Student Computing Survey 2008-2009: Graduate Results

Home » Student Computing Survey 2008-2009: Graduate Results

Summary

Results

 

Summary

Demographics:

This year, 992 students or 12% of all graduate students responded to the survey, with more men (63%) responding than women. Fifty-nine percent were PhD/EdD students, 34% Masters, 4% MBA, 4% JD, 4% MD and the remaining in MFA or other degree programs. Fifty-percent were in the School of Engineering, 25% in Humanities and Sciences, 10% in Medicine, 5% in Business, 5% in Law, 5% in Education, and 3% in Earth Sciences.

Use of Computers and Related Equipment

Regarding equipment of those who responded to the survey:

  • Almost 100% have their own computer
  • 53% have 2 or more computers (not including other computing devices, such as handhelds)
  • 90% have a laptop
  • 12% run more than one operating system on the same machine
  • 32% have an iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Palm, or other handheld
  • 35% have their own printer
  • 31% have an iPod or other media player (not including iPhone, iPod touch)
  • 14% have a Game console (XBox, PlayStation, etc.)
  • 14% have a wireless access point or router (WiFi)

In terms of platform:

  • 75% have a Windows PC desktop or laptop
  • 37% have a Mac desktop or laptop
  • 15% have a Unix or Linux computer

Most students say they use their computers between four to eight hours a day, with 21% four to six hours a day, 29% six to eight hours a day, and 35% more than 8 hours a day.

Students were asked to rank how often they use their personal computers for activities in five broad categories. The most popular results were, in order:

  1. ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use)
  2. INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.)
  3. SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.)
  4. ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.)
  5. COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.)

With 90% of students with laptops, students were asked specifically where around campus they used their laptops. The top five locations listed were:

  1. Your room on campus (93%)
  2. Classrooms (43%)
  3. Department or administrative offices (40%)
  4. Other students' rooms (27%)
  5. Other libraries (24%)

Students were also asked about their email use-- 50% of students said they forward their stanford.edu email to a different email service. Forty-three percent of students used the general Stanford email service (@stanford.edu) while 50% used GMail to check their email.

Students were asked to rank various ways of getting to know new people. The most popular results were, in order:

  1. Face to face
  2. Email
  3. Facebook
  4. Phone
  5. Instant messaging
  6. Texting

When asked about how they communicated with people who do NOT live in their residence, the most popular results were, in order:

  1. Email
  2. Phone
  3. Face to face
  4. Facebook
  5. Instant messaging
  6. Texting

For communicating with people who live in the SAME residence, the most popular results were, in order:

  1. Face to face
  2. Email
  3. Phone
  4. Facebook
  5. Instant messaging
  6. Texting

Many students commented on the need for better wireless coverage and connectivity in their residences. Some students also commented on slow network speeds, partially because of the traffic shaping that occurs on campus, prioritizing certain types of Interface traffic over others.

Off-Campus Students

A significant portion of graduate students live off campus and this year and this year, students who live off-campus were included in the survey. Of those who responded-- only 3% of those who answered the survey-- the most popular way of getting computer help were:

  1. Friends of family (62%)
  2. Non-Stanford websites (Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc.) (48%)
  3. IT Services website (24%)
  4. Residential Computing website (21%)
  5. Academic department tech support (17%)

To use their iPhone, computer, etc. while on campus, most off-campus students used the Stanford Network Self-Registration service (57%), Academic department tech support (32%), or the Residential Computing registration system (typically students assigned to Oak Creek) (25%).

RCCs

Resident Computer Consultants (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.

Fifty-two percent of students said they have asked their RCC for computer related help or advice with the majority of them (92%) asking for help one to five times this past year (the survey was conducted near the end of the academic year). The majority of questions were related to the wireless network (76%). Other kinds of questions included those related to the cluster printer (24%), software programs (19%) and the wired network (19%).

On average, 90% of requests were resolved within two days with 78% of those requests being resolved within 24 hours. Of course, in some cases it takes a longer time to resolve issues. In those cases, 63% of students responded that students felt that the RCC's response time was reasonable.

