Understanding the Diversity of Student Computing Activity

Abstract

A College of Education and Psychology undertook a survey of its majors to gain a better understanding of computer ownership and usage. Of interest was whether all logical groupings of students (e.g., graduate vs. undergraduate, gender, age, ethnicity) could be created equivalent in terms of their access and experience with computing. The results of the survey found a very high percentage of students (91.1 percent) owned computers, with no difference found on the basis of year in school, gender, or ethnicity. Differences in the number of hours per week that a computer was used and the types of activities the computer was used for were found based on the age and full/part-time status in school. The results of the survey also indicated that Internet usage is ubiquitous across all years in school but with differences seen based on gender and ethnicity. Differences in other types of applications (i.e., word processing, presentation, spreadsheet/database, and statistics) were also seen both between applications and between year in school. Students' perceived skill level and the application usage were significantly positively correlated. Implications of strategic planning for computing policy and instruction are discussed.