As part of an ongoing effort to understand and meet the needs of our clients, Computer Lab Management conducted a student survey on April 6, 2002. The survey was sent to 1000 students who used the computer classrooms during the Winter 2002 quarter. There were 220 respondents. There were several items that were revealed in this survey. These include the following:

• Only 10 percent of the respondents do not own a printer
• Students user the computer rooms primarily for web access and printing documents 
• Over 97 percent of the students who use our facilities own computers 
• Students will predominantly utilize the next available computer regardless of the operating system 
• Over 50 percent of the student respondents primarily use either Geckomail or Outlook for email 
• Students who use our facilities for an assigned class will also use our facilities for drop-in access

The details from the survey are listed below.

Computer Lab Management is constantly trying to refine and improve the
campus computer rooms.  We would like your input to determine what changes
you feel would improve our services.

  Your name was selected by a random sample of all computer room users
from last quarter.  As a result, your responses to this survey represent
many users.  Please reply to this survey so that your views will be
properly represented.

  The survey contains ten questions which are listed below.  To answer
the survey, reply to this message and mark your answers to the questions
below by putting an "x" or text, as appropriate, between the square
brackets provided (eg. [x]). Since a program will automatically tally your
responses for later analysis, please keep your responses between the
square brackets provided. 

Thank you for your time and input.

                        Tim Leamy
                        Computer Lab Management
                        Classroom Technology Services                   
                        tcleamy@ucdavis.edu

*****  Computer Room Survey *****

1. Class Standing: [] Freshman   [] Sophomore   [] Junior    [] Senior
                   [] Masters candidate         [] PhD candidate
                   [] Professional School                       

2. Why do you use the computer rooms (please mark all that apply)
  [] Don't own a computer
  [] Need to access the WWW (Netscape and Internet Explorer)
  [] Need to check/reply to email
  [] Need to print documents created at home
  [] Need to print documents from the web
  [] Need to print documents created on campus computers
  [] Need to access specialized software which is not on home computer
[] Need to access to special hardware (scanners, video editors, etc.)
  [] Campus computer have faster access to the network
  [] Campus computers are more convenient than mine
  [] Campus computers work better than mine
  [] Class meets in a computer room
  [] To access student information (RSVP, grades, financial aid info,
     classes enrolled)
  [] Other (please describe): []

3.  Do you own a computer?
  [] Yes
  [] No   (If NO please skip to question #6.)

4.  If you own a computer please answer the following:  (If you own more
than one computer please respond for the one you use most often.)

  Type:      [] Desktop     [] Laptop

  Platform:  [] Macintosh   [] PC/IBM compatible
             [] Other       [] Don't know

  Operating System: (if use multiple select primary one)
             [] Mac OS 7      [] Mac OS 8       [] Mac OS 9
             [] Mac OS X
             [] Windows 95    [] Windows 98     [] Windows NT
             [] Windows 2000  [] Windows ME     [] Windows XP
             [] Linux         [] Other Unix
             [] Other           

  Printer:   [] None        [] Dot Matrix          [] Ink Jet
             [] Laser       [] Other
             [] Don't Know

  Does it have a DVD-ROM:   [] Yes   [] No   [] Don't know    

  Does it have a CD-ROM:    [] Yes   [] No   [] Don't know    

  Does it have a Zip drive: [] Yes   [] No   [] Don't know

5. If you are waiting for a computer in a lab, and one of the other type is
available (ie.  You own a PC but a Mac is available) would you:
 [] Use the available computer
 [] Wait until the type you own is available

6.  What email programs do you use? (Mark all that apply)
 [] myUCDavis (my.ucdavis.edu)
 [] Geckomail (geckomail.ucdavis.edu)
 [] ISUN/pine
 [] Eudora
 [] Outlook
 [] Entourage
 [] Other - please identify [  ]

