Student Computing Survey 2002-2003: Undergraduate Results

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Summary

Results:

 

Summary

Demographics:

This year, 3262 students or approximately 53% of all undergrads responded to the survey, roughly split evenly between men and women. About 34% were first-year students, 27% sophomores, 17% juniors and 19% seniors.

Use of Computers:

Regarding equipment:

  • 97% have their own computer
  • 39% have 2 or more computers or computing devices (handheld, etc.)
  • 67% have a laptop
  • 55% have their own printer
  • 35% connect devices other than a printer to their computer (digital camera, scanner, etc.)
  • 20% have a personal digital assistant (PDA) device or handheld computer

In terms of platform:

  • 91% have a Windows PC desktop or laptop
  • 17% have a Mac desktop or laptop
  • 3% have a Unix or Linux computer

About 86% of students say they use their computers 11 hours a week or more, with about 28% using their computers more than 30 hours per week.

Within five broad categories, the most common personal computer activities are, in order:

  1. Academics (any course-related computer or Internet use), 6 or more hours/week = 66%
  2. Social interaction (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 37%
  3. Entertainment (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 28%
  4. Information (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 26%
  5. Commerce (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 4%

Wireless

To supplement the wired infrastructure already provided in the residences, ResComp, in collaboration with ITSS, launched a wireless project this year to determine usage, technical requirements, cost and programmatic effectiveness of wireless networking. For more information on this project, visit the Wireless Pilot Project page.

Wilbur Hall, Stern Hall, Cowell Cluster and Bob (Robert Moore South House) are all part of the wireless pilot. At the time of the residence evaluation, wireless access was ready and available in Wilbur Hall and Bob. Of the people who live in those residences and who responded to the survey, 15% say they use the wireless network at least several times a week, with 3% saying they use it exclusively. The locations in which the wireless network is most commonly used are in their own rooms (77%), other students' rooms (60%) and in dorm common areas, such as the lounge, hallway, lobby or cluster (74%). 29% say they do not have a laptop or wireless-equipped computer, but wish they did.

Sample comments on what factors determine whether they use the wired or wireless network at a given time:

  • Connection speed and reliability. Security.
  • More convenient to use wireless-- you can bring your laptop anywhere.
  • Usually I use wired connections when I'm downloading big files like music or graphics. Wireless is great for checking email and going online to access coursework and such. It allows me to hang out with my friends and not be holed up in my room all day. Then my laptop can really be portable, instead of staying wired to my room all the time.
  • How consistent the connection is. Sometimes the wireless fades, which causes problems.
  • The only time I ever use my wired connection is when the wireless network is down, which is, unfortunately, occasionally. During fall quarter's dead week, I was using the wired connection because the wireless network was down on and off. Other than that, I LOVE my wireless connection. Researching a paper and checking my email from the grass on the quad, every academic building, the dining hall, the lounge, other people's rooms, and the libraries is a great, great thing.

68% of people in residences that do NOT have wireless say that adding wireless access in the residences is important or very important.

Residence Computer Cluster Use

Residential Computing supports a computer cluster in every residence, roughly 350 public computers in 77 locations. 83% say they have used a residence computer cluster this year and of those, 87% rate the availability of cluster computers as good or excellent.

The top five reasons for using the residence clusters are:

  1. Printing (cited by 63% of cluster users)
  2. Study space away from room (38%)
  3. Available software, courseware (35%)
  4. Convenient location (28%)
  5. Group/partner work space available (18%)

The top five suggested improvements that students say "would be great" to increase usefulness of residence clusters are:

  1. Color printing (cited by 55% of cluster users)
  2. More high performance Windows PC computers (47%)
  3. Scanners (on the Row) (45%)
  4. More quiet individual study spaces (42%)
  5. Better spaces for partner or group study (36%)

However, when asked how important these changes were (for example, if they would still want them if it meant reducing the total number of computers available), responses were split with 46% answering important or very important and 54% answering not very important or not important at all.

Many students complained about the price of printing, asking for cheaper or free printing.