Eighty-nine percent of students rated their RCC's knowledge as excellent or good and 86% rated their RCC's availability to help as always or usually available.

Residence Computing Spaces

Residential Computing supports a computer cluster in every residence, roughly 360 public computers in 80 locations. Forty-two percent of students said they have used a residence computing space (computer cluster) this year for any purpose (computer use, printing, study, etc.). Of those students, most students said they either used it regularly (at least once a month) (31%) or rarely (once or twice a quarter) (58%).

The top five most significant reasons for using the residence clusters are:

  1. Printing (67%)
  2. Availability of specialized software (Matlab, Mathematica, Photoshop, etc.) (55%)
  3. Multimedia production (scanning, video editing, etc.) (47%)
  4. Study space away from room (44%)
  5. Availability of group/partner work space (36%)

We have been gradually rolling out color printing in the residences, but it has proven to be rather expensive to support, and we are considering ways to have it break even. When asked how palatable certain changes would be, students ranked the changes, in order:

  1. Paying more for color printing only, e.g. 25¢/page, with grayscale printing remaining the same
  2. Having only grayscale printers in the residences, with color printers available in Meyer and Tresidder
  3. Paying more for printing, e.g. 15¢/page

Many students commented on the need for cheaper or free printing. Students also said they wanted better lighting, more comfortable chairs, better air conditioning and other improvements to their computing spaces.

Public Computing Spaces

Student Computing, Residential Computing's parent organization, also provides central public computer clusters, equipment for checkout (e.g., laptop, video camera) and study space in Meyer Library, Green Library, other branch libraries, Tresidder LAIR and the community centers. Consulting support is also provided at the Meyer Tech Desk by Consulting and Multimedia Services (CAMS), another part of Student Computing. Forty-eight percent of students who answered the survey say they have used one of these spaces this year

Students were asked how often they used specific public computing or study locations. Students said they used the following spaces regularly (at least once a month) or often (more than once a week), in order:

  1. Any library other than Meyer or Green (20% of cluster users)
  2. Green Library (other study or computer spaces) (14%)
  3. Meyer Lobby (1st floor) (9%)
  4. Meyer 24-hour Study Room (1st floor) (9%)
  5. Meyer 2nd floor study/computing space (7%)

The most significant reasons students used public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library are, in order:

  1. Study space away from residence (68% of cluster users)
  2. General printing (56%)
  3. Availability of group/partner work space (49%)
  4. Avilability of specialized software (Matlab, Mathematica, Photoshop, etc.) (47%)
  5. Availability of general software (Web, email, Word) (41%)

The second floor of Meyer also houses the Multimedia Studio. Students who use the space use it for a variety of multimedia purposes, such as image scanning (67% of Multimedia Studio users), text document scanning (OCR) (30%), and digital video editing (24%).

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Results

Total who responded to this survey: 992.

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About Your Resident Computer Consultant (RCC)

Field summary for 1:
About how many times this year have you asked your Resident Computer Consultant (RCC) for computer related help or advice, or been contacted by your RCC to resolve a problem?
Answer Count Percentage
I didn't know I had an RCC (1) 109 11.90%  
I never asked for help or haven't been contacted (2) 332 36.24%  
Once (3) 263 28.71%  
2 to 5 times (4) 201 21.94%  
6 to 10 times (5) 9 0.98%  
More than 10 times (6) 2 0.22%  

 

Field summary for 3:
What kinds of questions (if any) have you directed to your RCC this year?
Answer Count Percentage
Wireless network (1) 339 42.06%  
Wired network (2) 198 24.57%  
Virus/Spyware/Adware (3) 24 2.98%  
Computer or network security (4) 16 1.99%  
Copyright and File-sharing (5) 3 0.37%  
Hard drive (6) 7 0.87%  
Software programs (7) 15 1.86%  
Personal printer (8) 5 0.62%  
Cluster printer (9) 11 1.36%  
Cluster computer (10) 11 1.36%  
Other peripherals/devices (e.g. camera, scanner) (11) 9 1.12%  
Technology purchasing advice (12) 5 0.62%  
Unrelated to technology (e.g. academic or personal issues) (13) 4 0.50%  
None (14) 347 43.05%  
Other 41 5.09%  