7.  Which email program do you use the most? (Mark only one)
 [] myUCDavis (my.ucdavis.edu)
 [] Geckomail (geckomail.ucdavis.edu)
 [] ISUN/pine
 [] Eudora
 [] Outlook
 [] Entourage
 [] Other - please identify [  ]

8.  When do you most often use the computer rooms
  [] 8 AM to 10 AM
  [] 10 AM to 2 PM
  [] 2 PM to 5 PM
  [] 5 PM to 7 PM
  [] After 7 PM

9.  Do you primarily use the computer rooms
  [] In-between classes on a casual, drop in basis
  [] During a time when you planned to do work in the campus computer lab
  [] During scheduled class time held at a computer classroom

10.  When you do go to a computer room on a drop in basis, how long do you
typically have to wait for an open computer?
  [] Not at all
  [] Less than 5 minutes
[] 5 to 10 minutes
  [] 10 to 15 minutes
  [] 15 to 30 minutes
  [] Over 30 minutes

Thank you for your time and input.

1. Class Standing

2. Why did you use the computer rooms?

3. Do you own a computer? 

4. Of those who own a computer:
Percentages are of those who own a computer, not total respondents.

Type
Desktop	162	75.3%
Notebook	50	23.3

 

Platform
PC/IBM compatible	198	92.1%
Macintosh	6	2.8%
Other	4	1.9%
Don't Know	3	1.4%

 

Operating System
Mac OS 7	1	0.5%
Mac OS 8	2	0.9%
Mac OS 9	2	0.9%
Mac OS X	0	0.0%
Windows 95	9	4.2%
Windows 98	93	43.3%
Windows NT	3	1.4%
Windows 2000	38	17.7%
Windows ME	36	16.7%
Windows XP	25	11.6%
Linux	5	2.3%
Other Unix	0	0.0%
Other	2	0.9%

 

Printer
Ink Jet	154	71.6%
Laser	24	11.2%
None	22	10.2%
Don't know	8	3.7%
Other	6	2.8%
Dot Matrix	1	0.5%

 

DVD-ROM
Yes	89	41.4%
No	123	57.2%
Don't Know	2	0.9%

 

CD-ROM
Yes	207	96.3%
No	8	3.7%
Don't Know	0	0.0%

 

Zip drive
Yes	54	25.1%
No	141	65.6%
Don't Know	19	8.8%

 

5.  Would you use a computer of a different type or wait?

6. What email programs do you use?

Other reported programs were hotmail(31), yahoo(15), AOL(11), Netscape(6), campusi.com(2), Juno, and www.bboy.com.

7. Which email program do you use the most?

	Number	Percentage
myUCDavis	14	6.4%
Geckomail	74	33.6%
ISUN/Pine	8	3.6%
Eudora	24	10.9%
Outlook	58	26.4%
Entourage	0	0.0%
Other	33	15.0%

8.  When do you most often use the computer rooms?

	Number	Percentage
8-10AM	16	7.3%
10AM-2PM	84	38.2%
2-5PM	72	32.7%
5-7PM	16	7.3%
After 7PM	27	12.3%

 

9. Primarily use the computer rooms ...

10. How long do you wait in line?

The top reasons why students use the computer rooms are to print items from the web (66.8%), access email (56.8%), and print files created at home (48.6%).  We changed categories from the last survey but these are in line with the top reasons for the last four student surveys (printing and network access).

The percentage of students who own a computer continued to rise to  97.7%.  This is up from 69% in Winter 1997, 74% in Winter 1998, 78.0% in Spring 1999, 85.3% in Winter 2000, and 91.2% in Winter 2001.
Macintosh ownership among students continues to remain low, from a high of 22.2% in Winter 1997.
Laptop ownership increased slightly to 23%  (it was 16-18% for past three surveys).
Ink Jets remain the most popular printers, which 71.6% of computer owners having one.
CD-ROMs are installed on almost all computers. DVD-ROMs have come on strong as they are installed on 41.4% of the computers. Zip drive ownership has remained fairly low, so they cannot be seen as a floppy replacement.

