The Effects of the Internet on the College Student Experience

        With the explosive growth of the Internet over the last few years, researchers have been scrambling to do studies on its effects on education.  Probably, the area of education most affected by information technology is that at the university level.  There is no doubt that the WWW opens an entire world of information at the feet of it users.  However many people in higher education worry how their students will use such a tool.  There is a concern that students will opt for the ease of access of sources on-line rather than doing the old-fashioned search for information at the library.  A study done by John Lubans, Jr. at Duke University looked at exactly how male and female students (all Freshmen) in their first year (1997/98) at a university were using the Internet for academic purposes.  They asked students to tell about their:

• frequency of use of the WEB

• skill levels in WEB use                                                            

• learning about the WEB staying current about the WEB

• view of the library as a location for WEB access

• comparative use of print and digital resources

• classroom experiences/outcomes in using WEB sources

• experiences while learning in the WEB environment

• trust of the WEB

• expectations of librarians for helping them better use the WEB

(Lubans, www.lib.duke.edu/lubans/docs/1styear/firstyear.html)

        Many researchers have also wondered what sites college students look at, how minority students view the new technology, and how this body of knowledge must be used to best benefit students in or outside of the class.

 This project was produced for Psy 380, Social Psychology of Cyberspace, Spring 2000,  at Miami University.  All graphics in these pages are used with permission or under fair use guidelines, are in the public domain,  or were created by the authors.  Last revised:  This document has been accessed   times since 1 May 2000.  Comments & Questions to R. Sherman