Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
University of Maryland University Senate still reviewing gender identity bill after being proposed more than a year ago
On August 19th, 2014, almost 16 months ago, a bill was proposed to the University of Maryland University Senate in regards to providing and updating personal information on how students are known on campus. This bill is still under review.
Bill ID 14-15-03, Policies and Procedures Governing Preferred/Primary Names and Sex/Gender Markers in University Databases, was sponsored by Dr. Luke Jensen, the Director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equity Center at the University of Maryland. He's responsible for a lot of the basic framework that supports LGBT people and LGBT work on campus.
The Senate proposal talks about names first, and that discusses the ability of an individual to use a name other than their legal name. The bill will allow people to change their name more seamlessly.
The next part of the bill is on identifying oneself as male or female. This section talks about how a person should address someone and the pronouns used to identify an individual.
The bill states that "[the University of Maryland] should provide greater flexibility regarding gender." For instance, the bill declares that "[b]oth employees and students should have the same ability to update their gender and sex information."
Advocates pushing for change to University of Maryland undergraduate admissions application
Jensen is a strong advocate for providing a gender option on the University of Maryland application, as it is beneficial for data collection.
"We can better serve students if we know who they are and how they identify," Jensen said. "If a student doesn't identify as male or female, and if you start right off the bat lying about who they are, then it's not a very welcoming environment."
Jensen adds that it is known that LGBT people struggle in higher education and, obviously, kindergarten through 12th grade, but it is impossible to know how students are doing at Maryland because the question about their gender identity or sexual orientation is not asked.
The infograhics below show the statistics from the last three fall semesters on the University of Maryland's undergraduate summary of new freshman and the university's student profile on total enrollment.
Nick Sakurai, the Director of Leadership Initiatives in the LGBT Equity Center, says that it's important to ask people about their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Currently, Maryland's application only has two gender options: male or female. There's also no specific question regarding sexual orientation.
Like Jensen, Sakurai indicates that it can be very problematic for students who are forced to choose a gender that they don't identify as.
Jensen says that the university sends admitted undergraduates an optional survey where they can choose their sexuality and can indicate whether they are transgender or not.
University of California, rival Big 10 schools allowing more opportunities for students to express their gender identity and sexual orientation
While the University of Maryland has been behind on including a gender option on their application, other schools across the United States "have been adding or changing [their] gender identity and sexual orientation options," according to an article from Maryland's independent student newspaper The Diamondback.
This past summer, the University of California added six gender identity choices on their college admissions applications. The choices include:
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| Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uk-proprosal-britains- first-school-lgbt-pupils-revealed-1483628#slideshow/1385812 |
The Senate proposal talks about names first, and that discusses the ability of an individual to use a name other than their legal name. The bill will allow people to change their name more seamlessly.
The next part of the bill is on identifying oneself as male or female. This section talks about how a person should address someone and the pronouns used to identify an individual.
The bill states that "[the University of Maryland] should provide greater flexibility regarding gender." For instance, the bill declares that "[b]oth employees and students should have the same ability to update their gender and sex information."
Advocates pushing for change to University of Maryland undergraduate admissions application
Jensen is a strong advocate for providing a gender option on the University of Maryland application, as it is beneficial for data collection.
"We can better serve students if we know who they are and how they identify," Jensen said. "If a student doesn't identify as male or female, and if you start right off the bat lying about who they are, then it's not a very welcoming environment."
Jensen adds that it is known that LGBT people struggle in higher education and, obviously, kindergarten through 12th grade, but it is impossible to know how students are doing at Maryland because the question about their gender identity or sexual orientation is not asked.
The infograhics below show the statistics from the last three fall semesters on the University of Maryland's undergraduate summary of new freshman and the university's student profile on total enrollment.
 |
| Source: https://www.irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/index.html |
 |
| Source: https://www.irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/index.html |
Not calculated into the numbers in the LGBT community. This is where the data from a gender identity option on the admissions application would be beneficial in seeing where the LGBT community stands.
Nick Sakurai, the Director of Leadership Initiatives in the LGBT Equity Center, says that it's important to ask people about their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Currently, Maryland's application only has two gender options: male or female. There's also no specific question regarding sexual orientation.
Like Jensen, Sakurai indicates that it can be very problematic for students who are forced to choose a gender that they don't identify as.
Jensen says that the university sends admitted undergraduates an optional survey where they can choose their sexuality and can indicate whether they are transgender or not.
University of California, rival Big 10 schools allowing more opportunities for students to express their gender identity and sexual orientation
While the University of Maryland has been behind on including a gender option on their application, other schools across the United States "have been adding or changing [their] gender identity and sexual orientation options," according to an article from Maryland's independent student newspaper The Diamondback.
This past summer, the University of California added six gender identity choices on their college admissions applications. The choices include:
- Male
- Female
- Trans Male/Trans Man
- Trans Female/Trans Woman
- Gender Queer/Gender Non-Conforming
- Different Identity
The application also has a question: "Do you consider yourself to be (mark one answer): Heterosexual or straight, Gay or lesbian, Bisexual, Not listed above (please specify) __________."
