Fall 2020 EDUCAUSE Student Survey

Welcome and Informed Consent

Study Description 

This survey asks questions about your experiences with and attitudes toward technology as a college student. Your responses will help staff and faculty at your school and other schools understand how to use technology more effectively to benefit students. There are no right or wrong answers. We would just like you to answer as honestly as you can. Participation in the survey is completely voluntary. You can choose to exit the survey at any point. Your responses are anonymous. Required questions are indicated with an asterisk (*).

This survey is expected to take about 15 minutes to complete. The survey can be completed on your mobile device, but you may have the best survey response experience using a desktop or laptop computer. Please use the survey's navigation buttons below to go backward or forward within the survey. Using your device or browser's navigation buttons might result in lost answers.

Conditions and Stipulations

1. This online survey is being conducted for research purposes. The data resulting from this anonymous survey will be made available to researchers at EDUCAUSE and to your academic institution. You cannot be identified by your non-written survey responses. Data will be available as individual responses and in aggregate formats. Data will be available to the general public in the form of public presentations, reports, journal or newspaper articles, and/or in books.
2. Your responses to this survey are collected anonymously. IP addresses and other personally identifiable data are not collected. Due to this method of data collection researchers are unable to remove your survey response should you wish to withdraw it.
3. You cannot be identified by your non-written survey responses. There are several open-ended questions in this survey. It is best not to include personally identifiable information in these responses. Any personally identifying, non-anonymous responses you provide will be removed the data set before the researchers analyze results. The researchers will not be able to identify you.
4. The online survey involves questions about your IT experiences and expectations in higher education. Beyond demographics, all questions will only address IT-related issues.
5. This survey is expected to take 5–15 minutes to complete. Taking the research survey is voluntary. If you do not wish to participate, there will be no penalty or loss of benefits. If you do not participate, it will not affect your college/university status in any way. If you choose, you may stop your participation at any time. If you choose to participate, you may skip any question you do not wish to answer, with the exception of a few required screening questions at the beginning of the survey.
6. If you have any questions about the research survey and your rights as a participant, you can contact the research team through [email protected]. You will not directly benefit from taking the survey. Your responses will provide data to inform higher education institutions on how to best improve IT experiences for students and faculty at colleges and universities.
7. EDUCAUSE owns and maintains the data collected for the project. De-identified individual response data are stored on EDUCAUSE computers and/or in cloud-based storage systems. The data are stored indefinitely for use in analysis and benchmarking. Data are password-protected and accessible only by authorized individuals.
8. By selecting "I agree" below, you are agreeing to participate in the research study, according to your rights as a voluntary research participant, as outlined above, and you provide consent to EDUCAUSE to use your survey responses as outlined above. (If you are viewing this on a mobile device, this option will appear on the next page. Please use the arrow to advance.)

You must be an adult (at least 18 years old, in most jurisdictions) and a full-time or part-time undergraduate student to participate in this survey. Indicate your agreement with the informed consent statement below.*

( ) I agree.

( ) I do not agree.

If you choose this option, you will exit the survey.

Screening Questions

0.1 What is your age?*

_________________________________________________

0.2 Which of the following best describes your class standing during the current academic year?*

( ) Freshman or first-year student

( ) Sophomore or second-year student

( ) Junior or third-year student

( ) Senior or fourth-year student

( ) Fifth-year student or beyond

( ) Other type of undergraduate student

( ) Not an undergraduate student (Please note, only undergraduate students are eligible to take this survey.)

Section 1: Connectivity

1.1a Do you have internet access in your home or primary place of residence?

( ) No

( ) Yes

1.1b Is the internet access in your home or primary place of residence reliable enough to meet most or all of your internet needs as a student?

( ) No

( ) Yes

1.1c What is the primary type of internet connection that you have access to in your home or primary place of residence?

( ) I have internet, but I don't know what type.

( ) I have a dial-up modem over a phone line.

( ) I have a digital subscriber line (DSL) over a phone line.

( ) I have commercial or community internet service provider over cable or fiber (e.g., Comcast, ATT uVerse, FIOS, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Frontier).

( ) I have a satellite internet service provider (Viasat, HughesNet).

( ) I use my cellular phone to connect to the internet.

( ) I have a cellular hotspot to connect to the internet.

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

1.2a How frequently do you struggle to find an internet connection that is adequate to meet all of your needs as a student?

