Students pleased with computing

A survey conducted by the university finds that nearly 90 percent of students are satisfied or very satisfied with university computing resources.

It is the third year in a row that satisfaction has remained strong, according to the Division of Information Technology survey.

Related document: 2000 Student Computing Survey

DoIT conducts annual student surveys in an ongoing effort to determine student awareness and use of UW computing services, and to gauge demand for new and existing services. The survey between February and May also found:

• The percentage of students making an online purchase increased by almost 50 percent over last year. Not only did the number of students shopping online increase, but the average number of purchases increased as well, from about four in 1999 to almost seven this year. Students are most likely to buy books online.
• Overall student computer ownership remained essentially unchanged this year at 80 percent. Incoming freshmen now enter college more wired than their predecessors, and are more likely to own a computer than many upperclassmen.
• Among other information technology products, 22 percent of students own a cellular or other mobile phone and 4 percent own a personal digital assistant.

Finally, when asked to choose from a list of new information technology services they would like to see on campus, the most popular item chosen by students was the ability to register online for UW–Madison courses.

Of 2,000 students who received the questionnaire, 800 completed and returned them. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3.5 For the full report, visit: http://www.wisc.edu/doit/research/00student/trends/