ERIC Number: EJ808165
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1528-5324
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Laptop Use in University Common Spaces
Wolff, Bill
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, v29 n1 p74-76 2006
Anecdotal evidence existed about the many students who use their laptops and the wireless network in university common spaces, but little was known about how, where, and why students use laptops on campus, and less was known about students' awareness of university wireless network policies and security. This article discusses the results of a survey of laptop use in common spaces at the University of Texas at Austin. Overall results indicate that regardless of gender, degree status, or college affiliation, students purchased laptops, brought their laptops to campus, and used common spaces at a similar rate. Most students were not aware of university public network bandwidth limitations, perhaps indicating sufficient bandwidth for their needs. In addition, many students did not know about their wireless connection security or even what security meant in the context of wireless networking. Survey results also indicate that students are rethinking and redesigning common spaces into anywhere, any time learning environments. (Contains 1 figure and 5 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Telecommunications, Computer Networks, College Students, School Policy, Computer Security, Gender Differences, Majors (Students), Computer Uses in Education, Computer Mediated Communication, Internet
EDUCAUSE. 4772 Walnut Street Suite 206, Boulder, CO 80301-2538. Tel: 303-449-4430; Fax: 303-440-0461; e-mail: info@educause.edu; Web site: http://www.educause.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A