Survey: Students using more portable technology

Students are more mobile than ever before, according to findings from an annual online survey administered by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT).

The 2004 Student Computing Survey of 1,600 randomly selected undergraduate, graduate and special students found that 78 percent report owning a cell phone, 48 percent a laptop computer and 16 percent a personal digital assistant (PDA).

The survey found laptop ownership highest among freshmen (58 percent), graduate students (55 percent) and students enrolled in professional programs (69 percent). One-third of the students report using wireless computing, and 70 percent use instant messaging, up from 62 percent in 2003.

Today’s UW student spends an average of 26.5 hours a week online, a dramatic increase from 14.2 hours just four years ago. Forty-two percent use a cable modem to connect to the Internet. Campus computer labs are also popular venues for accessing the Internet, with 38 percent of students using College Library and 23 percent using Memorial Library, the two largest labs.

Desktop ownership continues a steady three-year downward trend, with 60 percent of students reporting that they own desktop computers, compared to 74 percent in 2001. Overall student computer ownership (desktop and laptop) is 94 percent, with eight percent of student respondents indicating that they own more than one computer.

While 83 percent of students have two or more e-mail accounts, 89 percent rely on a primary e-mail address, which tends to be their UW account. All students surveyed report having used the Norton Anti-Virus software that is provided to them by the university at no cost.

Overall, 84 percent of students surveyed said they are satisfied or very satisfied with the computing resources available on campus.

The survey has been conducted annually since 1992. For the full survey results, visit the survey website.