Student Computing Survey 2003-2004: Undergraduate Results

Summary

Results:

• About Resident Computer Coordinators (RCCs)
• About Wireless Networking
  
  (for those who HAVE Univeristy-provided wireless in their residence)
• About Wireless Networking
  
  (for those who DO NOT HAVE University-provided wireless in their residence)
• About Personal Computing
• Residence Computer Cluster Use
  
• About Residence Computer Clusters (a)
  
  (for those who answered that they HAVE used their residence cluster this year)
• About Residence Computer Clusters (b)
  
  (for those who answered that they HAVE NOT used their residence cluster this year)
• Public Computer Cluster Use
  
• About Public Computer Clusters (a)
  
  (for those who answered that they HAVE used a public cluster this year)
• About Public Computer Clusters (b)
  
  (for those who answered that they HAVE NOT used a public cluster this year)
• Background Information

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Summary

Demographics:

This year, 3038 students or approximately 51% of all undergrads responded to the survey, roughly split evenly between men and women. About 38% were first-year students, 27% sophomores, 18% juniors and 17% seniors.

Use of Computers:

Regarding equipment:

• 98% have their own computer
• 11% have 2 or more computers (not including other computing devices, such as handhelds)
• 76% have a laptop
• 71% have their own printer
• 77% have a cell phone
• 46% have a digital camera or video camera
• 44% have a portable music player (MP3, iPod, etc.)
• 12% have a personal digital assistant (PDA) device or handheld computer
• 7% have a wireless access point or router ("WiFi")

In terms of platform:

• 90% have a Windows PC desktop or laptop
• 18% 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 30% 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 = 68%
2. Social interaction (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 39%
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 = 25%
5. Commerce (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.), 6 or more hours/week = 3%

In general, technology is clearly an integral part of student life with almost all students owning at least one computer and such a significant percentage owning other pieces of technology designed for "everyday" use, such as cell phones, printers and digital cameras. Additionally, students commented that most of their computer use falls into more than one category at a time since they often have multiple windows open and are "multi-tasking" while using their computer. For example, many will be chatting through instant message programs, listening to digital music, surfing the Web, checking email and writing a paper all at the same time.

Here are some sample comments that capture how important computers and technology are to student lives:

• I often have many programs running at once, even if I'm not directly
  interacting with them.
• Computing is a necessity at Stanford.
• I have a special relationship with my computer.
• I love my pc. It is my best friend. If it broke, I would be sad.
• Computer is a constant part of everyday life. Always on,
  always checking email or using Coursework, etc. Definitely a
  fundamental part of life here at school.
• I love my computer and my computer loves me.
• If my computer or Internet connection suddenly stopped working, I would be in big trouble.
• I wouldn't survive without the Internet.
• I don't know what I'd do without my computer.
• I use my computer a lot. I like email :)
• I live and die on my computer.
• I don't understand how people used to live before the Internet existed. Seriously.
• Computers are the best things ever.

In terms of suggestions for improvements to student computing resources and services in general, an overwhelming percentage of comments this year were related to printing costs and wireless networking. Students expressed a great desire for free (or cheaper) printing. This is most likely due to the elimination of "free" printing on the Row and in the Governor's Corner houses this year. (ITSS also eliminated "free" print quotas for Sweet Hall this year.) For more information on these changes in print accounting policy for 2003-2004, click here. In addition to printing costs, students also expressed discontent with the in-room connection fee. Many commented that these services should be free or at the very least, rolled into housing or tuition bills.

Students also asked for increased availability of wireless networking as well as better coverage and quality of service in existing areas. For more information on wireless networking and related survey questions, refer to the wireless networking section below.

Also noteworthy, although to a lesser degree, were students' desire to get more information and have access to more resources on computer security issues, such as how to protect themselves from viruses (or get rid of them if their computers are infected). This is most likely due to the large number of exploits and infections this year because of vulnerabilities in Windows NT-class operating systems (Windows NT, 2000 and XP) and the subsequent implementation of security and risk-reduction measures by the Security office (ITSS) and ResComp.

Wireless Networking

Since the academic year 2002-2003, ResComp, in collaboration with ITSS, has provided wireless networking in some residences as part of an overall residential wireless pilot project. For more information on this project, please visit the Wireless in the Residences FAQ.