Central Public Computer Cluster Use

Academic Computing, Residential Computing's parent organization, also provides central public computer clusters in Tresidder Union and Meyer Library. Other public computer clusters also include those in Green Library and sit-down Unix workstations in Sweet Hall. 56% of students who answered the survey say they have used one of these clusters this year with 66% using the clusters in Meyer, Green and Tresidder and 26% using the cluster in Sweet Hall (as well as the 24 hour Unix cluster in Meyer). Most students use these clusters 1 to 5 hours per week and 90% rate the availability of these computers as good or excellent.

The top five reasons for using the central public clusters are:

  1. Convenient location (cited by 51% of cluster users)
  2. Study space away from room (49%)
  3. Printing (37%)
  4. Available software, courseware (26%)
  5. High performance computers (24%)
  6. Group/partner work space available (18%)

The top five suggested improvements that students say "would be great" to increase usefulness of central clusters are:

  1. Color printing (cited by 45% of cluster users)
  2. More high performance Windows PC computers (40%)
  3. More quiet individual study spaces (38%)
  4. Better spaces for partner or group study (36%)
  5. More connectivity for (network jacks or wireless) for laptops (35%)

However, when asked how important these changes were (for example, if they would still want them if it meant reducing the total number of computers available), responses were split with 45% answering important or very important and 55% answering not very important or not important at all.

Again, many students complained about the price of printing, asking for cheaper or free printing.

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Results

Total Number of People Who Responded to Survey: 3262.

 

About Resident Computer Coordinators (RCCs)

1. On average, how often do you ask your RCC for computer related help or advice?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

More than once a week (1)

42

1.58%

Once a week (2)

121

4.55%

Once a month (3)

650

24.45%

Once a quarter (4)

1288

48.46%

Never asked for help (5)

557

20.96%

 

Total who responded

2658

81.48%

Average

3.12

  

2. On average, how quickly do you get a response from your RCC?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Same day (1)

1453

54.83%

1 to 2 days (2)

556

20.98%

3 to 5 days (3)

104

3.92%

More than 5 days (4)

45

1.70%

Never asked for help (5)

492

18.57%

 

Total who responded

2650

81.24%

Average

1.69

  

3. How would you rate your RCC's knowledge?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

1424

53.90%

Good (2)

730

27.63%

Fair (3)

125

4.73%

Poor (4)

34

1.29%

No opinion (5)

329

12.45%

 

Total who responded

2642

80.99%

Average

1.55

  

4. How would you rate your RCC's helpfulness?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

1511

56.98%

Good (2)

617

23.27%

Fair (3)

162

6.11%

Poor (4)

54

2.04%

No opinion (5)

308

11.61%

 

Total who responded

2652

81.30%

Average

1.53

  

5. How would you rate your RCC's educational programs, workshops, or presentations?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

413

15.63%

Good (2)

334

12.64%

Fair (3)

106

4.01%

Poor (4)

84

3.18%

No opinion/ didn't attend any (5)

1705

64.53%

 

Total who responded

2642

80.99%

Average

3.15

  

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Residence Wireless Pilots

1. Which of the following best describes your use of wireless:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

I don't have a laptop or wireless-equipped computer but I wish I did (1)

141

28.89%

I don't have a laptop and don't care (2)

60

12.30%

I use the wireless network exclusively (3)

13

2.66%

I use the wireless network daily (4)

32

6.56%

I use the wireless network several times a week (5)

26

5.33%

I use the wireless network only occasionally (6)

22

4.51%

I have a laptop but I never use the wireless network (7)

194

39.75%

 

Total who responded

488

14.96%

Average

0.63

  

2. If you DO use wireless, in what locations do you regularly use it? (please select all that apply)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Your room (1)

72

77.42%

Other student rooms (2)

56

60.22%

Dining room (3)

18

19.35%

Dorm common areas (lounge, hallway, lobby, cluster, etc.) (4)

69

74.19%

Outdoors (5)

49

52.69%

 

Total who responded

93

2.85%

Average

0.23

  

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About Personal Computing

1. How would you rate your computer knowledge or fluency?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

682

25.52%

Good (2)

