Why Do We Still

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Why Do We Still Need Computer Labs?
LabMan 2009
Lisa Kemp JonesHead, Library Computing Services
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Goals for Today

• Explore forces driving the need to update concept
  of student computing facilities
• Encourage discussion focused on educational value
  of computing facilities
• Your hopes for today's session?

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Background Why Now?

• Why me? roots in lab, now in more of an
  administrator role
• Discussion from Chancellor to CIO UVA example
• Tough budget times Opportunity to define
  relevance?
• Physical space and priorities

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Landscape Student Expectation Comparison 1999
2009What has changed?

• Access - how much do students rely on us for
  access to a computer? Greater of students with
  access now, but important to weigh what student
  needs are.
• Unique instructional equipment, software
• Place to work independently or collaboratively
• Usage help, support

What is the same?
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Administration Expectations of Students

• Increasing computer requirements anyone have a
  figure?
• If not requirement, strong recommendation in
  admissions information
• Overall expectation that students will have
  access basic computing resources.

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Faculty Expectations of Students

• Provide own basic access
• Have some basic level of computer literacy
• Reliance on student computing facilities for
  instructional support more than access?

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Relevancy

• If students have greater access to computing
  resources, why are the labs still packed?

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Lab vs. Internet Cafe

• Just a convenience, or... ?
• What is the unique value of what a university can
  and should provide?
• How do you know, and how do you communicate
  relevance?

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Focus and Language Shift

• Re-thinking labs
• Focus on instructional technology support rather
  than access
• Focus on student study needs, collaborative
  spaces
• Focus on providing the environment, not
  necessarily all of the equipment
• Update ideas of relevancy and communicate to
  campus

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New or Renovated Space

• Shift from lab as roomful of computers
• Update to facility with multiple purposes,
  flexible to suit several needs
• Example UCLA Research Commons big space, not
  much built in, places to plug your own stuff in,
  equipment checkout

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Now What?

• Concerns?
• Stories?

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Session Notes (As this was a discussion session,
the following pages are notes and points raised
during both sessions.)

• Budget issues -
• yes, administrators are looking for ways to cut,
  but also looking for ways to cut sensibly.
  Looking for data to inform decisions.
• Space also an issue labs need space, and
  administrators may question the effective use of
  the space with so many competing priorities.
• Labs funded in different ways some receive all
  or most of their funding from student fees, and
  have student boards who guide the development and
  usage of the lab.
• Statistics -
• in informing decisions, what is the best data to
  tell the story? Logins, time spent, software
  launches, basic usage data all good. Various
  ways to collect this data, important to be
  consistent and use reliable data.
• Also important is gathering student input data
  (surveys, focus groups, etc) to get a sense of
  their priorities, why they're still using the
  labs even though they have their own computers,
  etc.
• Computer requirement
• a few institutions (represented here) require
  laptops or computer ownership, but most reported
  that they have a strong recommendation but no
  actual requirement.
• Requirement is a good way to help standardize the
  kind of equipment you're supporting, and develop
  robust support systems for the students.
• Those without a requirement may or may not
  support student computers (if so, certified techs
  do the work, and sometimes a cost is involved.

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Session Notes

• Access to computers
• need for access 10 years ago is different than
  now.
• Some places that have done reports (UVA, for
  example) have reported that students who don't
  own their own computers or have access to a
  computer a home is around 1-2. Informally,
  participants felt this was in the right ballpark,
  with community colleges perhaps reporting a bit
  higher level of non-access. All were interested
  in learning more about studies to look at. (Will
  try to find some data and link to it.)
• The Million Dollar Question If students
  primarily have access to their own computers
  (increasingly laptops), why haven't we seen a
  decrease in lab usage? Why do they still need
  labs?
• They don't always want to lug their computers to
  campus.
• Hardware Our computers are more reliable,
  updated, faster. (The I'm here because my own
  computer is hosed scenario.)
• Expensive software packages we have them, and
  students can't typically afford to buy them for a
  semester/quarter or two of work.
• Unique facilities for specialized work video
  editing, programming environments, etc.
• It's not just the computer, but the place to
  study and work. Comfy chairworking
  computerhappy student.
• Need for variety of places for independent work
  and collaborative work. Many participants
  reported increase in collaborative work.
• Informal impressions from participants when
  students really want to study and work, they want
  a place that is meant for study/work. Escaping
  the roommates, distractions.
• Technical support an important factor having
  people to help with problems, or answer questions
  is an important feature of the lab.
• Printing we ask students if they have access to
  computers, but not if they have printers. They
  rely on us to print materials that are
  increasingly posted on course sites rather than
  handed out... to print their papers in the final
  moments before class, etc.