This year, wireless has been available in Wilbur Hall, Stern Hall, Florence Moore Hall, Cowell Cluster, Bob (Robert Moore South House) and in the common areas of Roble Hall. Of the people who live in those residences and who responded to the survey, 39% say they use the wireless network at least several times a week, with 27% saying they use it daily. The locations in which the wireless network is most commonly used are in their own rooms (81%), other students' rooms (59%) and in dorm common areas, such as the lounge, hallway, lobby or cluster (79%).

Although the remaining residences do not have University-provided wireless networking, some houses and/or residents have set up wireless networks on their own. For example, 7% of students say they have their own wireless access point or router. In residences with unofficial wireless networks, 20% of students say they use the wireless network at least weekly, with 13% saying they use it daily. Of those students, the locations in which the wireless network is most commonly used are, again, in their own rooms (65%), other students' rooms (64%) and in dorm common areas, such as the lounge, hallway, lobby or cluster (76%).

Students who do not use the wireless network sometimes (or ever) cite the following reasons:

• Trouble connecting (mostly in non-residential areas)
• Wireless is not available everywhere, especially in their residences (so they have not chosen to get a wireless-enabled laptop or wireless card for their existing laptop)
• Quality of the wireless network (not enough coverage/signal, occasional outages, inconsistent service, etc.)

Despite occasional problems with the wireless network, students still expressed a strong desire for wireless networking to become available everywhere on campus. Those who do use the wireless access in the residences or other areas on campus voiced their happiness about the advantages of having the service available at all. Here are some sample comments:

• It makes the dorm more social and more productive when you can work in other people's rooms or in the lounges.
• It is so nice and helpful and is one of the main reasons I choose Stanford over some other universities.
• It is EXTREMELY USEFUL and I hope they continue to expand wireless to more parts of the campus.
• It is very useful and convenient, making work and studying mobile on campus.
• I think it's a great idea and should be available everywhere on campus, in all the residences.
• It is the greatest thing to happen to Alondra since Secret Snowflake.
• Wireless networking is a great way for me to get my work done
  in different areas on campus. One time I was in a class and needed a
  form to follow along and I was able to download it in my seat. That was
  a great feeling that I had access to that kind of networking ability.
• Having wireless Internet access around campus is crucial to my
  current productivity. It is great to be able to take my PowerBook
  anywhere and simply open it to connect to the Internet. It would be
  much more of an inconvenience if wireless service was not available.
  Also, there have been quite a few occasions when the Ethernet
  connection went down throughout the Stern area, but wireless access was
  unaffected, having wireless access helped a LOT -- while students
  without wireless were panicking because they were completely severed
  from the Internet, people with wireless connections were able to remain
  productive. In some areas on campus it is still hard to get wireless
  reception, but overall I think the wireless access points are great
  and definitely help to increase my productivity.
• Wireless definitely should be put into the residences as soon
  as possible. Wireless makes working in groups so much more efficient
  because it doesn't limit us to the bedrooms (especially the small
  Suites rooms).
• Wireless is awesome. It makes my life that much less complicated, something I appreciate as a busy college student.
• It is great to be able to access the Internet and email while
  working on my computer in Terman, the Lair, the Sigma Chi dining room
  or my own room. Wireless access makes my computer and the network much
  more versatile tools than the hardline network allows them to be.
• If it were more widely available, I would definitely take advantage of it and buy a wireless card.
• Wireless is a vital service that Networking and ITSS must continue to support in conjunction with ResComp.

Many students also pointed out that wireless networking should be available because of Stanford's image, noting the University's reputation of being at the cutting edge of technology and that wireless networking everywhere is a service that fits into that image.

RCCs

Resident Computer Coordinators (RCCs) are students who live in each residence and serve on house staffs as local network managers by supporting in-room network connections, educators by running residential programs on computing and working with students in general, consultants by helping residents with computer problems, cluster technicians by helping to take care of the residence clusters, and more. They are managed by the RCC Manager (and the Resident Fellow(s) where applicable) and receive support and training from the entire ResComp central staff. RCCs are the first line of support for residential students and are an integral part of residential life. For more information about RCCs, click here.

Of those students who have asked their RCC for help this past year, 92% percent said they received an initial response in under two days, most receiving a response within the same day, and on averaghe, 61% were able to resolve their computer-related problems within the same day. Ninety-three percent rate their RCC's knowledge as excellent or good and 91% consider their RCC's helpfulness excellent or good.

Residence Computer Cluster Use

ResComp supports a residence cluster in every residence, roughly 350 public computers in 79 locations. Seventy-five percent say they have used a residence computer cluster this year and of those, 83% rate the availability of cluster computers as good or excellent.

The top five reasons for using the residence clusters are:

1. Printing (cited by 44% of cluster users)
2. Study space away from room (42%)
3. Availability of Windows PC computers (37%)
4. Convenient location (33%)
5. Available software, courseware (32%)

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

1. Color printing (cited by 50% of cluster users)
2. More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.) (49%)
3. More high performance Windows PC computers (47%)
4. More support for laptops (e.g. shared displays, wireless networking, laptop-friendly furniture) (46%)
5. More quiet individual study spaces (44%)

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), most people (60%) said they were not very important or not important at all.

Again, a large percentage of comments were complaints about the price of printing, asking for free (or cheaper) printing. Students also commented that they would like scanners in their residence clusters (not all clusters had scanners at the time of the survey) and more Windows computers.

Central Public Computer Cluster Use

Academic Computing, Residential Computing's parent organization, also provides central public computer clusters in Tresidder Union and Meyer Library. Public computers are also available in Green Library. Forty-nine percent of students who answered the survey say they have used one of these clusters this year, with 44% using the clusters on the first and second floors of Meyer (not including the Multimedia Studio), 24% using those in Green, and 15% using those in Tresidder. Nine percent say they have used the Multimedia Studio. Most students use these clusters one to five hours per week and 89% 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 59% of cluster users)
2. Study space away from residence (50%)
3. Availability of Windows PC computers (40%)
4. Printing (32%)
5. Available software, courseware (23%)
6. Availability of Apple Macintosh computers (18%)

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

1. More quiet individual study spaces (cited by 44% of cluster users)
2. Color printing (43%)
3. More support for laptops (e.g., shared displays, wireless networking, laptop-friendly furniture) (42%)
4. More high performance Windows PC computers (37%)
5. More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.) (37%)

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 42% answering important or very important and 58% 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:3039.

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About Your Resident Computer Coordinator - RCC

1. About how many times this year have you asked your RCC for computer related help or advice?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Never asked for help (1)	417	16.63%
Once (2)	552	22.02%
2 to 5 times (3)	1261	50.30%
6 to 10 times (4)	188	7.50%
More than 10 times (5)	89	3.55%
Total who responded	2507	82.49%
Average	2.14

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Same day (1)	1450	58.35%
1 to 2 days (2)	492	19.80%
3 to 5 days (3)	99	3.98%
More than 5 days (4)	32	1.29%
Never received response (5)	37	1.49%
Never asked for help (6)	375	15.09%
Total who responded	2485	81.77%
Average	1.74

3. On average, how quickly have your computer related problems been resolved?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Same day (1)	1273	51.35%
1 to 2 days (2)	558	22.51%
3 to 5 days (3)	144	5.81%
More than 5 days (4)	46	1.86%
Never resolved (5)	79	3.19%
Never asked for help (6)	379	15.29%
Total who responded	2479	81.57%
Average	1.87

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	1384	55.76%
Good (2)	700	28.20%
Fair (3)	122	4.92%
Poor (4)	31	1.25%
No opinion (5)	245	9.87%
Total who responded	2482	81.67%
Average	1.48

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	1407	56.60%
Good (2)	607	24.42%
Fair (3)	172	6.92%
Poor (4)	71	2.86%
No opinion (5)	229	9.21%
Total who responded	2486	81.80%
Average	1.50

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	482	19.41%
Good (2)	350	14.10%
Fair (3)	104	4.19%
Poor (4)	86	3.46%
No opinion/ didn't attend any (5)	1461	58.84%
Total who responded	2483	81.70%
Average	3.01

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About Wireless Networking (Wireless Residences)

This section was answered only by those students who HAVE University-provided wireless in their residence. For more information on wireless networking in the residences, visit the Wireless in the Residences FAQ.

1. Which of the following best describes how often you use the wireless network available in YOUR residence?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	283	26.60%
Weekly (2)	128	12.03%
Monthly (3)	59	5.55%
Quarterly (4)	23	2.16%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	571	53.67%
Total who responded	1064	35.01%
Average	1.21

2. Which of the following best describes how often you use wireless networking available in OTHER residences that you visit?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	61	5.79%
Weekly (2)	101	9.59%
Monthly (3)	89	8.45%
Quarterly (4)	79	7.50%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	723	68.66%
Total who responded	1053	34.65%
Average	1.47

3. If you DO use wireless networking available in student
residences (yours or another residence), in what specific locations do
you use it? (Select all that apply.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Your room (1)	403	80.76%
Other student rooms (2)	296	59.32%
Dining area (3)	120	24.05%
House common areas (lounge, hallway, lobby, cluster, etc.) (4)	395	79.16%
Outdoors (courtyards, adjacent lawns, etc.) (5)	151	30.26%
Total who responded	499	16.42%
Average	1.21

4. Which of the following best describes how often you use
wireless networking available in NON-RESIDENTIAL campus areas (e.g.
Quad, Tresidder, Libraries, etc.)?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	96	10.13%
Weekly (2)	168	17.72%
Monthly (3)	110	11.60%
Quarterly (4)	70	7.38%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	504	53.16%
Total who responded	948	31.19%
Average	1.17

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About Wireless Networking

This section was answered only by those students who DO NOT HAVE University-provided wireless in their residence. For more information on wireless networking in the residences, visit the Wireless in the Residences FAQ.

1. Although your residence does not have University-provided
wireless networking, some houses and/or residents set up their own
wireless access in common areas or individual rooms. Which of the
following best describes how often you use any such ad hoc wireless
networking that may be available in your residence?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	180	12.98%
Weekly (2)	94	6.78%
Monthly (3)	32	2.31%
Quarterly (4)	30	2.16%
Never (no wireless available, or don't have wireless-equipped laptop) (5)	1051	75.78%
Total who responded	1387	45.64%
Average	1.92

2. If University-provided wireless networking WERE available
in your residence, which of the following best describes how often you
would anticipate using it?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	622	45.50%
Weekly (2)	160	11.70%
Monthly (3)	37	2.71%
Quarterly (4)	20	1.46%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	528	38.62%
Total who responded	1367	44.98%
Average	1.24

3. Which of the following best describes how often you use wireless networking available in OTHER residences that you visit?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	92	6.75%
Weekly (2)	174	12.78%
Monthly (3)	88	6.46%
Quarterly (4)	65	4.77%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	943	69.24%
Total who responded	1362	44.82%
Average	1.87

4. If you DO use wireless networking available in student
residences (yours or another residence), in what specific locations do
you use it? (Select all that apply.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Your room (1)	323	65.25%
Other student rooms (2)	319	64.44%
Dining area (3)	220	44.44%
House common areas (lounge, hallway, lobby, cluster, etc.) (4)	376	75.96%
Outdoors (courtyards, adjacent lawns, etc.) (5)	251	50.71%
Total who responded	495	16.29%
Average	1.44

5. Which of the following best describes how often you use
wireless networking available in NON-RESIDENTIAL campus locations
(e.g., Quad, Tresidder, Libraries, etc.)?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Daily (1)	157	12.13%
Weekly (2)	200	15.46%
Monthly (3)	110	8.50%
Quarterly (4)	60	4.64%
Never (or don't have a wireless-equipped laptop or other device) (5)	767	59.27%
Total who responded	1294	42.58%
Average	1.63

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About Your Personal Computing

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	595	23.71%
Good (2)	1112	44.32%
Fair (3)	707	28.18%
Poor (4)	90	3.59%
Don't know (5)	5	0.20%
Total who responded	2509	82.56%
Average	1.75

2. How many personal computers (desktop or laptop) do you
have with you on campus? (Note: if your answer to this question is 0
(zero), please skip questions 4 and 5.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
0 (1)	46	1.84%
1 (2)	2187	87.34%
2 (3)	243	9.70%
3 (4)	19	0.76%
4 or more (5)	9	0.36%
Total who responded	2504	82.40%
Average	1.73

3. Which of the following computers, peripherals, and other electronic devices do you have? (Please select all that apply.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Windows PC desktop/tower (1)	712	28.77%
Windows PC laptop (2)	1513	61.13%
Apple Macintosh desktop/tower/iMac (3)	71	2.87%
Apple Macintosh laptop/Powerbook (4)	367	14.83%
Unix or Linux computer (5)	65	2.63%
Cell phone (6)	1899	76.73%
Printer - inkjet (7)	1497	60.48%
Printer - laser (8)	262	10.59%
Scanner (9)	340	13.74%
Digital camera or video camera (10)	1132	45.74%
Handheld computer (11)	39	1.58%
Personal digital assistant (PDA) (12)	314	12.69%
TV (13)	680	27.47%
Stereo system (14)	732	29.58%
Portable music player (MP3, iPod, etc.) (15)	1088	43.96%
Wireless access point or router ("WiFi") (16)	182	7.35%
Total who responded	2475	81.44%
Average	28.50

4. 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)	68	2.78%
6 to 10 hours (2)	271	11.08%
11 to 20 hours (3)	732	29.93%
21 to 30 hours (4)	651	26.61%
More than 30 hours (5)	724	29.60%
Total who responded	2446	80.49%
Average	2.97

5. 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)	8 0.33%	43 1.77%	715 29.50%	857 35.35%	574 23.68%	227 9.36%	2424 79.76%	3.26
INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)	65 2.75%	421 17.79%	1294 54.67%	430 18.17%	111 4.69%	46 1.94%	2367 77.89%	2.42
SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)	48 2.01%	254 10.63%	1157 48.43%	574 24.03%	236 9.88%	120 5.02%	2389 78.61%	2.71
ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)	196 8.27%	528 22.29%	965 40.73%	417 17.60%	158 6.67%	105 4.43%	2369 77.95%	2.38
COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)	581 24.63%	1106 46.88%	604 25.60%	51 2.16%	6 0.25%	11 0.47%	2359 77.62%	1.61

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Residence Cluster Use

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Yes (1)	1886	74.25%
No (2)	654	25.75%
Total who responded	2540	83.58%
Average	1.05

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About Your Residence Computer Cluster

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE used their residential 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)
Availability of Windows PC computers (1)	676	37.06%
Availability of Apple Macintosh computers (2)	323	17.71%
Available software, courseware (3)	592	32.46%
Multimedia (scanning, video editing, etc.) (4)	302	16.56%
Printing (5)	800	43.86%
Study space away from room (6)	768	42.11%
Availability of group/partner work space (7)	278	15.24%
Convenient location (8)	593	32.51%
Social environment, atmosphere (9)	170	9.32%
Other (please specify below) (10)	264	14.47%
Total who responded	1824	60.02%
Average	7.82

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)	1640	91.67%
6 to 10 hours (2)	93	5.20%
11 to 20 hours (3)	37	2.07%
21 to 30 hours (4)	13	0.73%
More than 30 hours (5)	6	0.34%
Total who responded	1789	58.87%
Average	0.66

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)	250 14.21%	850 48.32%	571 32.46%	62 3.52%	20 1.14%	6 0.34%	1759 57.88%	1.33
INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)	1078 67.50%	386 24.17%	112 7.01%	13 0.81%	5 0.31%	3 0.19%	1597 52.55%	0.75
SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)	1124 70.47%	347 21.76%	105 6.58%	12 0.75%	6 0.38%	1 0.06%	1595 52.48%	0.73
ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)	1286 81.50%	232 14.70%	46 2.92%	10 0.63%	3 0.19%	1 0.06%	1578 51.92%	0.64
COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)	1375 88.14%	153 9.81%	26 1.67%	3 0.19%	1 0.06%	2 0.13%	1560 51.33%	0.59

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	769	42.51%
Good (2)	733	40.52%
Fair (3)	220	12.16%
Poor (4)	48	2.65%
No opinion (5)	39	2.16%
Total who responded	1809	59.53%
Average	1.08

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	575	31.82%
Good (2)	827	45.77%
Fair (3)	262	14.50%
Poor (4)	74	4.10%
No opinion (5)	69	3.82%
Total who responded	1807	59.46%
Average	1.20

6. 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)	376	20.80%
Good (2)	783	43.31%
Fair (3)	470	26.00%
Poor (4)	136	7.52%
No opinion (5)	43	2.38%
Total who responded	1808	59.49%
Average	1.35

7. Which of the following best describes your experience with printing services in your cluster?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
I don't use the cluster printer (1)	762	42.22%
The printer works fine, few or no problems (2)	457	25.32%
The printer is fine, but not well supplied with paper and/or toner (3)	224	12.41%
The printer occasionally has problems like losing print jobs or printing garbage characters (4)	219	12.13%
The printer frequently has hardware problems and needs repair (5)	74	4.10%
Other problems (6)	69	3.82%
Total who responded	1805	59.39%
Average	1.32

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
I don't use the residence cluster printer (1)	881	49.16%
Less than 5 pages a week (2)	557	31.08%
5 to 15 pages a week (3)	268	14.96%
15 to 35 pages a week (4)	64	3.57%
35 to 50 pages a week (5)	12	0.67%
Over 50 pages a week (6)	10	0.56%
Total who responded	1792	58.97%
Average	1.04

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
Email & Web kiosks	257 16.59%	473 30.54%	819 52.87%	1549 50.97%	1.20
More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers	313 20.18%	357 23.02%	881 56.80%	1551 51.04%	1.21
More high performance Windows PC computers	719 44.97%	355 22.20%	525 32.83%	1599 52.62%	0.99
Availability of Unix or Linux computers	178 11.69%	290 19.04%	1055 69.27%	1523 50.12%	1.29
More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.)	778 49.05%	400 25.22%	408 25.73%	1586 52.19%	0.92
Color printing	809 50.37%	421 26.21%	376 23.41%	1606 52.85%	0.91
More support for laptops (e.g., shared displays, wireless networking, laptop-friendly furniture)	726 45.80%	336 21.20%	523 33.00%	1585 52.16%	0.98
More quiet individual study spaces	695 43.82%	416 26.23%	475 29.95%	1586 52.19%	0.97
Better defined spaces for partner or group work	517 33.31%	423 27.26%	612 39.43%	1552 51.07%	1.05
Network gaming (e.g. XBox)	394 25.18%	271 17.32%	900 57.51%	1565 51.50%	1.20
Other (please specify in Question 11)	92 9.77%	50 5.31%	800 84.93%	942 31.00%	0.85

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)	177	10.26%
Important (2)	513	29.74%
Not very important (3)	808	46.84%
Not important at all (4)	227	13.16%
Total who responded	1725	56.76%
Average	1.49

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About Your Residence Computer Cluster

This section was completed by those who answered that they HAVE NOT used their residential 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)	613	98.24%
Use other computing resources on campus. (2)	68	10.90%
Have little need for computing, printing, etc. (3)	16	2.56%
Not enough computers/cluster too crowded. (4)	10	1.60%
Need other equipment or systems (please specify below). (5)	13	2.08%
Cluster equipment not dependable. (6)	37	5.93%
Work space or furnishings are inadequate. (7)	18	2.88%
Atmosphere not conducive to my studying needs. (8)	64	10.26%
Other (please specify below). (9)	11	1.76%
Total who responded	624	20.53%
Average	0.61

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
Email & Web kiosks	45 9.93%	91 20.09%	317 69.98%	453 14.91%	0.39
More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers	48 10.32%	70 15.05%	347 74.62%	465 15.30%	0.40
More high performance Windows PC computers	115 24.47%	92 19.57%	263 55.96%	470 15.47%	0.36
Availability of Unix or Linux computers	46 10.20%	58 12.86%	347 76.94%	451 14.84%	0.40
More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.)	198 40.41%	108 22.04%	184 37.55%	490 16.12%	0.32
Color printing	174 35.37%	116 23.58%	202 41.06%	492 16.19%	0.33
More support for laptops (e.g., shared displays, wireless networking, laptop-friendly furniture)	160 33.61%	99 20.80%	217 45.59%	476 15.66%	0.33
More quiet individual study spaces	184 38.17%	106 21.99%	192 39.83%	482 15.86%	0.32
Better defined spaces for partner or group work	138 29.36%	112 23.83%	220 46.81%	470 15.47%	0.34
Network gaming (e.g. XBox)	140 29.05%	74 15.35%	268 55.60%	482 15.86%	0.36
Other (please specify below in Question 3)	27 8.68%	15 4.82%	269 86.50%	311 10.23%	0.28

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Public Computer Cluster Use

1. Have you used a public computer cluster this year in any of
these locations: Meyer, Tresidder, or sit-down workstations in Green
Library?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Yes (1)	1237	49.24%
No (2)	1275	50.76%
Total who responded	2512	82.66%
Average	1.25

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About Your Public Computer Clusters

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 in Meyer, Tresidder, or Green? (Select all
that apply.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Availability of Windows PC computers (1)	476	40.20%
Availability of Apple Macintosh computers (2)	213	17.99%
Available software, courseware (3)	269	22.72%
Multimedia (scanning, video editing, etc.) (4)	160	13.51%
Printing (5)	377	31.84%
Assistive technology in Meyer (6)	52	4.39%
Non-English language support (7)	47	3.97%
Wireless availability (8)	111	9.38%
Availability of consulting/tech help (9)	69	5.83%
Convenient location (10)	699	59.04%
Study space away from residence (11)	592	50.00%
Availability of group/partner work space (12)	168	14.19%
Social environment, atmosphere (13)	92	7.77%
Other (please specify below) (14)	94	7.94%
Total who responded	1184	38.96%
Average	8.03

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	653 96.31%	17 2.51%	6 0.88%	1 0.15%	1 0.15%	678 22.31%	0.23
MEYER 2nd floor	454 94.58%	20 4.17%	4 0.83%	1 0.21%	1 0.21%	480 15.79%	0.17
MEYER Multimedia Studio	260 95.59%	8 2.94%	2 0.74%	1 0.37%	1 0.37%	272 8.95%	0.10
GREEN LIBRARY	671 93.72%	38 5.31%	4 0.56%	2 0.28%	1 0.14%	716 23.56%	0.25
TRESIDDER	434 92.54%	26 5.54%	7 1.49%	1 0.21%	1 0.21%	469 15.43%	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)	150 13.40%	520 46.47%	380 33.96%	51 4.56%	15 1.34%	3 0.27%	1119 36.82%	0.86
INFORMATION (news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)	567 56.70%	350 35.00%	80 8.00%	1 0.10%	1 0.10%	1 0.10%	1000 32.91%	0.50
SOCIAL INTERACTION (social email or discussion groups, instant messaging, chat, etc.)	667 68.20%	251 25.66%	57 5.83%	1 0.10%	1 0.10%	1 0.10%	978 32.18%	0.45
ENTERTAINMENT (music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)	846 88.40%	93 9.72%	16 1.67%	0 0.00%	1 0.10%	1 0.10%	957 31.49%	0.36
COMMERCE (shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)	863 90.75%	78 8.20%	7 0.74%	0 0.00%	2 0.21%	1 0.11%	951 31.29%	0.35

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	487	41.52%
Good (2)	557	47.49%
Fair (3)	90	7.67%
Poor (4)	13	1.11%
No opinion (5)	26	2.22%
Total who responded	1173	38.60%
Average	0.68

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Excellent (1)	373	31.88%
Good (2)	558	47.69%
Fair (3)	153	13.08%
Poor (4)	36	3.08%
No opinion (5)	50	4.27%
Total who responded	1170	38.50%
Average	0.77

6. 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)	304	26.12%
Good (2)	589	50.60%
Fair (3)	200	17.18%
Poor (4)	40	3.44%
No opinion (5)	31	2.66%
Total who responded	1164	38.30%
Average	0.79

7. Which of the following best describes your experience with printing services in the public clusters?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
I don't print in Meyer, Green, or Tresidder (1)	635	54.84%
The printers work fine, few or no problems (2)	325	28.07%
The printers are fine, but not well supplied with paper and/or toner (3)	33	2.85%
The printers occasionally have problems like losing print jobs or printing garbage characters (4)	103	8.89%
The printers frequently have hardware problems and needs repair (5)	22	1.90%
Other problems (please specify) (6)	40	3.45%
Total who responded	1158	38.10%
Average	0.71

8. On average, how many pages do you print using the printers in Meyer, Green, Tresidder?

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
I don't print in Meyer, Green, or Tresidder (1)	674	58.86%
Less than 5 pages a week (2)	328	28.65%
5 to 15 pages a week (3)	104	9.08%
15 to 35 pages a week (4)	29	2.53%
35 to 50 pages a week (5)	5	0.44%
Over 50 pages a week (6)	5	0.44%
Total who responded	1145	37.68%
Average	0.60

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
Email & Web kiosks	239 25.92%	220 23.86%	463 50.22%	922 30.34%	0.68
More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers	167 18.37%	176 19.36%	566 62.27%	909 29.91%	0.73
More high performance Windows PC computers	348 37.10%	218 23.24%	372 39.66%	938 30.87%	0.63
Availability of Unix or Linux computers	97 10.92%	162 18.24%	629 70.83%	888 29.22%	0.76
More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.)	333 36.71%	206 22.71%	368 40.57%	907 29.85%	0.61
Color printing	400 42.60%	199 21.19%	340 36.21%	939 30.90%	0.60
More support for laptops (e.g., shared displays, wireless networking, laptop-friendly-furniture)	387 41.66%	163 17.55%	379 40.80%	929 30.57%	0.61
More quiet individual study spaces	409 43.79%	208 22.27%	317 33.94%	934 30.73%	0.58
Better defined spaces for partner or group work	330 36.42%	208 22.96%	368 40.62%	906 29.81%	0.61
Network gaming (e.g. XBox)	156 17.16%	124 13.64%	629 69.20%	909 29.91%	0.75
Other (please specify in Question 12)	38 6.31%	39 6.48%	525 87.21%	602 19.81%	0.56

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)	103	9.63%
Important (2)	345	32.24%
Not very important (3)	434	40.56%
Not important at all (4)	188	17.57%
Total who responded	1070	35.21%
Average	0.94

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About Your Public Computer Clusters

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 in Meyer, Tresidder, and Green? (Select all that apply.)

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Use my own computer/peripherals. (1)	1158	95.62%
Use other computing resources on campus. (2)	246	20.31%
Have little need for computing, printing, etc. (3)	62	5.12%
Not enough computers/clusters too crowded. (4)	31	2.56%
Need other equipment or systems (please specify below). (5)	6	0.50%
Cluster equipment not dependable. (6)	28	2.31%
Work space or furnishings are inadequate. (7)	31	2.56%
Atmosphere not conducive to my studying needs. (8)	153	12.63%
Inconvenient operating hours. (9)	40	3.30%
Other (please specify below). (10)	22	1.82%
Total who responded	1211	39.85%
Average	1.38

2. Which if any of the following would substantially increase the
likelihood you would use the clusters in Meyer, Green, or Tresidder?
(Select all that apply.)

	Would be great (1)	Would be OK I guess (2)	Couldn't care less (3)	Total who responded	Average
Email & Web kiosks	121 13.91%	163 18.74%	586 67.36%	870 28.63%	0.73
More high performance Apple Macintosh OS X computers	79 9.10%	111 12.79%	678 78.11%	868 28.56%	0.77
More high performance Windows PC computers	205 23.03%	123 13.82%	562 63.15%	890 29.29%	0.70
Availability of Unix or Linux computers	55 6.47%	103 12.12%	692 81.41%	850 27.97%	0.77
More multimedia production equipment (e.g. video editing, scanning, etc.)	233 26.33%	161 18.19%	491 55.48%	885 29.12%	0.67
Color printing	242 27.22%	161 18.11%	486 54.67%	889 29.25%	0.67
More support for laptops (e.g., shared displays, laptop-friendly furniture)	223 25.31%	134 15.21%	524 59.48%	881 28.99%	0.68
More quiet individual study spaces	255 28.78%	143 16.14%	488 55.08%	886 29.15%	0.66
Better defined spaces for partner or group work	209 23.97%	155 17.78%	508 58.26%	872 28.69%	0.67
Network gaming (e.g. XBox)	134 15.21%	107 12.15%	640 72.64%	881 28.99%	0.75
Other (please specify in Question 3)	30 4.42%	44 6.48%	605 89.10%	679 22.34%	0.64

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Background Information

1. Gender:

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Female (1)	1265	50.62%
Male (2)	1234	49.38%
Total who responded	2499	82.23%
Average	1.23

2. Entry Status:

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Entered Stanford as a freshman (1)	2422	97.31%
Entered Stanford as a transfer (2)	67	2.69%
Total who responded	2489	81.90%
Average	0.84

3. Major Area of Study:

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Engineering (1)	549	21.97%
Humanities (2)	346	13.85%
Natural Sciences (3)	483	19.33%
Social Sciences (4)	622	24.89%
Other (5)	43	1.72%
Undeclared (6)	456	18.25%
Total who responded	2499	82.23%
Average	2.67

4. Years at Stanford:

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
First Year (1)	940	37.72%
Second Year (2)	664	26.65%
Third Year (3)	457	18.34%
Fourth Year (4)	418	16.77%
Fifth + Year (5)	5	0.20%
Co-term (6)	8	0.32%
Total who responded	2492	82.00%
Average	1.77

5. Citizenship:

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
US citizen/permanent resident (1)	2375	95.53%
International (non-US citizen/permanent resident) (2)	111	4.47%
Total who responded	2486	81.80%
Average	0.85

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

Selected Choice/Response	Number	Percentage (of answered)
Black/African-American (1)	111	5.14%
Asian American/Pacific Islander (2)	418	19.36%
American Indian/Native American (3)	30	1.39%
Asian Indian/South Asian (4)	97	4.49%
Mexican American/Chicano (5)	158	7.32%
Other Latino/a-American (6)	46	2.13%
White/Caucasian/Non-Minority (7)	1001	46.36%
Multiracial/Multi-ethnic (8)	230	10.65%
Other (9)	68	3.15%
Total who responded	2159	71.04%
Average	3.93

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