1207

45.17%

Fair (3)

674

25.22%

Poor (4)

103

3.85%

Don't know (5)

6

0.22%

 

Total who responded

2672

81.91%

Average

1.70

  

2. Residential Computing, in collaboration with ITSS and Residential and Dining Enterprises, is conducting a few pilot projects of wireless networking in the residences. Wireless does not replace the existing wired network but adds "anytime, anywhere" networking with lower speeds and less security. If your residence (like most) does NOT currently have wireless networking provided by Stanford, how important do you think adding this capability is for the Stanford residences?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Very Important (1)

709

29.60%

Important (2)

917

38.29%

Not Very Important (3)

658

27.47%

Not Important At All (4)

111

4.63%

 

Total who responded

2395

73.42%

Average

1.52

  

3. How many computers or computing devices (handheld, etc.) do you have with you on campus? (Note: if your answer to this question is 0 (zero), please skip questions 4, 5, and 6.)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

0 (1)

80

3.01%

1 (2)

1554

58.38%

2 (3)

635

23.85%

3 (4)

260

9.77%

4 or more (5)

133

5.00%

 

Total who responded

2662

81.61%

Average

2.08

  

4. Which of the following computer devices or peripherals do you have? (select all that apply)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Windows PC desktop/tower (1)

987

38.11%

Windows PC laptop (2)

1366

52.74%

Apple Macintosh desktop/tower/iMac (3)

120

4.63%

Apple Macintosh laptop/Powerbook (4)

333

12.86%

Unix or Linux computer (5)

83

3.20%

Printer (6)

1422

54.90%

Scanner (7)

193

7.45%

Digital camera (8)

700

27.03%

Handheld computer (9)

35

1.35%

Personal digital assistant (PDA) (10)

482

18.61%

N/A (11)

18

0.69%

 

Total who responded

2590

79.40%

Average

8.17

  

5. About how many total hours per week, on average, do you use your personal computer(s) (NOT public or cluster computers)?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

1 to 5 hours (1)

76

2.94%

6 to 10 hours (2)

272

10.54%

11 to 20 hours (3)

808

31.31%

21 to 30 hours (4)

707

27.39%

More than 30 hours (5)

718

27.82%

 

Total who responded

2581

79.12%

Average

2.90

  

6. About how many hours per week, on average, do you spend using your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities?

 

 

 

0 hours (1)

Less than 1 hour (2)

1 to 5 hours (3)

6 to 10 hours (4)

11 to 20 hours (5)

More than 20 hours (6)

Total who responded

Average

ACADEMICS (any course-related computer or Internet use)

21
0.82%

51
1.98%

799
31.05%

1003
38.98%

455
17.68%

244
9.48%

2573
78.88%

3.15

INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)

90
3.57%

452
17.95%

1324
52.58%

488
19.38%

111
4.41%

53
2.10%

2518
77.19%

2.39

SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)

78
3.08%

283
11.18%

1238
48.91%

572
22.60%

227
8.97%

133
5.25%

2531
77.59%

2.63

ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)

288
11.41%

554
21.96%

975
38.64%

401
15.89%

190
7.53%

115
4.56%

2523
77.35%

2.32

COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)

687
27.55%

1190
47.71%

523
20.97%

62
2.49%

17
0.68%

15
0.60%

2494
76.46%

1.55

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Residence Computer Cluster Use

1. Have you used a residence computer cluster this year?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Yes (1)

2243

82.86%

No (2)

464

17.14%

 

Total who responded

2707

82.99%

Average

0.97

  

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About Residence Computer Clusters (a)

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE used their residence computer cluster this year.