 

Field summary for 4:
On average, how quickly have your computer related problems been resolved?
Answer Count Percentage
Same day (1) 137 18.49%  
24 hours (2) 180 24.29%  
2 days (3) 99 13.36%  
3-5 days (4) 44 5.94%  
More than 5 days (5) 13 1.75%  
Never received response (6) 13 1.75%  
Never asked for help (7) 255 34.41%  

 

Field summary for 4.L:
Sometimes it may take a longer time to resolve issues.  If your RCC took more than 2 days to resolve your problems, based on your understanding, do you think your RCC's response time was reasonable?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 27 62.79%  
Other 13 30.23%  

 

Field summary for 5 [1]:
After contacting your RCC, how do you generally prefer to have your problems resolved?[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
Email (1) 578 78.21%  
Phone (2) 57 7.71%  
In Person (3) 97 13.13%  
Other (please specify below) (4) 7 0.95%  

 

Field summary for 5 [2]:
After contacting your RCC, how do you generally prefer to have your problems resolved?[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
Email (1) 76 10.28%  
Phone (2) 316 42.76%  
In Person (3) 202 27.33%  
Other (please specify below) (4) 2 0.27%  

 

Field summary for 5 [3]:
After contacting your RCC, how do you generally prefer to have your problems resolved?[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
Email (1) 64 8.66%  
Phone (2) 165 22.33%  
In Person (3) 256 34.64%  
Other (please specify below) (4) 6 0.81%  

 

Field summary for 5 [4]:
After contacting your RCC, how do you generally prefer to have your problems resolved?[Ranking 4]
Answer Count Percentage
Email (1) 2 0.27%  
Phone (2) 2 0.27%  
In Person (3) 1 0.14%  
Other (please specify below) (4) 32 4.33%  

 

Field summary for 6:
How would you rate your RCC's knowledge?
Answer Count Percentage
Excellent (1) 205 32.23%  
Good (2) 188 29.56%  
Fair (3) 36 5.66%  
Poor (4) 5 0.79%  
No opinion (5) 202 31.76%  

 

Field summary for 7:
How would you rate your RCC's availability?
Answer Count Percentage
Always available (1) 132 21.15%  
Usually available (2) 256 41.03%  
Usually not available (3) 29 4.65%  
Never available (4) 7 1.12%  
Never asked for help (5) 200 32.05%  

 

Field summary for 8:
How would you rate your RCC's educational programs, workshops, or presentations?
Answer Count Percentage
Excellent (1) 28 6.17%  
Good (2) 32 7.05%  
Fair (3) 11 2.42%  
Poor (4) 4 0.88%  
No opinion (5) 379 83.48%  

 

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Off Campus Students

Field summary for 1:
How do you normally get computer help?
Answer Count Percentage
Friends or family (1) 18 62.07%  
Academic department tech support (2) 5 17.24%  
Stanford Campus Help Desk (5-HELP or HelpSU) (3) 4 13.79%  
Meyer second floor Tech Desk (4) 1 3.45%  
Residential Computing website (5) 6 20.69%  
IT Services website (6) 7 24.14%  
Other Stanford websites (7) 0 0.00%  
Non-Stanford websites (Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc.) (8) 14 48.28%  
Local computer store (including Stanford Bookstore) (9) 0 0.00%  
Books or manuals (10) 1 3.45%  
I don't (11) 4 13.79%  
Other 2 6.90%  

 

Field summary for 2:
If you use your computer, iPhone, etc. while you are on-campus, how did you register it for use on the network?
Answer Count Percentage
Academic department tech support (1) 9 32.14%  
Stanford Campus Help Desk (5-HELP or HelpSU) (2) 2 7.14%  
Stanford Network Self-Registration (3) 16 57.14%  
Residential Computing registration system (typically students assigned to Oak Creek) (4) 7 25.00%  
I don't, I didn't (5) 0 0.00%  
Other 2 7.14%  

