For 17 years, the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) has gathered data on the experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students with information technology (IT) at their respective institutions, making it one of the largest and longest-running data-collection efforts of its kind. IT units in higher education are the primary audience for this report, but the findings and resources this report offers can be used by multiple organizations and individuals across campuses at every type of institution.
With the elevation of student success as a focus area for the EDUCAUSE community, we have sought to more closely align this research with the values and interests of that area of practice. In particular, an acknowledgment of the needs of the “whole student” has broadened the scope of our inquiry to account for the fact that “learning has as much to do with socioemotional, physical, and financial factors as it does with intellectual skills.”1
In this report, readers will find insights and actionable resources across the following dimensions of the student experience, which include several lines of inquiry new to the study this year
- Student Success
- Technology use and environment preferences
- Student Data Privacy
- Online Harassment
- Accessibility and Accommodations
In each of these sections, we share key findings from our analysis of students’ responses, concrete next steps your institution can take in response to those findings, and opportunities for connecting with peers who are implementing innovative practices in those areas. We believe the research resources we provide at EDUCAUSE are only as good as they are practicable, and so it is our sincere hope that you are able to make effective use of the content provided.
For the 2020 student study reports, 18,536 undergraduate students from 77 institutions in 6 countries and 31 US states participated in the research. The quantitative findings in this report were developed using 16,162 survey responses from 71 US institutions. This report makes generalized statements about the findings based on the large number of survey respondents. Applying these findings, however, is an institutionally specific undertaking. The priorities, strategic vision, student populations, and culture of an institution will inevitably affect the meaning and use of these findings in a local context.
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