1. Which of the following are significant reasons that you use the residence cluster? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

High performance computers (1)

403

18.43%

Printing (2)

1385

63.33%

Scanning (3)

408

18.66%

Available software, courseware (4)

764

34.93%

Network connection speed (5)

259

11.84%

Study space away from room (6)

822

37.59%

Convenient location (7)

623

28.49%

Comfortable furnishings (8)

163

7.45%

Group/partner work space available (9)

397

18.15%

Social environment, atmosphere (10)

156

7.13%

Proximity to food or drink (11)

161

7.36%

Other (please specify below) (12)

299

13.67%

 

Total who responded

2187

67.04%

Average

9.15

  

2. About how many total hours per week, on average, do you use your residence computer cluster?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

1 to 5 hours (1)

1951

90.45%

6 to 10 hours (2)

136

6.31%

11 to 20 hours (3)

54

2.50%

21 to 30 hours (4)

9

0.42%

More than 30 hours (5)

7

0.32%

 

Total who responded

2157

66.13%

Average

0.75

  

3. About how many hours per week, on average, do you spend using your residence cluster (NOT your personal computer if you have one) for the following activities?

 

 

 

0 hours (1)

Less than 1 hour (2)

1 to 5 hours (3)

6 to 10 hours (4)

11 to 20 hours (5)

More than 20 hours (6)

Total who responded

Average

ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use)

274
12.84%

1028
48.17%

706
33.08%

88
4.12%

31
1.45%

7
0.33%

2134
65.42%

1.53

INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)

1299
67.48%

480
24.94%

132
6.86%

9
0.47%

3
0.16%

2
0.10%

1925
59.01%

0.83

SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)

1417
73.50%

395
20.49%

100
5.19%

11
0.57%

3
0.16%

2
0.10%

1928
59.10%

0.79

ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)

1650
86.12%

207
10.80%

55
2.87%

3
0.16%

0
0.00%

1
0.05%

1916
58.74%

0.69

COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)

1707
89.70%

162
8.51%

32
1.68%

1
0.05%

0
0.00%

1
0.05%

1903
58.34%

0.66

4. How would you rate the availability of residence cluster computers for your use?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

952

43.71%

Good (2)

947

43.48%

Fair (3)

222

10.19%

Poor (4)

29

1.33%

No opinion (5)

28

1.29%

 

Total who responded

2178

66.77%

Average

1.16

  

5. How would you rate the maintenance of the computer equipment in your cluster?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

638

29.35%

Good (2)

1040

47.84%

Fair (3)

350

16.10%

Poor (4)

90

4.14%

No opinion (5)

56

2.58%

 

Total who responded

2174

66.65%

Average

1.35

  

6. On average, how many pages do you print using the printer in your residence cluster?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Less than 5 pages a week (1)

641

29.50%

5 to 15 pages a week (2)

559

25.72%

15 to 35 pages a week (3)

256

11.78%

35 to 50 pages a week (4)

88

4.05%

Over 50 pages a week (5)

46

2.12%

I use my own printer and not the cluster's (6)

583

26.83%

 

Total who responded

2173

66.62%

Average

2.03

  

7. Please rate the quality of printing services in your cluster:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

The printer works fine, no problems (1)

608

28.24%

The printer is fine, but not well supplied with paper and/or toner (2)

402

18.67%

The printer occasionally has problems like losing print jobs or printing garbage characters (3)

391

18.16%

The printer frequently has hardware problems and needs repair (4)

109

5.06%

Other problems (5)

87

4.04%

I use my own printer and not the cluster's (6)

556

25.82%

 

Total who responded

2153

66.00%

Average

2.08

  

8. How would you rate the furnishings provided in your residence cluster (computer furniture, work space, lighting, etc.)?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

347

16.02%

Good (2)

1094

50.51%

Fair (3)

558

25.76%

Poor (4)

119

5.49%

No opinion (5)

48

2.22%

 

Total who responded

2166

66.40%

Average

1.51

  

9. Which if any of the following would substantially increase the usefulness of the residence cluster for you? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

 

Would be great (1)

Would be OK I guess (2)

Couldn't care less (3)

Total who responded

Average

More lower end computers for email, web

149
7.84%

510
26.84%

1241
65.32%

1900
58.25%

1.50

More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers

387
20.34%

399
20.97%

1117
58.70%

1903
58.34%

1.39

More high performance Windows PC computers

909
46.52%

420
21.49%

625
31.99%

1954
59.90%

1.11

More Unix or Linux computers

221
11.77%

349
18.58%

1308
69.65%

1878
57.57%

1.48

Multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing)

674
35.36%

544
28.54%

688
36.10%

1906
58.43%

1.17

Multimedia display equipment (LCD projection for computers, DVD, etc.)