 

Field summary for 3:
How easy was the process for registering your computer, iPhone, etc. for use on-campus?
Answer Count Percentage
Very easy (1) 5 17.24%  
Easy (2) 11 37.93%  
Neutral (3) 10 34.48%  
Difficult (4) 3 10.34%  
Very difficult (5) 0 0.00%  

 

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About Your Personal Computing

Field summary for 1:
Which of the following devices do you have?
Answer Count Percentage
Windows PC desktop/tower (1) 217 22.89%  
Windows PC laptop (2) 688 72.57%  
Apple Mac desktop/tower/iMac (3) 52 5.49%  
Apple laptop (4) 338 35.65%  
Unix or Linux computer (5) 143 15.08%  
computer running more than one operating system (check type above as well) (6) 113 11.92%  
iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Palm, or other handheld (7) 303 31.96%  
Printer (8) 330 34.81%  
iPod or other media player (not including iPhone, iPod touch) (12) 298 31.43%  
Game console (Wii, XBox, PlayStation, etc.) (14) 134 14.14%  
Wireless access point or router (WiFi) (16) 136 14.35%  
None (17) 1 0.11%  

 

Field summary for 2:
How many personal computers (desktop or laptop) do you own?
Answer Count Percentage
0 (1) 3 0.32%  
1 (2) 440 46.66%  
2 (3) 361 38.28%  
3 (4) 106 11.24%  
4 or more (5) 33 3.50%  

 

Field summary for 3.S1:
When did you acquire your current primary computer?
Answer Count Percentage
Before I was accepted by Stanford (1) 329 35.57%  
After I was accepted but before I arrived on campus (2) 141 15.24%  
After I arrived on campus (3) 455 49.19%  

 

Field summary for 3.S2:
How easy was the process for registering your computer, iPhone, etc. for use on-campus?
Answer Count Percentage
Very easy (1) 95 10.61%  
Easy (2) 380 42.46%  
Neutral (3) 254 28.38%  
Difficult (4) 134 14.97%  
Very difficult (5) 32 3.58%  

 

Field summary for 3.S3:
About how many total hours per day, on average, do you use your personal computer(s) (NOT public or cluster computers)?
Answer Count Percentage
More than 8 hours (1) 323 34.69%  
6 to 8 hours (2) 268 28.79%  
4 to 6 hours (3) 200 21.48%  
2 to 4 hours (4) 119 12.78%  
Less than 2 hours (5) 21 2.26%  

 

Field summary for 3.S4 [1]:
Please rank how often you use your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities. Don't rank activities in which you don't participate.[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use) (1) 663 71.14%  
INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.) (2) 144 15.45%  
SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.) (3) 63 6.76%  
ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.) (4) 59 6.33%  
COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.) (5) 3 0.32%  

 

Field summary for 3.S4 [2]:
Please rank how often you use your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities. Don't rank activities in which you don't participate.[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use) (1) 135 14.48%  
INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.) (2) 428 45.92%  
SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.) (3) 206 22.10%  
ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.) (4) 138 14.81%  
COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.) (5) 20 2.15%  

 

Field summary for 3.S4 [3]:
Please rank how often you use your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities. Don't rank activities in which you don't participate.[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use) (1) 75 8.05%  
INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.) (2) 201 21.57%  
SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.) (3) 281 30.15%  
ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.) (4) 253 27.15%  
COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.) (5) 102 10.94%  

 

Field summary for 3.S4 [4]:
Please rank how often you use your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities. Don't rank activities in which you don't participate.[Ranking 4]
Answer Count Percentage
ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use) (1) 40 4.29%  
INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.) (2) 98 10.52%  
SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.) (3) 210 22.53%  
ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.) (4) 277 29.72%  
COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.) (5) 243 26.07%  

 

