Undergraduate Student Survey 

Executive Summary

A random sample of 301 undergraduate students was surveyed about information technology at the university. Ninety-two per cent (92%) of the sample rated themselves as average to expert computer users. Sixty per cent (60%) indicated they were somewhat familiar or very familiar with information technology resources at OSU. The overall level of undergraduate satisfaction was quite high (93%), as was confidence in the university's ability to meet their technology needs (83%). With respect to helpfulness and responsiveness of technology support services staff, only 3% of the respondents were somewhat dissatisfied and none strongly dissatisfied. Responses to open-ended questions do not point to the need for significant improvements. However, some students report inconvenience associated with central OSU e-mail, even though satisfaction ratings are high. Further, "do not know" and "do not use" responses, along with student comments, suggest a need for greater educational efforts about the availability and use of information technology at the university.

Undergraduate Student Survey Results

A series of questions pertained to undergraduate student satisfaction with specific information technology areas and services. Satisfaction ratings are summarized in the following table:

While undergraduate student usage patterns vary considerably, the overall satisfaction picture is positive.

With respect to Software to Go, an open-ended question attempted to solicit suggestions for adding software to this service. Responses were too few and too disparate to summarize.

Central OSU e-mail (osu.edu) has a high usage level (96%) and satisfaction is quite high with only five students neutral, 15 somewhat unsatisfied, and six very dissatisfied. An open-ended question asked why students use non-OSU e-mail (e.g., Hotmail or AOL). The most frequently cited reason (N = over 80) was that the student had the account prior to enrolling at OSU. The second most frequently cited reason had to do with ease of access to non-OSU accounts (e.g., "can check anywhere", "don't have to use a disk"). Some students report forwarding their OSU e-mail to non-OSU accounts. Other reasons for maintaining non-OSU accounts were much less frequent and included a preference for separating university and personal mail (including junk mail), web services associated with other accounts, instant messaging capability, and dislike for or problems with OSU e-mail. When satisfaction levels for OSU e-mail and non-OSU e-mail are compared, the patterns are similar.

A series of questions asked about the frequency with which students used various applications in their work at the university. Their responses are listed below, in order of decreasing frequency:

Note: Percentages across rows do not add up to 100% due to "not familiar" and "do not know" responses.

An open-ended question about usage of applications other than those listed above did not produce many responses nor a uniform picture. MATLAB was reported most frequently (N = 10).

Two hundred fifty-two students responded to an open-ended question about how they would describe information technology at OSU to a student at another university. The descriptions given were overwhelmingly positive. Students emphasized such factors as ease of access, availability of labs, the up-to-date nature of the technology, helpfulness of staff, system speed, and a variety of resources. Negative responses, while relatively few in number, pertained to problems with OSU e-mail, outdated equipment, or general references to "being behind" or needing improvement.

Students were also asked to imagine talking to that same student from another university three years from now and to describe what they would like to be able to tell that student. The majority of responses (total N = 229) referred to the ability to say that information technology continued to improve or advance or be of benchmark quality, that it was very up-to-date and that access and services were even more convenient. A less powerful but significant theme was that the respondents wanted to be able to say that they had no problems with information technology and that it helped them complete their degrees. The development of remote access to e-mail was mentioned by several respondents as well as a desire for wireless connectivity.

A smaller number (N = 122) of students responded to an open-ended question about needed enhancements to the current OSU technology environment. The most frequent (N = over 20) suggestion pertained to having more computer labs and more computers available. Faster connectivity and educational efforts aimed at informing students about and how to use technology resources (both Ns over 10) were the next most frequent suggestions. Respondents also suggested keeping hardware and software up-to-date, and that technology be integrated into the classroom. A small number (N = 3) suggested wireless connectivity.

Of the 301 students comprising the undergraduate sample, 44% rated their experience as a computer user as average, whereas 48% rated themselves either above average or expert. Further, 60% indicated they were either very familiar or somewhat familiar with information technology resources at the university. 29% reported they were somewhat unfamiliar or very unfamiliar with these resources.

When asked about the helpfulness and responsiveness of information technology support services staff, 63% of the respondents were strongly or somewhat satisfied, 32% neutral, and 3% somewhat dissatisfied. No strongly dissatisfied responses were observed. Likewise, 83% of the sample were satisfied with the university's ability to meet their technology needs, 14% were neutral, 1% dissatisfied and none strongly dissatisfied.

The overall level of satisfaction with information technology services at the university was quite high (93%), with less than 2% noting some dissatisfaction and none strongly dissatisfied.

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