Additionally, the California application asks students, "What sex were you assigned at birth, such as on your birth certificate?" The options for that question are either male or female.
Two Big 10 Conference schools that provide gender identity and sexual orientation options on their applications are the Ohio State University and the University of Iowa.
Ohio State and Iowa both ask the optional question, "Do you identify as a part of the LGBTQ community?" Iowa also allows students to identify their gender as male, female, or transgender.
Another Big 10 school, Purdue University, like Maryland, sends admitted undergraduate students an optional survey where they can choose their gender identity (choices: man, woman, transgender man/trans man, transgender woman/trans woman, gender queer, prefer not to disclose, and not listed) and their sexual orientation (choices [more than one can be chosen]: asexual, bisexual, gay, straight/heterosexual, lesbian, pansexual, queer, questioning, same-gender loving, two spirit, prefer to not disclose, and not listed).
Campus Pride Index gives University of Maryland one of the highest ratings in the nation for their support for the LGBT community
Despite lacking gender identity and sexual orientation options on their admissions applications, the University of Maryland is a top 25 LGBT-friendly institution, according to Campus Pride Index.
"The Campus Pride Index provides campuses the opportunity to come out as LGBTQ-friendly and take responsibility for continually improving their LGBTQ campus climate." It also "features LGBTQ student opportunities by highlighting the positive work within higher education."
The University of Maryland has received exceptional sexual orientation and gender identity scores in almost all the categories. The high ratings were in:
Ohio State and Iowa both ask the optional question, "Do you identify as a part of the LGBTQ community?" Iowa also allows students to identify their gender as male, female, or transgender.
Another Big 10 school, Purdue University, like Maryland, sends admitted undergraduate students an optional survey where they can choose their gender identity (choices: man, woman, transgender man/trans man, transgender woman/trans woman, gender queer, prefer not to disclose, and not listed) and their sexual orientation (choices [more than one can be chosen]: asexual, bisexual, gay, straight/heterosexual, lesbian, pansexual, queer, questioning, same-gender loving, two spirit, prefer to not disclose, and not listed).
Jensen believes that it is about time that Maryland adds a gender option to their undergraduate admissions application because it will create a more welcoming climate for people.
Campus Pride Index gives University of Maryland one of the highest ratings in the nation for their support for the LGBT community
Despite lacking gender identity and sexual orientation options on their admissions applications, the University of Maryland is a top 25 LGBT-friendly institution, according to Campus Pride Index.
"The Campus Pride Index provides campuses the opportunity to come out as LGBTQ-friendly and take responsibility for continually improving their LGBTQ campus climate." It also "features LGBTQ student opportunities by highlighting the positive work within higher education."
The University of Maryland has received exceptional sexual orientation and gender identity scores in almost all the categories. The high ratings were in:
- LGBTQ Policy Inclusion
- LGBTQ Support and Institutional Commitment
- LGBTQ Academic Life
- LGBTQ Student Life
- LGBTQ Campus Safety
- LGBTQ Counseling and Health
- LGBTQ Recruitment and Retention Efforts
The only category that is lacking compared to the other categories was in LGBTQ Housing and Residence Life.
 |
| Source: http://www.campusprideindex.org/campuses/details/ 15?campus=university-of-maryland,-college-park |
While Maryland has gender-inclusive housing for new students, gender-inclusive housing for returning students, and the school trains the residence life and housing staff at all levels on LGBTQ issues and concerns, it does not incorporate:
- LGBTQ living space, theme floors and/or living-learning community
- Roommate matching for LGBTQ students to find LGBTQ-friendly roommate
- Gender-inclusive/single occupancy restroom facilities in campus housing
- Gender-inclusive/single occupancy shower facilities in campus housing
Monday, November 23, 2015
Final Task #2: Topic Research/Graphics
Tomorrow I am meeting with Dr. Luke Jensen, the Director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity Center, at 1 p.m. in his office at Marie Mount Hall. He's responsible for a lot of the basic infrastructure that supports LGBT people and LGBT work at the University of Maryland.
I found a story that the Diamondback did from last year on how the University of Maryland is behind on gender options on applications and how advocates, like Jensen, wanted to push to change this.
My angle is to follow-up this story and see if any changes have been made between admissions and gender identity. In my meeting with Jensen, I will be looking for information regarding the support of LGBT on campus and how it compares to other nearby schools or BIG 10 schools; what Maryland is doing to create more acceptance for these people on campus; what are the reasons why we want to be more diverse -- what are the benefits and disadvantages; and a follow-up on the admissions process and gender identity.
In my meeting with Jensen, I would also like to discuss whether we can set up a video interview after the break. If he doesn't accept, my back-up plan would to get into contact with Nick Sakurai, who is the Director of Leadership Initiatives.
