5. Learning & Computers: A case study of engineering students’ use of computers

Introduction

There are some interesting quotes related to teaching: ‘Inertia is an insidiously powerful negative force in teaching – the urge to keep doing things the way we’ve done them for years’ (Weimer, 2002). ‘For the correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting’ (Kidd, 1992).

All over the world a topic of concern among educators is the low motivation, absenteeism, poor academic performance and attrition rate of students in higher education programs. At any given time at least one-third of the students are absent from their class rooms – anywhere between 20 to 40 per cent (Wyatt, 1992). On the other hand, positive student-teacher relationships that are mutually respectful and supportive appear to result in improved attendance and academic performance (Pendergast & Bahr, 2006). In the current educational scenario, excessive use of computers is another related factor that weakens students’ academic performance. The availability of free high-speed internet facility to most university students has been attributed to result in addictive behaviors by some (Yellowlees & Marks, 2007).

The present pilot study of student behaviors was aimed at examining the correlations between students’ interaction with faculty, their use of computers for non-academic purposes and their academic performance. It was also intended to examine students’ family background to study any association with their academic performance. Consequently, the impact of the following factors related to students’ academic performance was addressed in this study:

1. Time spent on playing computer games

2. Time spent on watching movies and on chatting on social networking sites (SNS)

3. Faculty-student interactions

4. Absenteeism

5. Parents’ educational background

Review of literature

A critical issue that affects student learning is the use of computers and internet for non-academic purpose. Excessive use of computers (by 72 per cent males) was found to interfere with students’ academic performance (Anderson, 2010). The usual consequence of excessive use is increase in negative characteristics like low self-esteem, motivation, and loneliness. It was also found that time spent on web-surfing was mostly on non-academic activities. The internet allows students to assume an alternate identity and lose touch with reality (Hardie, 2007). This appears to be an alternate incentive for students with low social skills or low self-esteem to assume the identity of who they would really like to be and interact with others who they cannot see face to face, on the web in their virtual identities, when unable to do so in real life.

Discussions related to student behaviors and their academic performance in large classrooms with low faculty-student ratios continue to prevail around the world in higher education settings (Nyampfene, 2010). Literature on faculty-student interaction indicates that frequency and quality of relationships with faculty have a positive impact on grade point average and, despite their reluctance to initiate contact with faculty interaction with faculty is a strong predictor of student learning for all students (Lundberg & Schreiner, 2004). Another longstanding research study documents the positive influence of informal faculty-student interactions on student success (Murray & Malmgreen, 2005). It is also clear that faculty members play an important role in the social and academic integration of students (Chickering, 1969). Weekly faculty-student meetings in a scheduled manner, were found invaluable for student success in another related study (Vito, 2007).

Students who liked a course were less likely to be absent from class, for obvious reasons (Wyatt, 1992). Students believed that they could use online lecture notes to make up for being absent from classes that they did not like due to various factors such as: inability to wake up on time to attend morning classes, late nights spent on playing computer games, watching a movie, or partying, lack of interest in the subject, or even dislike of a particular instructor’s teaching style. But it is clear that on an average, better attendance resulted in better academic performance by all students (Nyamapfene, 2010).

While conducting the literature review, a factor that clearly emerged was that hardly any studies were carried out to research these questions in the context of the Indian scenario, apart from one on distance learners’ cause for attrition (Biswas & Mythili, 2004). Hence the present study was undertaken to analyse student behaviors in a private engineering college in India.

In 1951 when India became independent, the literacy rate was 18per cent of the population gradually rising to 52per cent by 1991; yet India had a high 121.3 million adult illiterates in the age group of 15-35 (Sachdeva, 2002). On the other hand, technical education has expanded exponentially with initiatives taken by state governments as well as private sectors. Most parents want their wards to be professional doctors or engineers and believe that is the ultimate purpose of higher education – a good degree that will result in ample remuneration regardless of the student’s personal interest or aptitude. So often engineering students in India are in that program of study due to parental pressure or peer pressure as an engineering degree being one of the better options for earning good pay packets.

Methodology

A pilot study was carried out with the intention of using the findings to conduct a larger multi-university survey. For the pilot study, a group of 20 students were surveyed in a classroom (annexed questionnaire as Appendix 1). The survey was prepared in 3 parts, relating to: i) student demographics, ii) academics (including questions on faculty-student interaction), and iii) computer and internet use, with some of the questions based on earlier studies conducted (Arum & Roksa, 2011). The results were compiled and analysed using Microsoft Excel workbook.

Findings and Discussions

Demographic information

The background of most students’ educational background of parents indicated that their fathers were in higher level salaried jobs (12 in service, 7 business, 1 with missing information); and only four mothers were employed (3 as teachers and one as a doctor). The remaining mothers were home-makers. All the participants were 3^rd year (6^th semester) students. There were 20 per cent females and 80 per cent males in the sample group, consistent with the pattern of engineering college gender distribution in India. While the entry level performance of all the respondents at higher secondary level was 80 per cent or 8.0 Cumulative Point Index (CPI), their CPI was 6.0 at the time of taking the survey. Majority of the students wished to pursue a Masters degree and follow it up with a managerial position. At both ends of the bell curve, only one respondent wished to start working after a B.Tech degree and another respondent wished to go on to pursue a Ph.D.

Student-faculty interaction

On examining the student-faculty interaction, the quality of their interaction with faculty averaged at 6 (on a scale of 1-10) whereas the number of times they met faculty outside class in a semester was 2.6 times/semester, indicating a need for more interaction outside class considering the finding that on an average students meet a faculty member only 2-3 times in a 13 week semester; and perhaps questioning the earlier interaction quality of 6 with such a low level of interaction. However, student-student interaction to assist each other was rated much higher at 7.6 (on a scale of 1-10). This is in line with later reporting of time spent studying with peers as 50 per cent, compared to time spent studying alone or about half the time spent in class, labs or tutorials.

Computer and Internet use

Findings related to computer and internet use for playing computer games was reported as 9.2 hours a week for self and observing friends playing computer games averaged at 28 hours a week. Perhaps students were reluctant to admit that they play computer games and were quicker to incriminate peers; or perhaps those who are addicted to playing games on the computer are those who are absent from class generally and hence did not participate in the survey as the questionnaires were administered at the end of a class session and hence those attending class may be the students who are less involved in playing computer games and more engaged in their studies.