1. Student Technological Mastery: It's Not Just the Hardware Wm. H. Huffman, Ph.D. Ann H. Huffman, Ph.D.

2. Copyright Copyright Wm. Huffman, 2007. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

3. Background Northern Arizona University’s E-Learning Department sponsored a series of studies to better understand the characteristics and challenges students face with the use and mastery of technology during their college studies. We thank them for their support.

4. Goal of Research Program The goal of our research program is to investigate the match or mismatch between the technological background of students and the level of technological ability that is needed to be successful in college courses.

5. Overview of Research Program Phase 1: Evaluate basic tech skills of students in introductory classes Phase 2: Examine tech skills of students in upper division classes Compare tech ability of incoming students to seniors Phase 3: Examine how students can improve tech skills Assess special populations

6. Purpose of Current Study Limited research has examined factors that help explain why some students are more likely to use technology in college. To examine what factors affect students’ current use and ability with technology.

7. Method: Sample Average age of the students: 19.3 (SD = 3.1) Gender: 48.2% were female Ethnic identity of participants: 80% were White 10.2% were Hispanic 4.9% were American Indian 2.5% were African-American 2.0% were Asian 2.8% reported their race as “Other”

8. Method: Procedure Data were collected from 985 students enrolled in introductory liberal arts courses At the beginning of the semester, participants were asked to complete an in-class survey Instrument assessed students’ attitudes towards technology

9. Method: Measures (Importance of Technology) Current use: How important is technology for success in college? Future use: How important is the use of technology in their desired occupation? Sample items: “I will need technological skills in my desired occupation.” “I will spend a lot of time using computers in my desired occupation.”

10. Questions addressed student learning and performance orientation Sample item from the “learning” goal orientation: “I prefer to work on tasks that force me to learn new things.” Sample item from the “performance” goal orientation: “I do my best when I am working on fairly difficult tasks.” Method: Measures (Goal Orientation)

11. Scales addressed skills with technology Questions appraised how skilled the students rated themselves in using different types of technology Method: Measures (Technology Skill)

12. Questions addressed student intentions to use technology for school Sample questions: “I intend to use technology quite frequently at school.” “I am planning on learning new technology in school to help me succeed in my future career.” Method: Measures (Technology Intentions)

13. Analyses Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 14.0) Examined key relationships Student perceptions of the importance of technology Personality characteristics Student ability and intentions to use technology

14. Students who stated that technology was important in their current classes reported higher ability levels than students who stated that technology was not important in their current classes [F(2, 958) = 7.64, p <.01]. Results: Technology in Current Classes

15. Students who stated that technology was important in their current classes reported higher intentions to use technology than students who stated that technology was not important in their current classes [F(2, 936) = 90.17, p <.01].

16. Students who stated that technology was important in their future career reported increased ability than students who stated that technology was not important in their future occupation [F(2, 919) = 19.00, p <.01]. Results: Technology in Future Career

17. Students who stated that technology was important in their future career reported higher intentions to use technology in college than students who stated that technology was not important in their future occupation [F(2, 936) = 90.17, p <.01]. Results: Technology in Future Career

18. Results: Goal Orientation & Technology Results suggest that students who are high in both learning and performance goal orientations are more likely to use technology. LowMedHi LowMedHi

19. Learning orientation however is a stronger overall predictor of successful use of technology than performance orientation. Results: Goal Orientation & Technology LowMedHiLowMedHi

20. Conclusion: Summary Current and future goals will influence the likelihood of student using technology in college Perceived future utility and learning goal orientation are most important in predicting ability and future tech use Findings suggest that the availability of technology may not be sufficient in determining student success or use in college

21. Possible Applications 1. Show students the relevance of learning technology to support their general college studies: Orientation Senior level student – guest lecturer College or Career Center Flyer College or Career Center Webpage

22. Possible Applications 2. Stress the relevance and use of technology in each chosen occupation:  Career Center (Career Day, Workshops)  Departmental Flyer  Departmental Website  Alumni in occupation as guest lecturer

23. Possible Applications 3. Talk to students about their primary goal orientation Use goal orientation as a tool Students with more of “learning orientation” – show how technology can lead to understanding material Students who are possess more “performance orientation” – show them how technology can lead to higher grades Reinforced by counselor/advisor or an on-line advising program

24. Summary of Current Study Important factors in using technology: Perceptions of importance of technology Students’ learning style Unanswered questions: Are tech skills linked to hard outcomes? Do different subgroups experience technology differently? What is the role of the professor?

25. Further analyses with Phase I Comparison of student and professor expectations Relationship of grades and perceived skill and use Examination of skill levels of specific subgroups (e.g., transfer students)

26. Advances with Phase II Examines the progression of tech skills of upper level students Compares entry level and exit level skills of students Highlights where students may gain new technological skills

27. Longitudinal design 2006 20092011 Time 1Time 2 Time 3 FreshmenJuniors Graduated Basic abilitiesBasic abilities Current job AttitudesAttitudes Attitudes UseUse Utility Individual DifferencesGrades Grades Proposed Future Research Projects

28. Examine effectiveness of select interventions through a series of experimental studies Experimental Design 101 psychology class Randomly assign groups into 1 of 3 conditions

29. Proposed Future Research Projects ConditionTime 1 (beginning of semester) InterventionTime 2 (end of semester) Control Survey IT instruction Survey Final Grade Vista Use Experimental Group 1 Hands on IT instruction Experimental Group 2 Hands on IT instruction & Explanation of importance of IT Study Design:

30. Questions? San Francisco Peaks Flagstaff, Arizona Bill Huffman Associate Professor College of Education Bill.huffman@nau.edu Ann Huffman Assistant Professor Department of Psychology & College of Business Ann.huffman@nau.edu