Almanac 2011: Technology

Tables and Charts

Student Use

• More Students Owned Laptops Than Other Devices in 2010

• Text Messaging Is the Communication Form of Choice for Most Students

• The Library Tops Social Networking in Tally of Students’ Computer and Internet Activities, 2010

• Time Students Spent Using the Internet

Attitudes About Tech

• Campus Officials Agree on the Importance of E-Books for Learning

• How Students Rate Instructors’ Use of Information Technology in Courses, 2010

• Efforts to Combat Plagiarism and Illegal File Sharing Were on the Rise in the Fall of 2010

Campus Infrastructure

• Public Colleges and Research Institutions Are Investing in Electronic Library Resources

• Fewer 4-Year Institutions Saw Academic-Computing Cuts in 2010 than 2009

• Relatively Few Community Colleges Are Phasing Out Public Computer Labs

• Share of Colleges With E-Portfolio Services on Their Web Sites Is Increasing

• Classrooms With Wireless Access Multiplied From 2005 to 2010

• A Majority of Institutions Used a Course/Learning-Management System in 2010

The Year in Review: College Tech Goes Mobile

College technology went on the move in the 2010-11 academic year, venturing into mobile platforms like smartphones and tablets such as the iPad. The devices were used within classes and without for teaching, reading texts, student affairs, contacting alumni, and recruiting prospective students.

But the movement—driven by the recognition that people were spending more time on mobile devices—went in fits and starts. Higher education, never a rapid adapter, struggled to figure out how best to make use of mobile devices and new capabilities.

Take, for example, Stanford University, one of the most tech-savvy places in academe. MORE »

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