1. Designing for the i-POD generation - Investigating students’ prior expectations and experiences of technology Amanda Jefferies, Nuz Quadri, Diana Kornbrot The Blended Learning Unit, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK What is the prior level of technology experience in the new cohort of students? What are their expectations of using technology on their undergraduate degree? What are the barriers to the use of technology that they anticipate? This generation of students has had many nicknames – the ‘Net generation’ from their familiarity with the internet and the ‘iPOD generation’ from one of the icons of modern technology, being just two of them. What these titles should alert us to is the apparent ubiquity of technology in students’ daily live; they are surrounded by technology inside and outside the classroom. This raises a number of questions for academics in higher education. What is the impact of the technology available in prior study and home environments on students’ attitudes to tertiary education and their expectations of living and studying in a university environment? Furthermore are we as academics too eager to apply this stereotype of a generation at ease with technology to all of the current intake of students? Introduction The most recent cohort of new students entering HE in September 2005 were some of the first to experience widespread use of interactive whiteboards and e.learning technology in their schools, so what are their expectations? To coincide with the launch of the funding for the University of Hertfordshire’s Blended Learning Unit (its new Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning) a major survey of its newly enrolled students was conducted in Autumn 2005. The aims were to identify students’ prior experiences of using technology for learning and leisure and their expectations of whether technology can enhance the learning experience. With a response rate of over 600 participants, the university now has a clearer idea of their expectations of using technology in their studies as well as a greater understanding of the students’ perceived barriers to using technology in their learning. High prior levels of use and high levels of confidence 69% of the respondents (almost equally male and female) were aged between 18 and 21, with over 75% using email and 82% using text messaging from their mobile phone on a daily basis. Confidence levels overall were high with 74% being very or extremely confident using technology and just under 3% who claimed to be not at all confident. How will this apparent ease with technology prepare students for their learning experience in Higher Education? Certainly the ability to access their learning electronically via an MLE both on and off-campus is important to these HE students. 88.7% identified access to learning while off-campus as one of the advantages of using technology to enhance learning. Another highly rated perceived advantage was that technology provided easier methods of communication. (79.2%).This may challenge the traditional teaching methods familiar to some more technophobic academic staff. Two thirds of the students anticipate that an advantage of using technology in accessing learning is the variety of learning styles and techniques that are made available. Other perceived advantages of using technology to enhance learning, with which over 50% of new students agreed were: improving their use of IT skills, learning at their own pace and managing time more effectively. Table 1 : The top 7 student rated perceived advantages in using technology for learning Barriers to the take up of technology in e.learning? Physical access to technology has previously been suggested as a major barrier to its take up for students in HEIs but this survey suggests that this may no longer be a valid suggestion. Over 90% of new students claimed they were able to access technology from home, with just under 3% claiming they could not easily gain access to a computer. This figure rose to just 4.1% who claimed they could not easily access the internet. There is a general mistrust of the reliability of access to technology by this sample because 50% stated that problems with accessibility could be a disadvantage to using technology to enhance learning. This is measured in a group of students who in general do not appear to have accessibility problems and in a situation where most of them had only just started using the university’s own e.learning environment, A far greater number (77%) thought that the general reliability of technology was a major disadvantage to using technology to enhance learning. It will be interesting to review students’ opinions later in the year after experiencing the university’s own e.learning environment to see whether their perceived concerns, prior to relying on the technology on a daily basis, are still a cause so important A blended learning approach? How far should the notion of blended learning (which in the University of Hertfordshire’s view, is a blend of on-line learning and face to face teaching) replace the traditional face to face teaching and learning environment in HE? While these students are enthusiastic users of technology, they want to see their e.learning combined with face to face teaching. Students were divided about whether they wanted more or less face to face teaching or in equal measures with computer based material. But it was clear that they expected to come to university to study with people and the least preferred option for learning for the overwhelming majority (89%) was for it to be all online. While students clearly prefer a face to face teaching environment and for meeting their friends, there is some reluctance to speak to their academics face-to face, 28% preferred to email their lecturer to speaking to them, compared to just 4% who would email friends (rather than texting or speaking to them), or 11% who would email fellow students. Conclusions and further work The purpose of this survey was to identify a baseline against which to measure both current and future students’ attitudes to technology to enhance their learning experience and their willingness to engage with technology away from the traditional teaching timetable. Further analysis of the results is planned to identify trends in the data that can be used to inform future strategy decisions in the provision of staff and student support. The authors can be contacted through the Blended Learning Unit at the University of Hertfordshire:- www.herts.ac.uk/blu or via email: a.l.jefferies@herts.ac.uk, n.1.quadri@herts.ac.uk, d.e.kornbrot@herts.ac.uk.a.l.jefferies@herts.ac.ukn.1.quadri@herts.ac.uk d.e.kornbrot@herts.ac.uk Perceived AdvantagesPercentage Access to learning facilities when off campus82.9 Easier methods of communication74.9 Improve use of IT skills66.9 Learn at your own pace64.8 Variety of learning styles/ techniques61.1 More independence59.3 Manage time more effectively51.2

