Miami University

Computer use is split: academic and personal use

11/05/2003

In a survey, 932 Miami University students said on average, they spend half of their computer time doing academic work or other necessary tasks such as checking registration and bursar accounts.

The other half is spent on personal pursuits, such as e-mailing friends and family (9.4 hours/week or 21 percent of their total computer time) and surfing/browsing the Web (3.6 hours/week or 8 percent).

Of their 44.5 hours per week on a computer, seniors on average spent significantly more time on academic/administrative work (24.0 hours of an average of 41.6 hours/week) than first-year students (20.6 hours of an average of 45.6 hours/week). Survey results indicate the average computer hours spent on personal activities declines by about 2.6 hours/week for each year that a student stays in school.

On-campus students spent significantly more time in general on the computer than off-campus students (46 vs. 39 hours/week).

The nonscientific survey, conducted in March by Miami’s information technology services staff, repeated a survey from the previous year. The proportion of time spent was similar, except this year students spent twice as many hours per week (3.6) accessing myMiami, the university’s web portal for faculty, staff and students.

Here are other reasons student kept at their keyboards, in hours per week:

• 3.39 - accessing/downloading music or movies
• 2.66 - checking news, weather, sports
• 2.52 - researching using the online library
• 2.37 - emailing faculty, fellow students and advisers
• 1.81 - using Blackboard for a course
• 1.56 - playing or downloading computer games