The Notebook Computing Experience among University Students

Abstract

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that university students are self-reporting experiencing musculoskeletal discomfort with computer use similar to levels reported by adult workers. This study investigated how university students use notebook computers. Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Each condition included participants completing baseline and poststudy a health and comfort survey and ergonomics quiz. Computer usage software was installed on participants' notebook computer and all received participatory ergonomics training and external notebook accessories, e.g. keyboard and mouse. Participants in experimental conditions received an external notebook riser, an ergonomic computer workstation chair or an external desktop display. Each participant was loaned a personal digital assistant (PDA), which contained a 45-question survey. The PDA randomly “beeped” 7 times in a 24-hour day for the participants to complete a survey. The use of the repeated measure survey was part of the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method. Over the duration of the study (3 months) participants met with researchers and completed a weekly visual analog comfort scale where they rated their workstation comfort. Notebook accessories, e.g., external mouse, external keyboard, notebook riser; an ergonomic chair; and participatory ergonomics training appear to contribute to a trend of decreased self-reported notebook computer-related musculoskeletal discomfort in specific areas of the body of participants. Based on the study's results, a university-wide notebook computing education plan was initiated.