659
34.78%

511
26.97%

725
38.26%

1895
58.09%

1.18

Scanners (on the Row)

834
44.84%

373
20.05%

653
35.11%

1860
57.02%

1.08

Network gaming (e.g. XBox)

487
25.66%

363
19.13%

1048
55.22%

1898
58.19%

1.34

Better black and white printing

702
36.75%

567
29.69%

641
33.56%

1910
58.55%

1.15

Color printing

1090
55.39%

454
23.07%

424
21.54%

1968
60.33%

1.00

More connectivity (network jacks or wireless) for laptops

624
32.82%

516
27.14%

761
40.03%

1901
58.28%

1.21

Large displays that support laptops and collaborative work

570
30.30%

498
26.48%

813
43.22%

1881
57.66%

1.23

More quiet individual study spaces

816
42.28%

501
25.96%

613
31.76%

1930
59.17%

1.12

Better spaces for partner or group study

696
36.14%

577
29.96%

653
33.90%

1926
59.04%

1.17

Other (please specify below)

118
13.75%

33
3.85%

707
82.40%

858
26.30%

0.71

10. How important would these changes be for you? For example, would you still want them if it meant reducing the total number of computers available?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Very important (1)

227

10.94%

Important (2)

729

35.13%

Not very important (3)

923

44.48%

Not important at all (4)

196

9.45%

 

Total who responded

2075

63.61%

Average

1.61

  

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About Residence Computer Clusters (b)

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE NOT used their residence computer cluster this year.

 

1. What are the major reasons you don't use your residence computer cluster? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Use my own computer/peripherals. (1)

452

97.84%

Use other computing resources on campus. (2)

68

14.72%

Have little need for computing, printing, etc. (3)

18

3.90%

Not enough computers/cluster too crowded. (4)

14

3.03%

Need other equipment or systems (please specify below). (5)

10

2.16%

Cluster equipment not dependable. (6)

20

4.33%

Work space or furnishings are inadequate. (7)

17

3.68%

Atmosphere not conducive to my studying needs. (8)

54

11.69%

Other (please specify below). (9)

15

3.25%

 

Total who responded

462

14.16%

Average

0.48

  

2. Which if any of the following would substantially increase the likelihood you would use your residence cluster? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

 

Would be great (1)

Would be OK I guess (2)

Couldn't care less (3)

Total who responded

Average

More lower end computers for email, web

16
4.83%

36
10.88%

279
84.29%

331
10.15%

0.28

More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers

47
14.07%

45
13.47%

242
72.46%

334
10.24%

0.26

More high performance Windows PC computers

99
28.45%

67
19.25%

182
52.30%

348
10.67%

0.24

More Unix or Linux computers

45
13.60%

36
10.88%

250
75.53%

331
10.15%

0.27

Multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing)

114
33.04%

76
22.03%

155
44.93%

345
10.58%

0.22

Multimedia display equipment (LCD projection for computers, DVD, etc.)

127
36.39%

74
21.20%

148
42.41%

349
10.70%

0.22

Scanners (on the Row)

136
38.97%

62
17.77%

151
43.27%

349
10.70%

0.22

Network gaming (e.g. XBox)

109
31.14%

60
17.14%

181
51.71%

350
10.73%

0.24

Better black and white printing

88
26.04%

81
23.96%

169
50.00%

338
10.36%

0.23

Color printing

148
40.66%

82
22.53%

134
36.81%

364
11.16%

0.22

More connectivity (network jacks or wireless) for laptops

90
26.79%

74
22.02%

172
51.19%

336
10.30%

0.23

Large displays that support laptops and collaborative work

99
29.73%

71
21.32%

163
48.95%

333
10.21%

0.22

More quiet individual study spaces

140
39.89%

72
20.51%

139
39.60%

351
10.76%

0.21

Better spaces for partner or group study

123
35.86%

75
21.87%

145
42.27%

343
10.52%

0.22

Other (please specify below)