( ) Never

( ) Rarely

( ) Sometimes

( ) Very often

( ) Always

1.2b Where do you most typically go when you are struggling to find a good internet connection for your work as a student?

( ) My home or primary place of residence

( ) A public space on campus (e.g., school library, student center)

( ) A public space off-campus (e.g., public library, public park)

( ) A commercial business (e.g., coffee shop, restaurant, bookstore)

( ) A friend's house

( ) A family member's house

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

1.2c We'd love for you to share your story about a recent experience you had trying to find a good internet connection - Were you successful in getting a better connection? Where did you go to find a better connection? How did this experience affect your feelings about being a student, if at all?

____________________________________________

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1.3 In what ways have you found your campus's technology support to be helpful in resolving any of your internet connection issues? In what ways could campus technology support be more helpful?

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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1.4 Do you have easy access to a reliable device (e.g., computer, tablet, phone) that meets most or all of your device needs as a student?

( ) No

( ) Yes, primarily a desktop computer (Windows, Apple, or other operating system)

( ) Yes, primarily a laptop (Apple, Windows, Chromebook)

( ) Yes, primarily a tablet

( ) Yes, primarily a smart/cell phone

( ) Yes, primarily another device: _________________________________________________

1.5a Thinking back over the past week, which of the following have you personally experienced? Please select all that apply.

[ ] I couldn't access my primary device when I needed it because I had to share it with a family member or friend.

[ ] My primary device wasn't equipped to perform a task I needed it to perform for a course.

[ ] I missed a project or assignment deadline because I couldn't access my primary device or my primary device wouldn't work.

[ ] I missed attending a remote class session because I couldn't access my primary device or my primary device wouldn't work.

[ ] My primary device malfunctioned or was broken and required repair, support, or replacement.

[ ] Other device issue, please specify: _________________________________________________

[ ] I haven't experienced any device issues over the past week.

1.5b We'd love for you to share your story about the recent device issue you encountered. What was your device issue, and how did you resolve it? How did this experience affect your feelings about being a student, if at all?

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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1.6 When device issues occur, which of the following is your most typical approach to resolving those issues?

( ) I contact IT/tech support at my institution

( ) I contact the manufacturer's tech support

( ) I try to resolve the issue myself

( ) I go to a friend or family member to resolve the issue

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

1.7 In what ways have you found your campus's technology support to be helpful in resolving any of your device issues? In what ways could they be more helpful?

____________________________________________

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Section 2: Experiences Learning with Technology

Depending on your institution's selections, some sections may be skipped.

For the following questions, please provide answers based on one for-credit course you are currently taking in fall 2020 in which you feel you are learning the most. In other words, you feel that this course is helping you make the biggest gains in knowledge or skills, as compared to the other courses you are taking this semester.

2.1 In what type of learning environment is this course being taught?

( ) One that is completely face-to-face

( ) One that is a hybrid or blend of face-to-face and online

( ) One that is completely online

( ) One that gives students the choice of online or face-to-face (e.g., HyFlex, multi-access)

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

2.2 In what type of modality is this course being taught?

( ) Completely synchronous (e.g., live, real time)

( ) One that is partially synchronous and partially asynchronous

( ) Completely asynchronous (e.g., recorded, not real-time, on-demand)

( ) One that gives students the choice of synchronous or asynchronous

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

2.3 Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about your instructor for this course:

2.4 Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about the organizational and design features of this course:

2.5 Please provide an example of the most effective use of technology you have experienced in this course.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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2.6 Please provide an example of the least effective use of technology you have experienced in this course.

____________________________________________

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Section 3: Digital Instructional Materials

Depending on your institution's selections, some sections may be skipped.

In this section, we ask about your experience using digital instructional materials in your courses. These are the materials, both print and digital, that you are using in your courses.

3.1a What types of instructional materials are faculty assigning for use or requiring use of in your classes this term? Please select all that apply.

[ ] Print textbooks

[ ] E-textbooks

[ ] Courseware (digital platform that includes content and assignments) Examples include Pearson MyLab, McGraw-Hill Connect, and WileyPLUS. Courseware can be a replacement for your textbook and other printed course materials. Courseware is not your LMS (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Sakai, Moodle, Schoology) or YouTube.

[ ] Online study tools (e.g., Chegg, CourseHero)

[ ] None of the above

3.1b What features of courseware improve your ability to learn? Please select all that apply.

[ ] There are frequent quizzes to make sure I am learning the content.

[ ] I can choose what content areas I want to focus more on.

[ ] I can chat, message, and otherwise engage with my peers and instructors within the software.

[ ] When I get an answer wrong the software automatically reviews the material with me.

[ ] The software sends me a message when I have a new assignment or grade.

[ ] The interface is easy to navigate.

[ ] Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

[ ] None of the above

3.1c Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about the use of courseware in your classes:

3.2 How do you typically access your course materials (e.g., textbooks, workbooks, online platforms)? Please select all that apply.

[ ] Purchase new

[ ] Purchase used

[ ] Rent

[ ] Borrow from the library or friends

[ ] Download for free

[ ] Provided to me through my course fees

[ ] Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

[ ] None of the above

3.3 How soon do you typically have access to your course materials after the start of the course?

( ) On the first day

( ) During the first week

( ) Before the midterm exam

( ) Before the final exam

( ) Not at all (typically do not have access to the materials)

3.4 Have you purchased a study aid or tool this term (e.g., Chegg, CourseHero)?

( ) No

( ) Yes

Open-Ended Response Sharing

May we share the open-ended, written responses you provided throughout this survey with your institution?

If you have included information in your written responses that could identify you, we suggest choosing "No."

( ) No

( ) Yes

Section 4: Demographic Questions

(In this section, question numbers may be missing as only the questions that apply to you will appear.)

4.1 Are you currently considered a full-time or part-time student at the institution that asked you to complete this survey? (Part time is typically fewer than 12 credit hours per quarter/semester or their equivalent.)

( ) Part time

( ) Full time

4.2a What is your housing situation?

( ) I live on campus.

( ) I live off campus in housing sponsored or owned by my college/university.

( ) I live off campus in housing not sponsored or owned by my college/university.

( ) My housing situation is unstable.

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.2b. Are you living off-campus because of pandemic-related events?

( ) No, I always planned to live off- campus or am living off-campus due to other circumstances.

( ) Yes, I was planning to live on campus, but the dorms never opened.

( ) Yes, I was planning to live on campus, but the dorms closed before I moved in.

( ) Yes, I was already living on campus, but the dorms were closed after the semester began.

( ) Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.2c In what way(s) is your housing situation unstable? Please select all that apply.

[ ] Campus housing might close due to the pandemic.

[ ] There is uncertainty in rental housing due to the pandemic.

[ ] There is uncertainty in my roommate situation due to the pandemic.

[ ] I am experiencing transience (i.e., I have a place to stay, but it is only temporary).

[ ] I am experiencing homelessness.

[ ] Other, please specify: _________________________________________________

[ ] Prefer not to answer

4.3 Are you the first person in your immediate family to attend college?
Immediate family refers to the family with whom you grew up.

( ) No

( ) Yes

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.4 Are you eligible for Pell Grants? (Pell Grants provide grant assistance to eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need to help meet education expenses.)

( ) No

( ) Yes

( ) Don't know

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.5 Are you a dependent, or do you have any dependents?

( ) Dependent

( ) Independent, no dependents

( ) Independent, with dependents

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.6 Are you married or in a domestic partnership?

( ) No

( ) Yes

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.7 How many hours a week on average are you working while taking classes this fall?

( ) Zero (not currently working)

( ) Fewer than 10

( ) At least 10 but fewer than 20

( ) At least 20 but fewer than 30

( ) At least 30 but fewer than 40

( ) 40 or more

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.8 How do you identify?

( ) Male

( ) Female

( ) Nonbinary

( ) Prefer to self-describe: _________________________________________________

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.9 What is your ethnic background? Please select all that apply.

[ ] American Indian/Native American/Alaskan native

[ ] Asian/Pacific Islander

[ ] Black/African American

[ ] Hispanic/Latino

[ ] White

[ ] Another ethnicity not specified here

[ ] Prefer not to answer

4.10 Do you speak a language other than English at home?

( ) No

( ) Yes

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.11a Have you been diagnosed with a disability or impairment? 

( ) No

( ) Yes

( ) Prefer not to answer

4.11b With which of the following disabilities or impairments have you been diagnosed? Please select all that apply.

[ ] A learning disability (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia)

[ ] A mental health disorder

[ ] A mobility impairment

[ ] A sensory impairment (vision or hearing)

[ ] A chronic illness

[ ] Another disability or impairment, please specify: _________________________________________________

[ ] Prefer not to answer