.
 Consistency defined broadly and not limited to the ‘wireframe’ of the
StudyDesk. eg. style and format of materials: assessment feedback;
lecture capture (audio/video); student communication.
 Access to the Internet is almost ubiquitous. This means that learning
experiences need not be limited to ‘resource lead’ text based study
guides. More active/connected learning tools are increasingly available
to enhance the learning experience.
 Collaborative technologies can facilitate classroom-based activities
that are inclusive of distance learners when designed purposefully.
 Cloud-based and other social networking tools represent an ‘ease
of use’ for students and should be considered as legitimate
supplementary learning spaces for students (Googledocs, Facebook etc.)

21. Students are:
 Seamless, on the go and available
 purposefully oriented and ‘don’t have time to waste’,
technology is viewed as a positive force in their studies
 Few learners are without multiple devices such as mobile
phones, laptops, tablets and computers that connect to
the internet
 online learning environments are often devoid of
engagement and interaction and rather remain focussed
on resource led rather than perhaps resource supported
 social media has in some cases become an
“…unexpected learning space which was previously used
for more personal and social interactions”
 Andrews, Tynan, & Backstrom, 2012, p.54.

22. Key Technology Trends
- Gartner 2013
By 2015:
 Smartphones will account for 80% of all mobile
phones sold (in well-established markets)
 Only 20% of these devices will use Windows
 50% of all notebook purchases will be tablets
 The top operating systems will be:
• Apple’s iOS
• Google’s Android
• Windows 8

23. Mobility @ USQ
 This rapid development of technology has launched a global
trend to enhance the ways in which we develop and deliver
courses and L&T resources
 Currently, USQ has implemented the following initiatives to
facilitate access to USQ resources for staff and students
from mobile devices:
 USQ Mobile website
 USQ Library mobile website
 Moodle mobile skin for USQStudyDesk courses
 Institutional imaging of iPads for general student
lending in the Library (Toowoomba Campus)
 Developing apps for learning
 With increased internet coverage enabled almost ubiquitous
access, we have seen a huge increase in our websites being
accessed by mobile devices

24. “I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE”