University is a big step for anyone. It can be pretty intimidating when you arrive – figuring new schedules, finding the right lecture theatre, and figuring what the hell your lecturers are talking about. These are all big challenges. On the other hand, you can get away with partying like you never have before and – most likely – never will again. All of these have been experienced by students throughout the ages. Today’s students, however, have more technology at their disposal than ever before. This beggars the question: how important is tech to the learning process?
Very important, as it turns out — but don’t forget traditional teaching methods completely. At least that’s the opinion of America’s university students.
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Some 36%, for instance, consider the optimal conditions for learning to be small classes with some online components. Just over 80%, meanwhile, consider their laptop to be their most important device.
Perhaps surprisingly for a developed country like America, nearly half of all students agree that their institutions could be making better use of technology, while just over a third claim their lecturers require assistance in getting technology working in the teaching space.
Online Colleges.net, which aims to bring users “the top resources in online education” has collated these and other facts into an infographic detailing technology use at American universities. One has to wonder what results a similar study in emerging market countries such as South Africa, Brazil, or Malaysia would produce.
