Students' Readiness for Online Learning; a European Perspective
Hamish Macleod (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Jeff Haywood (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Denise Haywood (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Rory Ewins (University of Edinburgh, UK)
Pekka Tenhonen (Abo Akademia University, Finland)
Katarina Drugg (Abo Akademia University, Finland)
Barbara Wasson (University of Bergen, Norway)
Rune Baggetun (University of Bergen, Norway)
Egbert Harskamp (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands)
Jelle Brandsma (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands)
Anthony Baldry (University of Pavia, Italy)
Claire Archibald (University of Pavia, Itasly)
Francois Marchessou (University of Poitiers, France)
Cecile Rodriquez (University of Poitiers, France)
Joaquin Garcia Carrasco (University of Salamanca, Spain)
Javier Teira (University of Salamanca, Spain)
Gorka Fernandez (University of Salamanca, Spain)
Fernando Osvaldo Esteban (University of Salamanca, Spain)
Paper: 1/2 hour
Convergence & Continuity
This paper describes a major European survey of undergraduate confidence with, experience of, and attitudes towards computers and information technology (IT). Collaborating research teams from universities in seven European countries gathered data from over nine thousand newly arriving students, and nearly three and a half thousand "established" students (nearing, or at the point, of graduation). The questionnaire to new students aimed to assess how prepared they were to take up the emerging opportunities for online learning which were developing in their home institutions. Thequestions posed to established students explored their experiences of the use of, and support for, information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning on the courses that they had followed.
The overall picture is of a student population well prepared, and positively disposed, to rise to the challenges of ICT use in their undergraduate careers. Most see computers and IT as relevant to their studies, and expect to use them regularly on their courses.
The patterns of attitude and experience are discussed with respect to the students' institutional membership, area of study, age group, and gender. More variation was found across institutions in reported skill with the less frequently encountered software applications like bibliographic databases and presentation managers. The women reported themselves to be slightly less confident and experienced than their male colleagues, although no less positive about the importance and relevance of ICT skill in university life and study. Particularly interesting patterns were found to exist as a function of whether students did, or did not, own their own computer equipment.
The findings of the study are interpreted in terms of their implications for institutional ICT policy.
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