Web based email seems very popular with students.  A number of students are still using external web-based mail even though Geckomail is now available.

Extended Analysis using correlations

Most of the correlations found from this survey are common sense, but there are several highly correlated variables that deserve attention.

There is a very high correlation between users who use the campus computers to access the web and those who use them for email (0.613) and for accessing student information such as RSVP and financial aid information (0.589). Between accessing student information and using email there is a correlation of 0.563. However, when those three categories are grouped, we find no evidence of correlation between the combined variable and any other variables in the survey. This suggests that there is a large group of students who use the labs for most of their main functions-convenience in checking email and student information, printing documents created at home and on campus as well as accessed from the web, and in general utilizing the fast network and relatively fast and powerful high-quality computers available on campus.

There is a significant correlation (0.371) between use of the labs because of faster network and for better overall computers, possibly meaning that many students do not have top-of-the-line computers or are not connected at home by a high-speed network. There are also very high correlations between valuation of web access (0.492) and email (0.557) and valuation of the combined variable of high-speed network, convenience of campus computers, and better overall computers than those at home.

Not surprisingly, there is a high correlation between students who use the labs and those who use the labs for classes (0.508, with 95% confidence). It is possible that usage and awareness of the labs is driven by assignment of classes within them.

There does not seem to be any major significance between class standing and reason for use of the labs; however, class standing does seem to be correlated with the use of the email client Eudora (0.200 at 95% confidence), and negatively with the use of zip drives (-0.162 at 90% confidence). This suggests that Eudora will be obsolete within a few years, and that use of zip drives will increase as older students leave the campus. Class standing is also negatively (weakly) correlated with the use of the Windows operating system (-0.163), meaning that as new students enter they use Windows with slightly more frequency than the outgoing class.

Zip drives are becoming increasingly popular with the younger classes, and the ownership of zip drives decreases with increasing class standing (-0.237).

Users of hotmail, yahoo, and other web-based email clients tend to use Geckomail much less, and Eudora and Outlook not at all.

There does not appear to be a significant correlation between operating system used at home and using the lab for software and hardware; this implies that any platform-specific media is generally used only on campus.

A negative correlation between use of the Windows operating system and network speed (-0.148) shows that MacOS users care less about network speed than Windows users.

There is a significant but relatively weak correlation (0.168) between the use of a DVD-ROM at home and those who value network speed on campus. Those who value network speed on campus also tend not to own a printer (-0.161) and to use a Macintosh operating system at home.

Detailed Email Usage Results

When each of the individual class groups is correlated against each individual email, each group tends to behave essentially identically in relation to each email program. See table 1.

There is a significant correlation between class standing and type of email program used: a group composed of seniors, Master's and Ph. D. candidates, and professional students clearly uses the Eudora and Outlook programs (0.176), and tends to stay away from web-based email such as Geckomail, MyUCDavis, and non-UCD servers (-0.233). The freshman-sophomore combined group showed no significant correlations, but the junior group's correlations had opposite signs from the older group. Juniors tend not to use Eudora and Outlook (0.164), but tend to use web-based email (0.179) instead. There are no significant correlations associated with ISUN/pine.

• Student Survey #1 (Winter 2002)
• Student Survey #3 (Winter 2002)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2001)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 2001)
• Student Survey (Winter 2001)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 2000)
• Duplex Printing Survey (Summer 2000)
• Student Survey (Spring 2000)
• Student Survey (Winter 2000)
• Faculty Survey (Fall 1999)
• Faculty Survey (Spring 1999)
• Student Survey (Spring 1999)
• Student Survey (Fall 1998)
• Faculty Survey (Winter 1998)
• Student Survey (Winter 1998)
• Student Survey (Winter 1997)
• ASUCD Student Computer Survey (Winter 1997)

Comments: tcleamy@ucdavis.edu URL: http://lm.ucdavis.edu/pubs/survey/student_w02-2.html Last reviewed: Thu, 18-Jul-2002 Last updated: July 12, 2002