Survey: Students and Instructors Say Online Libraries and Databases Have "Greatest Impact" Among Tech Tools

Library sources have not at all been forgotten, according to results of a survey of higher ed students and instructors released this week by educational publisher Cengage Learning. The survey, "Instructors and Students: Technology Use, Engagement and Learning Outcomes," was conducted in late 2010. It indicates that online libraries and databases—including the products that Cengage division Gale and others sell to the library market—have a greater impact on student engagement and learning than ebooks and other technologies.

The survey, conducted by research and consulting firm Eduventures, answered by 751 students and 201 instructors across the country. Though it primarily touts a product category central to Cengage's library business, it also serves to indicate that students and faculty have not stopped relying on library resources in favor of open web resources. However, Google and other general search engines are not specifically mentioned in the survey results.

When students were asked which technologies had the "greatest impact" on their learning overall, 87 percent named online databases and libraries, which topped the list. Sixty-two percent chose "blogs, wikis, and other online authoring tools," and 52 percent said YouTube videos and recorded lectures had the greatest effect. These were followed by ebooks and e-textbooks (50 percent), and online learning portals (42 percent).

When asked which technologies would have the greatest impact on student engagement in the future, 49 percent of students and 44 percent of instructors chose online libraries and databases—more than e-textbooks (chosen by 31 percent of students and 32 percent of instructors), interactive homework solutions (27 percent of student and 30 percent of instructors), or online learning portals (28 percent of students and 24 percent of instructors).

In general, the survey results indicate that both students and instructors increasingly view tech tools in a more positive light. In this latest survey, 67 percent of students said they preferred courses that use "a great deal of technology," up nine percent from a 2009 survey. Fifty-eight percent of instructors reported that they prefer teaching tech-heavy courses, up ten percent from 2009.