Author: IPSOS MORI on behalf of JISC
Publication date: 17 September 2007
Publication Type(s): Briefing papers, Research
Programmes: e-Learning Pedagogy programme
This briefing paper is a summary
of the full student expectations study
Prospective university students have difficulty understanding fully
what university life will offer, including what Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) provision to expect. However, new research
conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of JISC suggests that students do come to
university with a set of inherent expectations about ICT provision and use
and, further, that such expectations have important implications for
institutions and the ICT services they provide.
There have been many studies examining students' expectations of higher
education but few have focused specifically on those of incoming students
and ICT issues. There has also been a tendency for these studies to be
conducted with students already at higher education institutions (HEIs),
adopting a retrospective analysis of whether their ICT expectations prior
to reaching university have been realised.
As technologies and social computing rapidly increase in popularity and
evolve (e.g. Web 2.0), it is important that the academic community remains
aware of issues faced by learners both before and during higher education.
There is also the need to explore whether the learning experience of
students is changing over time, how they want to learn through technology
and the level to which they want to learn virtually or in the
'classroom'.
The Student Expectations Study looked at what prospective students fluent
in the use of technology anticipate from university life in terms of ICT,
through discussion groups and an online panel.
What do students expect?
Understanding students' expectations of ICT provision needs to be set
in the context of their expectations of university life overall.
The research showed that there was some uncertainty among respondents about
what universities had to offer in general. Although some had an idea of
what it will offer - through visits, contact with friends and family or
online research - it became apparent that understanding of what life would
be like, both academic and otherwise, is undeveloped.
Uncertainty is compounded by the fact that students are used to being
'parented' either at home or at school. To them, university is a
time when these controls disappear and they become independent - something
they embrace while still clinging to some of the original safety values
they are used to.
Understanding how to manage these expectations will have important
implications for a range of issues, including future recruitment and
retention of students.
Key findings
The apparent uncertainty about ICT and its use among these students,
suggests that if they don't know what to expect when they get to
university, there will not be a mismatch between expectation and reality.
However, the research shows that they will bring inherent expectations for
ICT with them, display instinctive preferences for technology when
presented, and be able to evaluate any new technology they may meet at
university.
Next steps
This research is preparatory to the establishment of a Committee of
Inquiry, being convened by JISC with the Higher Education Academy
and funded by HEFCE
this autumn, into the changing learner experience. The Inquiry will address
the implications for HEIs of the experience and expectations of learners
approaching full-time higher education with a view to informing senior
management and providing advice to universities and colleges.
About the research
The key aims of the research were to:
-
Understand better what students who currently use
technology to a reasonable degree expect from universities when it comes
to accessing and using ICT in both social and educational environments
-
Begin to examine whether there is a mismatch generally
between student expectations of what they will be able to do and what
institutions can and do offer in terms of ICT
Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to understand the uptake
and usage of technology at a UK level, and also to delve into the finer
points of ICT use and gain a deep understanding of why the target group
uses technology and the way it uses it - in both social and learning
environments.
-
Qualitative - 3 discussion groups with students from
differing backgrounds and levels of engagement with technology
-
Quantitative - 501 surveys completed by an online panel
of 16-18 year olds, all of whom hope to go to university. As the target
audience was those who had at least some knowledge of ICT it was felt
appropriate to carry out the research with a group which is, by virtue of
being part of an online research panel, perhaps more open to and adept
with technology than the profile of the general public
It is important to note that, while the research encompassed a broad range
of students, it is not necessarily representative of the attitudes of all
types of student in this age group, for example those with disabilities or
from ethnic minorities. These students may have very different views,
expectations and demands from HEIs, an area requiring further exploration.