Field summary for 3.S4 [5]:
Please rank how often you use your personal computer(s) (not public or cluster computers) for the following activities. Don't rank activities in which you don't participate.[Ranking 5]
Answer Count Percentage
ACADEMICS (any course related computer or Internet use) (1) 17 1.82%  
INFORMATION (online news, jobs, travel, medical, etc.) (2) 39 4.18%  
SOCIAL INTERACTION (Facebook, instant messaging, social email, etc.) (3) 127 13.63%  
ENTERTAINMENT (online music, video, gaming, hobbies, etc.) (4) 148 15.88%  
COMMERCE (online shopping, banking, investing, auctions, etc.) (5) 463 49.68%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(1):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Classrooms]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 360 43.27%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 472 56.73%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(2):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Meyer]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 81 11.22%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 641 88.78%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(3):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Green Library]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 154 20.45%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 599 79.55%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(4):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Other libraries]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 178 24.02%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 563 75.98%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(5):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Tresidder Computer Center ("LAIR")]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 20 2.84%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 685 97.16%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(6):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Tresidder elsewhere]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 67 9.46%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 641 90.54%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(7):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Old Union]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 107 14.82%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 615 85.18%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(8):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Department or administrative offices]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 300 40.38%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 443 59.62%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(9):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Campus outdoor areas (White Plaza, Quad, etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 152 20.91%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 575 79.09%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(10):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Your room on campus]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 789 92.71%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 62 7.29%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(11):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Other students' rooms]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 198 26.90%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 538 73.10%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(12):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Residence computer cluster]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 60 8.43%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 652 91.57%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(13):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Dining hall (typically undergraduates)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 14 2.10%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 653 97.90%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(14):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Other residential common spaces (lounge etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 91 12.80%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 620 87.20%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(15):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Residential outdoor areas (courtyard, lawn, etc.)]
Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 136 18.99%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 580 81.01%  

 

Field summary for 3.S5(16):
Do you regularly (once a week or more) use your laptop, if you have one, in the following locations?
[Graduate Student Center (typically graduates)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes, regularly (1) 158 21.64%  
No, not regularly (or not at all) (2) 572 78.36%  

 

Field summary for 5:
Do you forward your stanford.edu email to a different email service?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (Y) 470 50.21%  
No (N) 466 49.79%  

 

Field summary for 6:
Which email service do you primarily use to check your email?
Answer Count Percentage
Stanford General (@stanford.edu) (1) 396 42.58%  
Stanford Department (e.g. @cs.stanford.edu) (2) 33 3.55%  
GMail (@gmail.com) (3) 463 49.78%  
Hotmail (@hotmail.com) (4) 4 0.43%  
Yahoo! (@yahoo.com) (5) 15 1.61%  
Other 19 2.04%  

 

Field summary for 7:
What tool do you mainly use to keep track of your schedule?
Answer Count Percentage
Google Calendar (1) 318 34.23%  
Microsoft Outlook Calendar (2) 94 10.12%  
iCal (3) 105 11.30%  
Calendar that comes with my cell phone (4) 29 3.12%  
Stanford Calendar (Zimbra) (5) 22 2.37%  
Paper planner/organizer (6) 165 17.76%  
None (7) 151 16.25%  
Other 44 4.74%  

 

Field summary for 8 [1]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 27 2.94%  
Texting (2) 12 1.31%  
Instant messaging (3) 14 1.53%  
Email (4) 129 14.05%  
Facebook (5) 63 6.86%  
Face to face (6) 673 73.31%  

 

Field summary for 8 [2]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 103 11.22%  
Texting (2) 28 3.05%  
Instant messaging (3) 59 6.43%  
Email (4) 321 34.97%  
Facebook (5) 205 22.33%  
Face to face (6) 97 10.57%  

 

Field summary for 8 [3]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 176 19.17%  
Texting (2) 52 5.66%  
Instant messaging (3) 89 9.69%  
Email (4) 191 20.81%  
Facebook (5) 152 16.56%  
Face to face (6) 55 5.99%  

 

Field summary for 8 [4]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 4]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 162 17.65%  
Texting (2) 88 9.59%  
Instant messaging (3) 105 11.44%  
Email (4) 77 8.39%  
Facebook (5) 108 11.76%  
Face to face (6) 28 3.05%  

