Student Experiences With Information Technology And Their Relationship To Other Aspects Of Student Engagement

Thomas F Nelson Laird,George D Kuh

doi:10.1007/s11162-004-1600-y

Abstract

Colleges and universities have made considerable effort to get students to use information technology productively. This study uses data from the 2003 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to investigate the relationships between student uses of information technology and other forms of student engagement. There appears to be a strong positive relationship between using information technology for educational purposes and involvement in effective educational practices such as active and collaborative learning and student–faculty interaction. The results also point to the prospect that particular areas of involvement with information technology could be viewed as forms of engagement in and of themselves. In addition, when students use information technology it may increase their opportunities for other types of engagement.

Highlights

Considerable efforts have been made to get students to use information technology for educational purposes
The results suggest that there is a strong positive relationship between using information technology for educational purposes and other effective educational practices such as active and collaborative learning and studentfaculty interaction
The results of this study suggest that using information technology for educational purposes is linked to how today’s college students engage in effective educational practices more generally

Summary

Introduction

Considerable efforts have been made to get students to use information technology for educational purposes. On college campuses across the country, students, faculty, and administrators are using computers, the internet, and other forms of information technology for various educational purposes. The few studies on general college populations (i.e., not at the classroom-level) indicate that student use of information technology positively affects a variety of outcomes such as student self-reported gains in general education, personal development, and intellectual development (Hu & Kuh, 2001; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Kuh & Vesper, 2001). The researchers conjectured that the mixed findings may be associated with students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds being advantaged in terms of information technology use (Gladieux & Swail, 1999). Those with higher ability levels (Dillon & Gabbard, 1998) and those attending institutions that are more “wired” (Hu & Kuh, 2001) are more likely to use and benefit from information technology

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion