In 2020, ECAR conducted its latest annual study of undergraduate students and information technology to shed light on how IT affects the college/university experience. These studies have relied on students recruited from the enrollment of institutions that volunteer to participate in the project. After institutions secured local approval to participate in the 2020 study (e.g., successfully navigating the IRB process) and submitted sampling plan information, they received a link to the current year's survey. An institutional representative then sent the survey link to students in the institution's sample. Data were collected between January 14, 2020, and June 1, 2020, and 30,736 students from 102 institutional sites responded to the survey. For reporting purposes, we used only data from the 16,162 surveys that were completed by students from US institutions before the announcement of the global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The dataset to produce this report is based on responses from 16,162 students from 71 institutions (see tables M1 and M2). ECAR issued $50 or $100 Amazon.com gift cards to 39 randomly selected student respondents who opted in to an opportunity drawing offered as an incentive to participate in the survey. Colleges and universities use data from the EDUCAUSE Technology Research in the Academic Community (ETRAC) student and faculty surveys to develop and support their strategic objectives for educational technology. With ETRAC data, institutions can understand and benchmark what students and faculty need and expect from technology. There is no cost to participate. Campuses will have access to all research publications, the aggregate-level summary/benchmarking report, and the institution's raw (anonymous) response data.

Responses were neither sampled nor weighted. Comparisons by student type and institution type are included in the findings when there are meaningful differences, and all statements of significance are at the 0.001 level unless otherwise noted. Findings from past ECAR studies are also included, where applicable, to characterize longitudinal trends.

The work that goes into producing the ETRAC reports each year is considerable. From planning through publication, the process takes nearly 15 months and would not be possible without the insight, cooperation, and support of various stakeholders in higher education. In this space, we pause to acknowledge the contributions of those who have made the 2020 student study possible.

First, we would like to thank the 30,736 undergraduate students who completed the 2020 survey, giving us the precious data we need to conduct our analyses. Second, we thank the student survey administrators whose behind-the-scenes collaborative efforts to secure approval to administer the survey, to create the sampling plans, and to distribute the survey links to the populations are mission-critical to this project. Third, we thank by name the individuals who contributed their experience, knowledge, and time as subject-matter experts and whose feedback, comments, and suggestions throughout the life cycle of this project improved the quality of this report immensely. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Lee Skallerup Bessette, Learning Design Specialist, Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Georgetown University
• Susan Bouregy, Chief Privacy Officer, Yale University
• John Murphy, Teaching and Learning Technologies Manager, University of Wisconsin–River Falls
• Svetla Sytch, Assistant Director of Privacy and IT Policy, University of Michigan
• Sasha Thackaberry, Vice President of Online and Continuing Education, Louisiana State University
• Thomas Tobin, Program Area Director, Distance Teaching & Learning, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Jeremy Van Hof, Director of Learning Technology and Development, Michigan State University
• George Veletsianos, Professor, School of Education and Technology, Royal Roads University

Finally, we want to acknowledge our current and former EDUCAUSE colleagues for their contributions to these reports. Special thanks go to colleagues who offered their subject-matter expertise in multiple reviews of these reports: Malcolm Brown, Brian Kelly, and Kathe Pelletier. Considerable thanks go to Ben Shulman, whose attention to detail is surpassed only by his statistical acumen and whose contributions to making sure that our analyses are appropriate and accurate are invaluable. Thanks are also due to Susan Grajek and Mark McCormack for their careful reviews, insight, and advice in finalizing the report. We also want to thank Kate Roesch for her data visualization and for creating figures that none of us could conceive or execute without her expertise; she renders our data and messages more accessible, vibrant, and impactful. Thank you to Leah Lang, who manages the ETRAC service and portal, for her commitment to providing a user-friendly experience for participants and ensuring that institutional participation remains high each year. Alison Smith made our data dreams come true with expert facilitation of content creation, and Thomas Rosa administered the survey, cleaned and investigated copious amounts of data, and contributed to the methodology section of the report. We owe a debt of gratitude to Gregory Dobbin and the publications team for their attention to detail, command of the written word, and guidance during the editorial process. Finally, many thanks to Connie Ferger and her marketing colleagues for helping us to shape and broadcast the message, and making our work available to the wider world.