 

Field summary for 8 [5]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 5]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 110 11.98%  
Texting (2) 139 15.14%  
Instant messaging (3) 102 11.11%  
Email (4) 22 2.40%  
Facebook (5) 74 8.06%  
Face to face (6) 19 2.07%  

 

Field summary for 8 [6]:
Please rank how often you use the following in getting to know new people.[Ranking 6]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 50 5.45%  
Texting (2) 145 15.80%  
Instant messaging (3) 128 13.94%  
Email (4) 23 2.51%  
Facebook (5) 53 5.77%  
Face to face (6) 7 0.76%  

 

Field summary for 9 [1]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 145 15.83%  
Texting (2) 39 4.26%  
Instant messaging (3) 75 8.19%  
Email (4) 376 41.05%  
Facebook (5) 51 5.57%  
Face to face (6) 230 25.11%  

 

Field summary for 9 [2]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 238 25.98%  
Texting (2) 71 7.75%  
Instant messaging (3) 80 8.73%  
Email (4) 259 28.28%  
Facebook (5) 94 10.26%  
Face to face (6) 153 16.70%  

 

Field summary for 9 [3]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 217 23.69%  
Texting (2) 94 10.26%  
Instant messaging (3) 94 10.26%  
Email (4) 149 16.27%  
Facebook (5) 131 14.30%  
Face to face (6) 152 16.59%  

 

Field summary for 9 [4]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 4]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 133 14.52%  
Texting (2) 131 14.30%  
Instant messaging (3) 94 10.26%  
Email (4) 55 6.00%  
Facebook (5) 165 18.01%  
Face to face (6) 119 12.99%  

 

Field summary for 9 [5]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 5]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 88 9.61%  
Texting (2) 115 12.55%  
Instant messaging (3) 121 13.21%  
Email (4) 32 3.49%  
Facebook (5) 134 14.63%  
Face to face (6) 74 8.08%  

 

Field summary for 9 [6]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who DO NOT live in your same residence.[Ranking 6]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 31 3.38%  
Texting (2) 142 15.50%  
Instant messaging (3) 122 13.32%  
Email (4) 11 1.20%  
Facebook (5) 88 9.61%  
Face to face (6) 50 5.46%  

 

Field summary for 10 [1]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 72 8.48%  
Texting (2) 21 2.47%  
Instant messaging (3) 43 5.06%  
Email (4) 168 19.79%  
Facebook (5) 23 2.71%  
Face to face (6) 522 61.48%  

 

Field summary for 10 [2]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 236 27.80%  
Texting (2) 47 5.54%  
Instant messaging (3) 67 7.89%  
Email (4) 225 26.50%  
Facebook (5) 59 6.95%  
Face to face (6) 99 11.66%  

 

Field summary for 10 [3]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 166 19.55%  
Texting (2) 68 8.01%  
Instant messaging (3) 65 7.66%  
Email (4) 177 20.85%  
Facebook (5) 80 9.42%  
Face to face (6) 83 9.78%  

 

Field summary for 10 [4]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 4]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 88 10.37%  
Texting (2) 98 11.54%  
Instant messaging (3) 81 9.54%  
Email (4) 70 8.24%  
Facebook (5) 109 12.84%  
Face to face (6) 45 5.30%  

 

Field summary for 10 [5]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 5]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 43 5.06%  
Texting (2) 100 11.78%  
Instant messaging (3) 84 9.89%  
Email (4) 43 5.06%  
Facebook (5) 98 11.54%  
Face to face (6) 22 2.59%  

 

Field summary for 10 [6]:
Please rank how often you use the following to communicate with people who live in your SAME RESIDENCE.[Ranking 6]
Answer Count Percentage
Phone (1) 28 3.30%  
Texting (2) 88 10.37%  
Instant messaging (3) 90 10.60%  
Email (4) 8 0.94%  
Facebook (5) 98 11.54%  
Face to face (6) 8 0.94%  

 

 

