What Students Want In a College

Students today are the “most wired” ever so it’s no surprise that a recent study by Educause found that 60% of students said they would not attend a college all if it does not offer free wifi. While most colleges and universities in the US have (one would think) internet, wifi that works consistently and anywhere on campus is increasingly thought of as an essential feature, rather than a luxury. Students want to be online not only in their dorm rooms or computer centers or the library, but anywhere.

However, only 78% of students think that wifi is “extremely valuable for their academic success” — suggesting that, their reasons for wanting wifi are for reasons others than their studies, to stay connected with friends and family; to play video games, watch videos, access music?

The Educause study also found that, while 47% of students believe technology makes professors better at their jobs, over 30% of students think that their instructors are “incapable of getting technology working without student aid.”

Student Preference For Hybrid Courses

Students want, or rather, need (they believe) to be online all the time. Another study by Online Colleges found that students now prefer “hybrid” classes that combine online learning and assignments with “face to face” time in the classroom.

This last finding was the most interesting to me. I’ve taught an online course in Great Books; all of my courses are currently in a ”traditional” format with twice-a-week meetings with students in a classroom with a chalkboard and quizzes and tests printed out on paper and graded with an old-fashioned red ballpoint pen. There is a computer in the classroom and I use it regularly, to show all kinds of visual material — maps, archaeological artifacts, clips of movies. I communicate with students using email and texts and very rarely over the phone.

I’d like to try teaching a hybrid course as I already use the internet for numerous assignments. Also, many of the students at my college commute and work part-time jobs; some have children and/or older or disabled relatives to take care of. An entirely online course means minimal, if any, actual contact with students but I think such is essential: Teaching is about more than ensuring that students know the subject matter (Latin grammar, in this case). I can think of ways to administer tests and quizzes online, but it’s important for students to sit at an actual desk in an actual classroom and write out the answers to a quiz or test. A course taught in a hybrid format seems a good way to meet students “halfway,” by acknowledging the ways they prefer to learn, while also ensuring that some of the “traditional” format of teaching — instructor speaking, explaining, interacting with students — remains in place.

Computers are a very recent innovation in the history of human existence and of learning and technology and education have become quickly intertwined. Students today cannot imagine writing papers without computer; I don’t even ask them to submit actual paper copies anymore. I’m intrigued that, according to one of the above-cited studies, students say they’d prefer not online courses, but ones that do involve some contact with instructors. Even as we live in an increasingly wired and online world, perhaps we’re also learning to value actually seeing, talking to, being with each other even more.

Related Care2 Coverage

Students, Please Check Your Facebook Status Now

How Facebook Will Profit Even More From Your Profile

Low-Tech Learning In a Tech-Obsessed World

Photo by quinn.anya

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Cody L.

7:12PM PST on Jan 4, 2012

Thanks!

send a green star

jayasri a.

9:57PM PST on Jan 1, 2012

thank you for this.

J C B.

9:02PM PST on Dec 30, 2011

Thank you for this.

Vicky P.

1:00PM PST on Dec 30, 2011

yup, computers are usually everything in college, but it's stupid that most of the time when internet is available, students are on it for facebook/youtube.

Mandi A.

8:12AM PST on Dec 30, 2011

Thanks

Amie K.

7:19AM PST on Dec 30, 2011

This doesn't surprise me at all given that I work in the corporate training field. I often use a virtual hybrid method by facilitating a webcast from my home office (recorded for later consumption) and then posting additional information in our SharePoint site. This is what adult learners routinely expect and it allows them to focus on the information they need but then they can come to me (via phone - we're mostly a virtual organization) with specific questions. It's not surprising that college students expect this as well. As someone who has worked primarily at home for more than a decade, you can get a lot more done without having to 'be' anywhere in person.

Diane B.

7:10AM PST on Dec 30, 2011

My daughter is a senior in college. She much prefers actual classroom interaction. She's had both on line and classroom courses and feels she learns quicker and gets more out of the course when it's in a classroom setting.There are too many online classes ( no classroom offered for these courses) and she gets very frustrated when she has questions and the response from the teacher sometimes comes a week later! Not getting answers to questions delays moving onto the next subject to learn! Finding answers to her questions in the meantime is unnecessarily time consuming. When help is sometimes available from a teacher's assistant, who doesn't have good command of the English language, it only adds to further frustration! ( this goes for some of the teachers as well!) The upside to online classes is the flexibility. She started a full time job, at the beginning of the semester. This semester as well as next semester, all of her classes are online. That leaves almost no time for a social life, but I remind her, graduation is just around the corner. She smiles briefly, then buries her nose back in the book. I'm sooo looking forward to more smiles and a happier kid by next May!

Lakmal B.

6:57AM PST on Dec 30, 2011

* Sure internet is a big thing but only for "seekers" of everything.

* But unfortunately, a survay has revealed that only 10% of the people are knowledge seekers and other 90% are just looking for entertainment like..youtube, facebook, online games, online movies, music, etc.

My cousin is a college student and i know that when he want to do some research or make a report on something, he just copy and paste from a well written good article from a web site.

It ruins their imagination and ability to think originally when they become leaders, managers or decision makers.

So sad.