Community College Students Value Internet Access Above All Else: Survey

Is the internet more valuable to community college students than professors?

More than 70 percent of community college students believe that "high-speed internet access is important for success in community college," according to the findings of a recently released survey.

In contrast, 66 percent of students surveyed said it is "extremely or very important to have access to academic advisors and to establish relationships with professors" in order to succeed in college.

The Community College Student Survey -- which the Pearson Foundation calls the first-ever national survey of its kind -- asked 1,434 community college students about their ability to access classes, retention rates, and what they saw as essential to success at a junior college.

The respondents' emphasis on internet access is somewhat unsurprising, as 61 percent of those questioned said they had taken at least one course on the internet and around 75 reported having been required to complete class assignments online.

But the report also shows that this proclivity towards web-based learning is problematic -- of those students who reported struggling, 25 percent said they did not seek help from an academic advisor and 74 percent of students who dropped out of the program said that they did not speak with an instructor or advisor before making their decision.

Other findings show that students' academic options have been limited by a scarcity of resources at community colleges. According to the survey, 32 percent said they could not enroll in a class of choice because it was full and 28 percent of those who took math and English placement tests were unable to enroll in prescribed courses. The Chronicle of Higher Education, however, notes that because this type of survey has never been done before it is impossible to tell whether more students are unable to gain access to classes this year.

Check out Pearson for a full summary of the results, and share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

Comments

[Michael Mouton]

01:28 AM on 02/10/2011

They really like those wifi hotspots with the chairs and desks, but not-so much the professors standing in front of them talking about educational topics.

[Arrive2 net]

12:38 AM on 02/10/2011

The results make sense in that high-speed internet access is ubiquitous and very often important to success in college and other areas of life, but I think a lot of students can get through college without establishing "relationships" with professors. I'm not sure what "relationships" is supposed to mean. Access to desired classes may be improved by online education since a student may be able to access a desired and creditable course online that is full or otherwise unavailable on campus.

Bernard Schuster
Arrive2.net
Twitter.com/arrive2_net

[TaxpayingVoter]

10:29 PM on 02/09/2011

I wasn't aware it was an either/or sort of question.

[Demarcus Jackson]

07:23 PM on 02/09/2011

I don't think 66% is bad at all. And, I actually do think high-speed Internet access IS very important in the college environment, where online learning is becoming more of a reality and students are being asked to conduct more research via databases. As an Instructor at a community college, this survey makes good sense to me.

[Alant]

07:29 PM on 02/09/2011

Agree-in fact, though, at one site where I have recently worked, there was not internet access and, though I wanted to show students via internet the school's databases and how they could use them...well, I just had to describe it, like with words and chalk.

[Alant]

06:58 PM on 02/09/2011

66% isn't so bad, in reporting that it's "extremely or very important to have access to academic advisors and to establish relationships with professors," but it could be better. What might keep it from seeming more important? Could it be that it can be difficult to establish relationships with professors when, as is the case in the country's community colleges, most faculty—up to 90% in some departments—are adjunct or contingent faculty who have limited contracts, low pay, no benefits, and who must move around from job to job as openings appear and disappear, and who, to boot, are often listed, not by name, but as "staff" during the period that students are making course choices? Hard to establish relationships with "staff," especially when their sections may be cancelled at the last moment and a particular "staff" person not seen again for a semester or two. Cheers, Dr. Alan Trevithick, adjunct, Fordham University and Westchester Community College.

[EyesWideShut7]

04:55 PM on 02/09/2011

We as students want the option to take the bs gen ed classes such as Art History, which we are never going to use in the real world, online. Time is valuable and the ability to take a few classes online makes it easier to have a job whilst being a full time student. Not all classes should be offered online; however, it really does help cut down on gas expenses, as well as allowing for a busy schedule.

[Democommon Sense]

06:11 PM on 02/09/2011

I am glad you speak for the collective we. /sarcasm Online classes are little more then the modern day college equivalant of "busy work." If such courses are of so little value they should be replaced with more useful ones. How about some science, math, political science, enviornmental studies etc.

[Lohikaarme]

08:53 PM on 02/09/2011

I wish it would be that simple to replace those general education courses, e.g. Art History, but it is actually very difficult. Most US universities are still under the illusion of providing a 'well rounded education," which usually means not much of science, math, etc. but a lot of philosophy, history, sociology, etc. courses. In the present global economy and job market I am afraid those general education courses are really useless, a waste of time, and a waste of money.

[littleraerae]

11:32 PM on 02/09/2011

I think that those classes have the potential to be insightful and provide useful information but unfortunately...they don't. I have yet to take a social science class that I could not have passed online. The profs just sum up the book; I can read, thank you!

[Tully Rand]

04:20 PM on 02/09/2011

This study is hardly surprising. Students at the community colleges I have taught at (in rural and urban areas) would take almost all of their classes online if they could. For many students, having to attend an actual class is a burden because online classes tend to be less demanding and offer additional opportunities to cheat on assignments.

[Demarcus Jackson]

07:25 PM on 02/09/2011

You should try enrolling in my online Intro to Psych course. I created it myself at the community college where I work. It started with 35 students at the start of the term. It is now down to a dedicated 18. It is very demanding and very hard to cheat.

[littleraerae]

11:33 PM on 02/09/2011

Wish more online classes were like that; then they could actually be respected.