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Residence Computing Spaces

Field summary for 2:
Have you used a residence computing space (computer cluster) this year for any purpose (computer use, printing, study, etc.)?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (Y) 376 41.92%  
No (N) 521 58.08%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y1:
How often do you use your residence computing space?
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 42 11.32%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 113 30.46%  
Rarely (once or twice a quarter) (3) 216 58.22%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(1):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Personal computer is broken]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 106 32.02%  
No (2) 225 67.98%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(2):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Availability of general software (Web, email, Word)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 73 23.25%  
No (2) 241 76.75%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(3):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Availability of specialized software (Matlab, Mathematica, Photoshop, etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 182 54.65%  
No (2) 151 45.35%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(4):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Multimedia production (scanning, video editing, etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 148 46.69%  
No (2) 169 53.31%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(5):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Printing]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 224 67.27%  
No (2) 109 32.73%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(6):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Study space away from room]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 142 44.79%  
No (2) 175 55.21%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(7):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Availability of group/partner work space]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 110 35.95%  
No (2) 196 64.05%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(8):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Workshop, course, section, or presentation space]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 25 8.56%  
No (2) 267 91.44%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(9):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Social environment, atmosphere]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 40 13.65%  
No (2) 253 86.35%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y2(10):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use your residence computing space?
[Other (please specify below)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 17 9.24%  
No (2) 167 90.76%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y3 [1]:
We have been gradually rolling out color printing in the residences, but it has proven to be rather expensive to support, and we are considering ways to have it break even.  Please rank how palatable the following changes would be to you.[Ranking 1]
Answer Count Percentage
Having only grayscale printers in the residences, with color printers available in Meyer and Tresidder (1) 150 43.23%  
Paying more for printing, e.g. 15¢/page (2) 17 4.90%  
Paying more for color printing only, e.g. 25¢/page, with grayscale printing remaining the same (3) 180 51.87%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y3 [2]:
We have been gradually rolling out color printing in the residences, but it has proven to be rather expensive to support, and we are considering ways to have it break even.  Please rank how palatable the following changes would be to you.[Ranking 2]
Answer Count Percentage
Having only grayscale printers in the residences, with color printers available in Meyer and Tresidder (1) 112 32.28%  
Paying more for printing, e.g. 15¢/page (2) 78 22.48%  
Paying more for color printing only, e.g. 25¢/page, with grayscale printing remaining the same (3) 105 30.26%  

 

Field summary for 3.Y3 [3]:
We have been gradually rolling out color printing in the residences, but it has proven to be rather expensive to support, and we are considering ways to have it break even.  Please rank how palatable the following changes would be to you.[Ranking 3]
Answer Count Percentage
Having only grayscale printers in the residences, with color printers available in Meyer and Tresidder (1) 58 16.71%  
Paying more for printing, e.g. 15¢/page (2) 168 48.41%  
Paying more for color printing only, e.g. 25¢/page, with grayscale printing remaining the same (3) 31 8.93%  

 

Field summary for 1:
Have you used a public computer cluster or study space this year in Tresidder, Meyer, Green or any other library?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (Y) 436 48.02%  
No (N) 472 51.98%  

 

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Public Computing Spaces

Field summary for 1:
Have you used a public computer cluster or study space this year in Tresidder, Meyer, Green or any other library?
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (Y) 436 48.02% 
No (N) 472 51.98% 