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Session Notes

• Unique environments and populations of different
  institutions
• Some general observations, but each institution
  is different in terms of student populations,
  expectations, priorities, space management,
  budget allocations, etc.
• Software delivery and virtual labs
• Future for virtual labs? Yes! Would address the
  issue of access to specialized software, and take
  advantage of the fact that most students have
  access to a computer where they live.
• Does not address the issue of study and
  collaborative space.
• Competency and testing
• How computer literate are students? How much
  support is needed/wanted? Consensus from the
  participants is that although students have
  become very good users of the technology, there
  is less need for knowing what happens under the
  hood, or how the operating system works. They
  tend to know basics, but still need help when
  they run into trouble.
• Some institutions have computer literacy classes,
  need to follow up on which ones and how they
  work.
• Faculty expect students to know more, are
  sometimes frustrated in having to teach them what
  they consider to be basics. Some interest in
  defining what the basics are and developing
  programs to teach them.
• Acknowledgement that students are (typically)
  legal adults, and part of a college education is
  being responsible for their own education. We
  want to set them up for success, and offer tools
  to assist.

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Session Notes

• Laptops and campus support
• Battery life an issue, access to electricity is
  important... campuses can be old places without
  much electrical outlet access.
• Students bringing a variety of laptops, can
  create support issues. Lab technicians can't
  always address unique problems with a student
  laptop.
• Future for netbooks? Low cost, and also low
  capability.
• Network access variable. Most campuses report
  having wireless covering most of campus, but
  still working on full coverage.
• Wireless is good, but it's important to note that
  it's not reliable enough for most instructional
  environments when an instructor is teaching,
  s/he expects to focus on the material, not
  getting access to the network and getting the
  software to run reliably. For this expectation,
  teaching labs with wired workstations are still
  the most reliable.
• Casual impressions what do we say to
  administrators or exec types that walk through
  the lab and get the idea that they're all just
  using the labs for recreational activities such
  as facebook or email?
• Define recreational increasing
  faculty/TAs/colleagues use facebook for
  communication. Course web sites, links to
  popular culture. Is what we see really what's
  going on?
• Digital Natives and how they work/learn not
  necessarily the same way us older people
  experienced education. We see that students
  often have several modes of learning, weaving
  recreation and work together. Work/life balance
  for students is as important as it is to us.

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Session Notes

• Now what? Having discussed this, what do we do
  next?
• Tell your story what is important about the
  service you provide, what is the value to
  students and the educational experience?
• Focus on instructional support how does the
  service you provide support instruction? What
  unique hardware/software/support do you provide
  in the lab environment that enhances learning.
• When updating facilities, think flexibility and
  multiple-use. Re-think the rows of computers and
  the expense/infrastructure that entails. Would
  your students be served by fewer computers in a
  collaborative space that encouraged use of their
  own equipment?
• Virtual software delivery worth investigating?
  How would it work in your environment?
• Student technical support staff and their role in
  providing help for students to learn the
  computing basics that are expected by faculty.
  Define basics?
• Printing we hate it, but it's vital.
• Be real don't defend current operations as a
  whole as that's the way we've always done it.
  Pick apart what's important and why, and work
  with the priorities of the institution and
  budgets.
• Be creative and responsive listen to your
  students, think about your institutional
  priorities, and make adjustments accordingly.