The results of the Student Technology Fee’s recent survey are in, and they show students are not using computer labs like in the past.
The rise of the digital age and prevalence of student self-owned technology, raises the question of how to best use fee funds in the future.
More than one-fourth of participants expressed dissatisfaction with lsusecure, the primary wireless network for the University community. Several of the complaints inquired as to why the University has several wireless networks — lsusecure, lsuwireless, lsuguest — instead of one network.
Graduate College Council President Thomas Rogers said the survey showed the obvious: that technology is changing every day, and as a result, more students own laptops compared to five years ago.
Rogers is also responsible for writing the survey with Information Technology Services, to help demystify how students are using technology on campus and their respective needs.
To his knowledge, the STF Committee has not surveyed students before this, Rogers said.
“We’re not living in an environment where half of our students don’t have laptops anymore,” Rogers said.
More than 90 percent of the 2,339 survey participants own laptops. Many students have easy access to other devices as well, with more than 80 percent owning smartphones and another 30 percent owning tablets.
The survey obtained an accurate representation of the campus community, providing data from members of all colleges. Upperclassmen and graduate students comprised more than 70 percent of survey participants.
Of the participants, less than 5 percent utilize the University’s Public Access Labs on a daily basis.
“If those students are rarely using the labs, it may be time to scale back and focus on Wi-Fi,” Rogers said.
Rogers said students need reliable wireless access because the majority of homework is now online.
The survey also revealed how students use software — if they use it at all.
Tigerware, which makes items such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader available to students for free or at a reduced price, is used by more than 50 percent of survey participants.
Fewer than 10 percent of participants use Lynda.com, Virtual Lab and Gear 2 Geaux, according to the survey. Less than half of them knew what GROK, the University’s knowledge database for computer related matters, was.
“We need to have better communication with students,” Rogers said.
Rogers hopes that the committee can take the survey data into consideration when planning this spring semester’s budget.
The STF Committee will meet Nov. 18 to discuss further allocation of funds.