13
6.77%

8
4.17%

171
89.06%

192
5.89%

0.17

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Public Computer Cluster Use

1. Have you used a public computer cluster this year (Meyer, Tresidder, Green Library, sit-down workstations at Sweet Hall)?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Yes (1)

1503

56.02%

No (2)

1180

43.98%

 

Total who responded

2683

82.25%

Average

1.18

  

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About Public Computer Clusters (a)

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE used a public cluster this year.

1. Which of the following are significant reasons that you use the public computer clusters? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

High performance computers (1)

341

23.57%

Printing (2)

531

36.70%

Scanning (3)

131

9.05%

Unix computing (4)

209

14.44%

Assistive technology in Meyer (5)

80

5.53%

Non-English language support (6)

56

3.87%

Available software, courseware (7)

381

26.33%

Network connection speed (8)

143

9.88%

Availability of consulting/tech help (9)

100

6.91%

Study space away from room (10)

703

48.58%

Convenient location (11)

736

50.86%

Comfortable furnishings (12)

186

12.85%

Group/partner work space available (13)

265

18.31%

Social environment, atmosphere (14)

103

7.12%

Proximity to food or drink (15)

63

4.35%

Other (please specify below) (16)

113

7.81%

 

Total who responded

1447

44.36%

Average

10.14

  

2. About how many total hours per week, on average, do you use public computer clusters in the following locations?

 

 

 

1 to 5 hours (1)

6 to 10 hours (2)

11 to 20 hours (3)

21 to 30 hours (4)

More than 30 hours (5)

Total who responded

Average

MEYER Lobby or 2nd Floor

760
92.80%

41
5.01%

13
1.59%

1
0.12%

4
0.49%

819
25.11%

0.28

MEYER 24 hr. (Unix) cluster

357
94.69%

14
3.71%

3
0.80%

0
0.00%

3
0.80%

377
11.56%

0.13

SWEET HALL

356
78.07%

43
9.43%

29
6.36%

13
2.85%

15
3.29%

456
13.98%

0.20

GREEN LIBRARY

793
91.57%

58
6.70%

10
1.15%

1
0.12%

4
0.46%

866
26.55%

0.30

TRESIDDER

443
92.48%

21
4.38%

8
1.67%

4
0.84%

3
0.63%

479
14.68%

0.17

3. About how many hours per week, on average, do you spend using a public cluster (NOT your personal computer if you have one, and not a residence cluster) for the following activities?

 

 

 

0 hours (1)

Less than 1 hour (2)

1 to 5 hours (3)

6 to 10 hours (4)

11 to 20 hours (5)

More than 20 hours (6)

Total who responded

Average

ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use)

159
11.56%

600
43.60%

460
33.43%

87
6.32%

39
2.83%

31
2.25%

1376
42.18%

1.06

INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)

708
58.71%

380
31.51%

103
8.54%

9
0.75%

2
0.17%

4
0.33%

1206
36.97%

0.57

SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)

803
66.75%

314
26.10%

80
6.65%

4
0.33%

0
0.00%

2
0.17%

1203
36.88%

0.52

ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)

1029
88.94%

108
9.33%

15
1.30%

3
0.26%

0
0.00%

2
0.17%

1157
35.47%

0.40

COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)

1049
91.14%

85
7.38%

11
0.96%

4
0.35%

1
0.09%

1
0.09%

1151
35.29%

0.39

4. How would you rate the availability of public cluster computers for your use?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

626

43.72%

Good (2)

657

45.88%

Fair (3)

119

8.31%

Poor (4)

7

0.49%

No opinion (5)

23

1.61%

 

Total who responded

1432

43.90%

Average

0.75

  

5. How would you rate the maintenance of the computer equipment in the public clusters?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

468

32.59%

Good (2)

707

49.23%

Fair (3)

196

13.65%

Poor (4)

