National IT Survey Highlights Teaching and Learning Trends

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 11:19:02 -0400
doit, ecar, educause, survey

Since 2006, EDUCAUSE, the professional association for IT in higher education, has conducted an annual survey of students about their technology usage and preferences and, beginning in 2014, a survey of faculty on similar topics. In 2023, nearly 2,000 students from across 10 U.S. institutions participated in the study.

With the exception of 2014, UMBC has participated every year in this ongoing research. The resulting longitudinal data have helped us benchmark trends, such as the increasing ubiquity of smart devices. These insights have, in turn, led to advancements, including the adoption of phone-based responseware.

As with previous administrations of these surveys, this year we will randomly select 25% of UMBC students and faculty to participate. If you are among those selected, you will receive an invitation later this week. Please complete the survey to help us better understand and support your needs. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us enhance technology services and support.

Reflecting on the insights gained from previous years’ participation, the results of the 2023 surveys offer valuable perspectives on student and faculty preferences.

The 2023 Student and Faculty surveys were deployed beginning last September. The results revealed student preference shifting toward online and hybrid instructional options. On a Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree, 30% of respondents expressed a preference for online learning, 40% disagreed with this sentiment, and the remaining 30% were neutral. Furthermore, 88% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that students should have the autonomy to choose the instructional modality that best suits them.

Figure 1: Every student should be able to participate in course activities in whatever ways work best for them (Students)

Students often choose alternatives to traditional face-to-face instruction due to various external factors, such as family and work commitments or accessibility limitations with campus-based instruction. For these individuals, the absence of alternative formats can pose an insurmountable barrier to accessing higher education opportunities, both generally and, more specifically, at UMBC. Our faculty respondents acknowledge this individual preference for instructional format, with 76% identifying flexibility in teaching modality as either “Important” or “Very Important”.

Figure 2: How important is policy supporting flexibility in teaching modality? (Faculty)

Flexibility in instructional modality was also a principal theme highlighted by EDUCAUSE when providing their survey reflections and next steps.
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