Kennedy 2006

Project Aim

Is the ‘net generation’ really tech savvy.

Methodology

First year students, Melbourne Australia,2006

4 page questionnaire – collected during first week of study

“..developed specifically for this study, asked students about their access to, use of, skills with, and preferences for an array of established and emerging technologies and technology based tools. The questionnaire comprised four main sections: demographic information (11 items), access to hardware and the Internet (16 items), use of and skills with technology based tools (Computer: 10 items; Web: 22 items; Mobile phones: 7 items) and preferences for the use of technology based tools in University studies (34 items).”

94%of first years aged 17 – 21;

2120 students completed (27%) of first years. 62 females/37% male; 10 university faculties

Only faculty of music not represented

Main Findings

Embracing technology and tools is not the universal student experience and we cannot assume that the ‘net gen’ know how to employ technology or  adopt a one size fits all approach.

“As university educators we must be attuned to the ever changing and often diverse characteristics of our student cohorts. Evidence of who our students are must remain an important factor in informing how we use the array of technological tools at our disposal to design rich and engaging learning experiences for all students.”

Commentary

Suggests more research is needed to find out how learners change living technology into learning technology.

"The investigation reported in this paper would have benefited from more in depth, qualitative investigation of both students' and teachers' perspectives on technology from a broader range of universities which reflect the diversity of Australian higher education."

Interesting here that there are a lot more facts, and it is easy to digest data, highlighting the % representations. However, Australia will have a unique perspective and establishment of it’s educational system – so how much can we rely on this data for the UK.