25

1.74%

No opinion (5)

40

2.79%

 

Total who responded

1436

44.02%

Average

0.85

  

6. On average, how many pages do you print using the printers in public cluster?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Less than 5 pages a week (1)

615

42.92%

5 to 15 pages a week (2)

184

12.84%

15 to 35 pages a week (3)

76

5.30%

35 to 50 pages a week (4)

28

1.95%

Over 50 pages a week (5)

15

1.05%

I don't use public printers (6)

515

35.94%

 

Total who responded

1433

43.93%

Average

1.38

  

7. Please rate the quality of printing services in public clusters:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

The printer works fine, no problems (1)

447

31.81%

The printer is fine, but not well supplied with paper and/or toner (2)

144

10.25%

The printer occasionally has problems like losing print jobs or printing garbage characters (3)

173

12.31%

The printer frequently has hardware problems and needs repair (4)

42

2.99%

Other problems (please specify) (5)

51

3.63%

I don't use public printers (6)

548

39.00%

 

Total who responded

1405

43.07%

Average

1.52

  

8. How would you rate the furnishings provided in the public clusters (computer furniture, work space, lighting, etc.)?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Excellent (1)

270

19.05%

Good (2)

796

56.18%

Fair (3)

250

17.64%

Poor (4)

27

1.91%

No opinion (5)

74

5.22%

 

Total who responded

1417

43.44%

Average

0.95

  

9. Which if any of the following would substantially increase the usefulness of the public clusters for you (Select all that apply.)

 

 

 

Would be great (1)

Would be OK I guess (2)

Couldn't care less (3)

Total who responded

Average

More lower end computers for email, web

95
9.52%

210
21.04%

693
69.44%

998
30.59%

0.80

More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers

217
21.53%

156
15.48%

635
63.00%

1008
30.90%

0.75

More high performance Windows PC computers

415
40.06%

172
16.60%

449
43.34%

1036
31.76%

0.65

More Unix or Linux computers

144
14.62%

158
16.04%

683
69.34%

985
30.20%

0.77

Multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing)

327
32.25%

193
19.03%

494
48.72%

1014
31.09%

0.67

Multimedia display equipment (LCD projection for computers, DVD, etc.)

285
28.39%

192
19.12%

527
52.49%

1004
30.78%

0.69

Scanners (on the Row)

323
32.66%

147
14.86%

519
52.48%

989
30.32%

0.67

Network gaming (e.g. XBox)

169
17.02%

147
14.80%

677
68.18%

993
30.44%

0.76

Better black and white printing

314
31.12%

236
23.39%

459
45.49%

1009
30.93%

0.66

Color printing

470
45.06%

201
19.27%

372
35.67%

1043
31.97%

0.61

More connectivity (network jacks or wireless) for laptops

354
35.01%

183
18.10%

474
46.88%

1011
30.99%

0.66

Large displays that support laptops and collaborative work

283
28.39%

197
19.76%

517
51.86%

997
30.56%

0.68

More quiet individual study spaces

391
38.07%

219
21.32%

417
40.60%

1027
31.48%

0.64

Better spaces for partner or group study

359
35.69%

213
21.17%

434
43.14%

1006
30.84%

0.64

Other (please specify below)

61
11.03%

27
4.88%

465
84.09%

553
16.95%

0.46

10. How important would these changes be for you? For example, would you still want them if it meant reducing the total number of computers available?

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Very important (1)

136

10.99%

Important (2)

416

33.60%

Not very important (3)

467

37.72%

Not important at all (4)

219

17.69%

 

Total who responded

1238

37.95%

Average

0.99

  

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About Public Computer Clusters (b)

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE NOT used a public cluster this year.

