Transcript Student Experiences with Information Technology and their

Student Experiences with
Information Technology and
their Relationship to Other
Aspects of Student Engagement
Thomas F. Nelson Laird and George D. Kuh
Indiana University
Center for Postsecondary Research
Purpose
Expand our understanding of the relationships
between student uses of information technology
and several indicators of student engagement in
educationally effective practices
Data Source
 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
 2003 administration
 Annual survey of college students at four-year
institutions that measures students’ participation
in educational experiences that prior research has
connected to valued outcomes
 In 2003, NSSE tested items on information
technology with those students who took the
survey online
Sample
Over 60,000 students from over 420 four-year institutions
 60% female
 74% are white
 56% are first-year students
 5% African American
 16% transfer students
 6% Asian
 72% live on campus
 4% Hispanic
 94% are full-time students
 1% Native American
 11% other racial/ethnic background
Compared to paper completers, web completers are more likely to be…
 Male
 Living on campus
 White or Asian American
 Students with higher parental education
 Younger
 Transfer students
 Full-time
 Engaged
Measures
 Information Technology Items
 5 Engagement Scales
 Academic challenge ( = 0.71)
 Active & collaborative learning ( = 0.63)
 Student-faculty interaction ( = 0.76)
 Enriching educational experiences ( = 0.56)
 Supportive campus environment ( = 0.76)
 Items from question 1 on the core survey
Information Technology Items
 How often do your instructors require you to use information
technology (WWW, internet, computer conferencing, online testing,
multimedia, etc.), other than word processing, to complete course
assignments?
 Used computer and information technology when making class
presentations?
 Communicated with classmates online to complete academic work?
 Worked in teams during class using information technology?
 Worked in teams outside of class using information technology to
complete course assignments?
 Used email to ask an instructor to clarify an assignment?
Information Technology Items
 Expressed ideas to a professor via email that you did not feel
comfortable saying in class?
 Used your institution’s library website to obtain resources for your
academic work?
 Used another library (local library, another institution’s library)
website to obtain resources for your academic work?
 Used the WWW to obtain resources for your academic work?
 Made judgments about the quality of information you find on the
WWW for use in your academic work?
 How often do your instructors use information technology in the
classroom?
Analyses
 Track 1
 Descriptive comparisons at the item-level
 Construction of an engagement with IT scale
 Partial correlations between IT scale and 5
engagement scales
 Track 2
 Factor analysis with IT and core survey items
Descriptive Results
Variable
Instructors frequently (often or very often) require you to use information technology
Frequently used computer and information technology when making presentations
Frequently communicated with classmates online to complete academic work
Frequently worked in teams during class using information technology
Frequently worked in teams outside of class using information technology
Frequently used email to ask an instructor to clarify an assignment
Frequently used your institution’s library website to obtain resources
Frequently used the WWW to obtain resources for your academic work
Frequently made judgments about the quality of information you find on the WWW
Instructors frequently use information technology in the classroom
First-Year
Students
Seniors
78%
56%
51%
31%
41%
58%
55%
80%
71%
65%
81%
75%
58%
36%
58%
79%
64%
86%
79%
69%
Descriptive Results (cont.)
 Technology and higher order thinking
 Of those students who frequently communicated
with classmates online, 84% said courses regularly
emphasized applying theories or concepts
(compared to 70%)
 Instructors use/assignment of IT and group work
 Of those students who report that their faculty
frequently use information technology in class,
59% indicate that they frequently work in groups
outside of class (compared to 41%)
Information Technology Scale
Three
F2
Abbreviated Item wording
Teams outside class
Teams during class
Instructors use IT in the classroom
Communicated with classmates online
Instructors require use
Used IT for class presentations
Used another library website
Expressed ideas to a professor
Used your institution's library website
Used email to ask an instructor
Made quality judgments about WWW
Used the WWW to obtain resources
F1
0.77
0.76
0.69
0.68
0.67
0.67
0.34
0.73
0.66
0.62
0.53
% var. explained
Cronbach’s alpha
36.21
0.82
10.96
0.63
Factor Solutions
Two
F3
F1
F2
0.81
0.80
0.69
0.72
0.67
0.69
0.63
0.31
0.34
0.36
0.76
0.40
0.38
0.81
0.71
0.79
0.60
One
F1
0.74
0.67
0.58
0.71
0.64
0.67
0.38
0.54
0.41
0.66
0.53
0.57
9.46
0.72
36.21
0.83
36.21
0.83
10.96
0.63
Partial Correlations
Scales
1. Engagement with IT
2. Engagement with IT-Short
3. Academic Challenge
4. Active & Collaborative Learning
5. Student-Faculty Interaction
6. Enriching Educational Experiences
7. Supportive Campus Environment
1
1.00
0.86
0.42
0.47
0.42
0.33
0.31
2
3
1.00
0.33
0.45
0.32
0.26
0.27
1.00
0.47
0.46
0.38
0.34
4
5
6
1.00
0.54 1.00
0.42 0.48 1.00
0.32 0.39 0.31
Note: Partial correlations calculated controlling for gender, race, age, parents' education, class
(first-year or senior), transfer status, living on campus, social fraternity/sorority membership,
participation in athletics, full-time/part-time status, and major.
Factor Analysis with
Technology and Core Survey Items
 In both analyses, four factor solution preferred
 Factors:
 F1: Student-faculty interaction
 F2: Collaborative learning
 F3: Diverse interactions
 F4: Academic Effort
 Same factors as in analyses done in past years
Factor Analysis with
Technology and Core Survey Items
Analysis on Q1
Abbreviated Item wording
F1
F2
F3
F4
Other students on projects during class
0.73
Classmates outside of class
0.70
Made a class presentation
0.54
Used an electronic medium
0.49
Put together ideas or concepts
0.39
Used e-mail to communicate
0.34 0.34
Technology Items
Used IT when making presentations
Variables not included in
Communicated with classmates online
this analysis
Teams during class
Teams outside class
% var. explained 26.2 6.87 6.01 5.64
Cronbach's alpha 0.78 0.65 0.70 0.57
Analysis with Tech Items
F1
F2
0.40
0.57
0.32
0.45
F3
F4
0.34
0.34 0.30
25.3
0.84
0.71
0.76
0.79
0.85
8.26 5.71 5.00
0.79 0.79 0.62
Implications
 Engaging IT for academic purposes is effective
educational practice
 Measurement question: Do student uses of IT
constitute a separate form of engagement, an
avenue to existing forms of engagement, or
both?
 Measurement challenge: Can measures of
student engagement be improved by tapping
student uses of information technology?
For More Information
 Email: [email protected]
 NSSE website: http://www.iub.edu/~nsse
Copies of the paper and presentation as well as
other papers and presentations are available
through the website