85% of MCC students have home computer access, 90% to the internet

BY JOLAYNE HANRAHAN
MESA LEGEND
Submitted January 23, 2001

Technology is the wave of the future at Mesa Community College, at least according to the 1,700 randomly selected MCC students who participated in the Computer Use Survey.

Curious about computer usage in and out of the classroom, the Teaching Learning Technology Roundtable (TLTR), a group composed of faculty and staff at MCC, designed this survey to gather information concerning computer access, usage, application and students’ skill level.

"Overall results of the survey are quite pleasing," said Brad Kincaid, a professor in life science at MCC and chairman of the TLTR.

"I was quite surprised at the 85 percent of students who have access to a computer at home and of those 85 percent, 90 percent have internet access," Kincaid said.

He is also impressed with the amount of time students use computers. 41.2 percent spend one to five hours a week on computers, but even more impressive was the high response, an almost even split between 6-10 hour (22.4 percent), and 16 or more hours (21.8 percent).

"These results show that computers have definitely become a major part of students’ lives both on and off campus," Kincaid said.

Gail Mee, dean of Instruction at MCC, is pleased with the high amount of students who use the library/high tech center.

"These results reinforce the importance of computer access and that if students might not have a computer at home, they are taking full advantage of the availability of them on campus," Mee said.

Both Kincaid and Mee are eager to follow up this survey with another.

"Along with answers, this survey brought up questions that need to be addressed; students marked that they have ‘access’ to computers at home but what is meant by ‘access?’ Is it a family computer or their own?" Kincaid said.

Mee agrees. "Another survey needs to be done to focus more on the accessibility of computers before the faculty at MCC tries to incorporate more assignments and labs on computers outside of the classroom."

Mee believes that the results of the computer survey show that MCC and its relationship with technology is moving in the right direction. "One of the most important elements of a community college is to offer a flexible class schedule," Mee said.

"By incorporating more technology and computer usage in the classroom, as well as offering classes on the Internet, it is making it possible for people in the community with time constraints to take classes."

Students are taking full advantage of the flexible classes. "There were 1,700 registrations for distance learning classes last term and MCC hopes to one day offer a degree on the Internet," Mee said.