College students are used to having the latest
technology at their fingertips, but aren’t getting that when they enter the
classroom. New research reports that the number of students who expressed
dissatisfaction with classroom technology more than doubled since 2015.
A survey of 500 students conducted by VitalSource showed
that 19% were unhappy with the technology available to them in class, compared
to just 8% who held that opinion one year before. Students who said they were
completely satisfied with available technology fell from 35% in 2015 to 22% in
2016.
“The survey results show us the technology used in
college classes just isn’t meeting the expectations of today’s students, even
as other parts of their lives are relying on tech,” said Pep Carerra, chief
operating officer of VitalSource. “The challenge is to keep pace with the
ever-evolving landscape while keeping the aspects we know boost student
success.”
Those
findings are at odds with a Campus Technology survey that found 81% of faculty said technology had an “extremely positive” or
“mostly positive” impact on education. The Teaching with Tech study also
reported more than three-quarters of responding faculty said technology made
their jobs easier and 88% said it had a positive impact on their teaching.