2. Designing for the i-POD generation - Investigating students’ prior expectations and experiences of technology Amanda Jefferies, Nuz Quadri, Diana Kornbrot The Blended Learning Unit, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK What is the prior level of technology experience in the new cohort of students? What are their expectations of using technology on their undergraduate degree? What are the barriers to the use of technology that they anticipate? This generation of new students has many nicknames – the ‘Net generation’ from their familiarity with the internet and the ‘iPOD generation’ from one of the icons of modern technology, being just two of them. What these titles should alert us to is the apparent ubiquity of technology in students’ daily live; they are surrounded by technology inside and outside the classroom. This raises a number of questions for academics in higher education. What is the impact of the technology available in prior study and home environments on students’ attitudes to tertiary education and their expectations of living and studying in a university environment? Furthermore are we as academics too eager to apply this stereotype of a generation at ease with technology to all of the current intake of students? Introduction The most recent cohort of new students entering HE in September 2005 were some of the first to experience widespread use of interactive whiteboards and e.learning technology in their schools, so what are their expectations? To coincide with the launch of the funding for the University of Hertfordshire’s Blended Learning Unit (its new Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning) a major survey of its newly enrolled students was conducted in autumn 2005. The aims were to identify students’ prior experiences of using technology for learning and leisure and their expectations of whether technology can enhance the learning experience. With a response rate of over 600 participants, the university now has a clearer idea of their expectations of using technology in their studies as well as a greater understanding of the students’ perceived barriers to using technology in their learning. High prior levels of use and high levels of confidence 69% of the respondents (almost equally male and female) were aged between 18 and 21, with over 75% using email and 82% using text messaging from their mobile phone on a daily basis. Confidence levels overall were high with 74% being very or extremely confident using technology and just under 3% who claimed to be not at all confident. How will this apparent ease with technology prepare students for their learning experience in Higher Education? Certainly the ability to access their learning electronically via an MLE both on and off-campus is important to these HE students. 88.7% identified access to learning while off-campus as one of the advantages of using technology to enhance learning. Another highly rated perceived advantage was that technology provided easier methods of communication. (79.2%).This may challenge the traditional teaching methods familiar to some more technophobic academic staff. Two thirds of the students anticipate that an advantage of using technology in accessing learning is the variety of learning styles and techniques that are made available. Other perceived advantages of using technology to enhance learning, with which over 50% of new students agreed were: improving their use of IT skills, learning at their own pace and managing time more effectively. Table 1: The top 7 ‘student rated' perceived advantages in using technology for learning Barriers to the take up of technology in e.learning? Physical access to technology has previously been suggested as a major barrier to its take up for students in HEIs but this survey suggests that this may no longer be a valid suggestion. Over 90% of new students claimed they were able to access technology from home, with just under 3% claiming they could not easily gain access to a computer. This figure rose to just 4.1% who claimed they could not easily access the internet. There is a general mistrust of the reliability of access to technology by this sample because 50% stated that problems with accessibility could be a disadvantage to using technology to enhance learning. This is measured in a group of students who in general do not appear to have accessibility problems and in a situation where most of them had only just started using the university’s own e.learning environment, A far greater number (77%) thought that the general reliability of technology was a major disadvantage to using technology to enhance learning. It will be interesting to review students’ opinions later in the year after experiencing the university’s own e.learning environment to see whether their perceived concerns, prior to relying on the technology on a daily basis, are still a cause so important A blended learning approach? How far should the notion of blended learning (which in the University of Hertfordshire’s view, is a blend of on-line learning and face to face teaching) replace the traditional face to face teaching and learning environment in HE? While these students are enthusiastic users of technology, they want to see their e.learning combined with face to face teaching. Students were divided about whether they wanted more or less face to face teaching or in equal measures with computer based material. But it was clear that they expected to come to university to study with people and the least preferred option for learning for the overwhelming majority (89%) was for it to be all online. While students clearly prefer a face to face teaching environment and for meeting their friends, there is some reluctance to speak to their academics face-to face, 28% preferred to email their lecturer to speaking to them, compared to just 4% who would email friends (rather than texting or speaking to them) or 11% who would email fellow students. Conclusions and further work The purpose of this survey was to identify a baseline against which to measure both current and future students’ attitudes to technology to enhance their learning experience and their willingness to engage with technology away from the traditional teaching timetable. Further analysis of the results is planned to identify trends in the data that can be used to inform future strategy decisions in the provision of staff and student support. The authors can be contacted through the Blended Learning Unit at the University of Hertfordshire:- www.herts.ac.uk/blu or via email: a.l.jefferies@herts.ac.uk, n.1.quadri@herts.ac.uk, d.e.kornbrot@herts.ac.uk.a.l.jefferies@herts.ac.ukn.1.quadri@herts.ac.uk d.e.kornbrot@herts.ac.uk Perceived AdvantagesPercentage Access to learning facilities when off campus82.9 Easier methods of communication74.9 Improve use of IT skills66.9 Learn at your own pace64.8 Variety of learning styles/ techniques61.1 More independence59.3 Manage time more effectively51.2