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(1):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Tresidder Computer Center (LAIR)]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 19 5.25%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 49 13.54%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 294 81.22%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(2):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Meyer Lobby (1st floor)]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 32 8.79%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 88 24.18%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 244 67.03%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(3):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Meyer 24-hour Study Room (1st floor)]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 30 8.52%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 51 14.49%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 271 76.99%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(4):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Meyer 2nd floor study/computing space]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 25 7.18%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 54 15.52%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 269 77.30%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(5):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Meyer Multimedia Studio (on 2nd floor)]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 8 2.40%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 31 9.31%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 294 88.29%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(6):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Green Library Group Study Rooms]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 22 6.49%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 42 12.39%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 275 81.12%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(7):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Green Library (other study or computer spaces)]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 52 14.17%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 99 26.98%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 216 58.86%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y1(8):
More specifically, how often have you used the following public computing or study locations this year?
[Any library other than Meyer or Green]
Answer Count Percentage
Often (more than once a week) (1) 75 19.95%  
Regularly (at least once a month) (2) 109 28.99%  
Never or rarely (once or twice a quarter or less) (3) 192 51.06%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(1):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Personal computer is broken]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 64 20.00%  
No (2) 256 80.00%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(2):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Availability of general software (Web, email, Word)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 136 41.09%  
No (2) 195 58.91%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(3):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Availability of specialized software (Matlab, Mathematica, Photoshop, etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 156 46.57%  
No (2) 179 53.43%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(4):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Multimedia production (scanning, video editing, etc.)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 115 36.16%  
No (2) 203 63.84%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(5):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[General printing]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 184 55.93%  
No (2) 145 44.07%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(6):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Poster printing]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 40 13.29%  
No (2) 261 86.71%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(7):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Equipment checkout (e.g. laptop, video camera)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 48 15.89%  
No (2) 254 84.11%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(8):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Study space away from residence]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 227 67.96%  
No (2) 107 32.04%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(9):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Availability of group/partner work space]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 155 49.21%  
No (2) 160 50.79%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(10):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Social environment, atmosphere]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 110 35.60%  
No (2) 199 64.40%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(11):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Residential cluster computers are all in use]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 18 6.08%  
No (2) 278 93.92%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(12):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Residential cluster is, shall we say, unappealing]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 52 17.45%  
No (2) 246 82.55%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y2(13):
For each item: is this a significant reason that you use the public computing or study spaces in Meyer, Tresidder Computer Center, or Green Library?
[Other (please specify below)]
Answer Count Percentage
Yes (1) 30 14.22%  
No (2) 181 85.78%  

 

Field summary for 2.Y3:
For what activities (if any) do you primarily use the Multimedia Studio in Meyer?
Answer Count Percentage
Image scanning (1) 59 14.90%  
Text document scanning (OCR) (2) 26 6.57%  
Digital video editing (3) 21 5.30%  
DVD burning (4) 18 4.55%  
Image editing (5) 12 3.03%  
Video duplication/conversion (6) 15 3.79%  
Non-multimedia activities (7) 6 1.52%  
I don't use the studio (8) 309 78.03%  

 

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Background Information

Field summary for 1:
Gender:
Answer Count Percentage
Female (1) 333 35.84%  
Male (2) 585 62.97%  
Other (3) 3 0.32%  
Decline to state (4) 8 0.86%  

 

 

 

 

Field summary for 2.G1:
School:
Answer Count Percentage
Business (1) 51 5.45%  
Earth Sciences (2) 31 3.32%  
Education (3) 46 4.92%  
Engineering (4) 471 50.37%  
Humanities and Sciences (5) 231 24.71%  
Law (6) 46 4.92%  
Medicine (7) 92 9.84%  

 

Field summary for 2.G2:
Degree program:
Answer Count Percentage
Masters (1) 315 33.83%  
MBA (2) 34 3.65%  
MFA (3) 3 0.32%  
JD (4) 37 3.97%  
MD (5) 38 4.08%  
PhD/EdD (6) 555 59.61%  
Other 8 0.86%  

 

Field summary for 3:
Citizenship:
Answer Count Percentage
US citizen/permanent resident (1) 543 59.28%  
International (non-US citizen/permanent resident) (2) 373 40.72%  

 

Field summary for 4:
Ethnicity (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only):
Answer Count Percentage
Black/African-American (1) 15 3.05%  
Asian American/Pacific Islander (2) 88 17.89%  
American Indian/Native American (3) 4 0.81%  
Asian Indian/South Asian (4) 23 4.67%  
Mexican American/Chicano (5) 11 2.24%  
Other Latino/a-American (6) 15 3.05%  
White/Caucasian/Non-Minority (7) 291 59.15%  
Multiracial/Multi-ethnic (or choose Other below and elaborate if you like) (8) 38 7.72%  
Other 7 1.42%  

 

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