1. What are the major reasons you don't use the public computer clusters? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Use my own computer/peripherals. (1)

1089

97.15%

Use other computing resources on campus. (2)

282

25.16%

Have little need for computing, printing, etc. (3)

42

3.75%

Not enough computers/clusters too crowded. (4)

29

2.59%

Need other equipment or systems (please specify below). (5)

14

1.25%

Cluster equipment not dependable. (6)

23

2.05%

Work space or furnishings are inadequate. (7)

27

2.41%

Atmosphere not conducive to my studying needs. (8)

139

12.40%

Other (please specify below). (9)

22

1.96%

 

Total who responded

1121

34.37%

Average

1.10

  

2. Which if any of the following would substantially increase the likelihood you would use the public clusters? (Select all that apply.)

 

 

 

Would be great (1)

Would be OK I guess (2)

Couldn't care less (3)

Total who responded

Average

More lower end computers for email, web

37
5.07%

85
11.64%

608
83.29%

730
22.38%

0.62

More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers

89
12.24%

66
9.08%

572
78.68%

727
22.29%

0.59

More high performance Windows PC computers

169
22.56%

100
13.35%

480
64.09%

749
22.96%

0.55

More Unix or Linux computers

44
6.09%

75
10.39%

603
83.52%

722
22.13%

0.61

Multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing)

168
22.61%

116
15.61%

459
61.78%

743
22.78%

0.54

Multimedia display equipment (LCD projection for computers, DVD, etc.)

177
24.08%

106
14.42%

452
61.50%

735
22.53%

0.53

Scanners (on the Row)

181
24.66%

92
12.53%

461
62.81%

734
22.50%

0.54

Network gaming (e.g. XBox)

143
19.32%

82
11.08%

515
69.59%

740
22.69%

0.57

Better black and white printing

162
21.89%

111
15.00%

467
63.11%

740
22.69%

0.55

Color printing

248
32.42%

111
14.51%

406
53.07%

765
23.45%

0.52

More connectivity (network jacks or wireless) for laptops

168
22.98%

111
15.18%

452
61.83%

731
22.41%

0.54

Large displays that support laptops and collaborative work

144
19.73%

118
16.16%

468
64.11%

730
22.38%

0.55

More quiet individual study spaces

199
26.64%

111
14.86%

437
58.50%

747
22.90%

0.53

Better spaces for partner or group study

179
24.16%

118
15.92%

444
59.92%

741
22.72%

0.54

Other (please specify below)

33
6.98%

27
5.71%

413
87.32%

473
14.50%

0.41

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Background Information

1. Gender:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Female (1)

1331

50.53%

Male (2)

1303

49.47%

 

Total who responded

2634

80.75%

Average

1.21

  

2. Entry Status:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Entered Stanford as a freshman (1)

2543

96.84%

Entered Stanford as a transfer (2)

83

3.16%

 

Total who responded

2626

80.50%

Average

0.83

  

3. Major Area of Study:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Engineering (1)

614

23.35%

Humanities (2)

359

13.65%

Natural Sciences (3)

449

17.07%

Social Sciences (4)

642

24.41%

Other (5)

51

1.94%

Undeclared (6)

515

19.58%

 

Total who responded

2630

80.63%

Average

2.63

  

4. Years at Stanford:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

First Year (1)

901

34.31%

Second Year (2)

723

27.53%

Third Year (3)

461

17.56%

Fourth Year (4)

503

19.15%

Fifth + Year (5)

11

0.42%

Co-term (6)

27

1.03%

 

Total who responded

2626

80.50%

Average

1.83

  

5. Citizenship:

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

US citizen/permanent resident (1)

2496

95.27%

International (non-US citizen/permanent resident) (2)

124

4.73%

 

Total who responded

2620

80.32%

Average

0.84

  

6. Optional - Ethnicity (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only):

 

 

Selected Choice/Response

Number

Percentage
(of answered)

Black/African-American (1)

110

4.78%

Asian American/Pacific Islander (2)

443

19.24%

American Indian/Native American (3)

15

0.65%

Asian Indian/South Asian (4)

93

4.04%

Mexican American/Chicano (5)

151

6.56%

Other Latino/a-American (6)

32

1.39%

White (7)

1135

49.28%

Multiracial/Multi-ethnic (8)

238

10.33%

Other (9)

86

3.73%

 

Total who responded

2303

70.60%

Average

3.98

  

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