Key findings and their implications
|
This group of students...
|
|
1 ...had difficulty in discussing their expectations
of ICT at university
|
|
FINDINGS
|
IMPLICATIONS
|
-
The group expressed general uncertainty about what university
life will entail overall
-
They find it hard to project how technology will help them learn
in ways they have not experienced before
-
Students don't know what types of teaching and learning
techniques they might meet, and try simply to map their current
learning experiences onto this new world
-
They do expect ICT to have a bigger role at university but are
unclear as to what this will be
|
-
It is important not to overestimate the understanding that
students have of the day-to-day experience of being at
university, when explaining how their ICT provision fits in with
student life
-
The prospective students automatically think of ICT improving
their learning through giving them more access to data and
research resources, rather than imagining totally new methods of
teaching, learning, or interacting with peers or lecturers
|
|
2 ...are digital natives
|
-
The group of students is immersed in technology having grown up
with more advanced technology than any preceding generations
-
They have an implicit understanding of technology and its use,
particularly its role in their social lives but also within the
classroom teaching environment
-
The students see technology as a core part of social engagement
-
They regard ubiquitous internet access as the norm
-
Around half look at ICT provision when applying for universities,
although their expectations of this may well be limited by their
current understanding
|
-
There is a basic level of ICT provision that students assume will
be present at all universities, e.g. (unrestricted) internet
access for all, a level of technical support for admin systems, a
profile or presence 'on the system' to help an individual
access resources, and an online backup for lectures, course notes
and other resources which could be accessed if, for instance, a
student missed a lecture
-
Expectations are often based simply on the school's provision
of ICT, along with a lack of knowledge about what universities
both provide and are capable of. These students need clear
information about how ICT will work in the context of learning at
university
Students are able to evaluate the benefits of new technologies in
their social and academic lives
|
|
3 ...make widespread use of social networking and
Web 2.0
|
-
Only 5% claim never to use social networking websites; 65% use
them regularly
-
Three-fifths (62%) use wikis, blogs or online networks; 44%
maintain their own blog or website
-
But only a fifth (21%) are part of an online community such as
Second Life
-
The prospective students struggle, however, to see how social
networking could be used as a learning tool
-
They are cautious of publishing/sharing coursework online for
public scrutiny
|
-
The group thinks technology is very important to their social
lives but not a substitute for face-to-face interaction
-
They expect unlimited access to and use of the university's
systems/network, possibly leading to a potential issue for
bandwidth capacity for the more demanding of activities (e.g.
file sharing sites and online multiplayer games)
-
Students need to be clear about universities' stance on the
use of such technologies via their systems/networks
-
Students need to know/understand how social networking tools
relate to learning if they are to be used
|
|
4 ...don't believe in technology for
technology's sake
|
-
Students are quite adept at evaluating different ICT options when
presented with them
-
They use technology as a means of doing other things, not as a
replacement or as an end in itself
-
They are flexible and ready to accommodate new technologies in
different ways of learning if they can see tangible benefits of
doing so
|
-
The students are not constantly looking for new technology to
incorporate into their everyday lives. They appreciate it when
they can see a palpable social or academic benefit
-
Institutions need to steer clear of the assumption that new
technology is automatically youth friendly
-
Students need more information about how technology can help them
in their daily lives rather than about the technology itself
(e.g. knowing they can download resources to support lectures)
|
|
5 ...strongly value face to face interaction in
learning/teaching
|
-
The students see traditional methods of teacher/pupil learning as
neither hierarchical nor outmoded; they see personal,
face-to-face interaction as the backbone of their learning
-
However, students do not fully understand how ICT and learning
can work together outside the school context
|
-
While students expect to be able to set themselves up,
technologically, in the same way they are used to now, they will
not expect either their connectivity to decrease or the
technology to encroach on what they see as the key benefits from
university - interaction and learning
-
Students need to know how and why using different techniques and
how technology can be a tool to complement different ways of
learning
-
Students' opinions about various forms of learning and ICT
use may differ greatly once they have experienced the different
teacher-learner relationships of university
|
Further information and resources
For further information, please contact Charles Hutchings, JISC Market
Research Manager