Some preliminary explanatory headlines I have in mind right now for my story include:
I found a story that the Diamondback did from last year on how the University of Maryland is behind on gender options on applications and how advocates, like Jensen, wanted to push to change this.
My angle is to follow-up this story and see if any changes have been made between admissions and gender identity. In my meeting with Jensen, I will be looking for information regarding the support of LGBT on campus and how it compares to other nearby schools or BIG 10 schools; what Maryland is doing to create more acceptance for these people on campus; what are the reasons why we want to be more diverse -- what are the benefits and disadvantages; and a follow-up on the admissions process and gender identity.
In my meeting with Jensen, I would also like to discuss whether we can set up a video interview after the break. If he doesn't accept, my back-up plan would to get into contact with Nick Sakurai, who is the Director of Leadership Initiatives.
Some preliminary explanatory headlines I have in mind right now for my story include:
- The University of Maryland (UMD) doing a better job in promoting the LGBT community as they are a top 25 LGBT-friendly institution. (Source)
- UMD now sends admitted undergraduate students a survey where they have the option of identifying their sexuality and can indicate whether they are transgender. (Source)
- California schools and rival schools, like Duke University, allowing more opportunities for students to express their sexual orientation and gender identities. (Source)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Air pollution from power plants is the main threat of climate change in the Maryland-D.C. area
The biggest, most critical threat of climate change in the Maryland-Washington D.C., metropolitan area is air pollution from power plants. Its effect on human health, particularly respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease, can cause great danger.
The Maryland-D.C. area is among the most polluted places in the United States. Maryland's Port of Baltimore, one of the nation's leading coal exports, "ship[s] close to 20 million tons of coal every year."
Rising temperatures can make pollution worse and increase the number of bad air quality days
Smog is a mixture of smoke and fog, which forms when pollution from industry, motor vehicles, and other sources react under certain climatic conditions. When temperatures increase, the process speeds up and it results in more smog.
As reported by the Natural Resources Defense Council, exposure to smog can cause irritated eyes, throats, and lung damage. "The U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] likened breathing ozone to getting a sunburn on your lungs."
Maryland is one of the top states in the U.S. for relative mortality from particle pollution
People with asthma, allergies, and respiratory diseases face serious threats to air pollution. "Exposure to increased pollution heightens sensitivity to allergens, impairs lungs, and triggers asthma attacks, sends people to the hospital, and even results in death."
The Maryland-D.C. area is among the most polluted places in the United States. Maryland's Port of Baltimore, one of the nation's leading coal exports, "ship[s] close to 20 million tons of coal every year."
According to Chesapeake Climate Action Network, "[c]oal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and the biggest cause of climate change."
Allison Gost, a M.P.H. Candidate at the University of Maryland who graduated from the university in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in environmental science, says that air pollution comes from fossil fuel production and that air pollution is a main contributor to the production of smog.
Rising temperatures can make pollution worse and increase the number of bad air quality days
Two main air pollutants that are harmful to human health are ozone and particulate matter. High ozone and particulate matter are connected to respiratory problems, such as asthma and allergies.
Smog is a mixture of smoke and fog, which forms when pollution from industry, motor vehicles, and other sources react under certain climatic conditions. When temperatures increase, the process speeds up and it results in more smog.
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| Source: http://climatechange.maryland.gov/science/ |
As reported by the Natural Resources Defense Council, exposure to smog can cause irritated eyes, throats, and lung damage. "The U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] likened breathing ozone to getting a sunburn on your lungs."
Maryland is one of the top states in the U.S. for relative mortality from particle pollution
In 2013, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment conducted a study that found Maryland to be ranked one for relative mortality from particle pollution.
Analysis showed that "130 out of every 100,000 residents likely die in a given year due to long-term exposure to air pollution."
According to Maryland.gov, "an estimated 6,135 people die prematurely due to particle pollution" each year in Maryland.
Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are two effects of air pollution on human health
Communities should take necessary steps to improve air quality. Gost says that individual people can't improve polluted air by themselves, so they should know how to best protect themselves when there are bad air days.
National Resource Defense Council's list of ways to protect your family from air pollution:
- Check news reports on the radio, TV, or online for pollen reports or daily air quality conditions. Or visit EPA's Air Now website for air quality info.
- If you or someone in your family has allergies or asthma, on days when pollen or ozone smog levels are high, minimize outdoor activity and keep your windows closed.
- Shower after spending time outdoors to wash off pollen that may have collected on your skin or hair.
- Wash bedding and vacuum frequently to remove pollen that may settle in sheets or carpets.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Social networking with parents can strengthen parent-child relationships, study says
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| Source: http://wholeheartedparenting.blogspot.com/ |
Of course there are adolescents that feel like their parents would be invading their privacy if they're friends with them on social networking sites. These are the young people that believe that social media sites are better for interacting with friends rather than with parents, the study says.
Dr. Kevin Roy, a professor in the Family Science Department in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, says that interactions between parent and child on social networks could cause both positive and negative outcomes.
A brief overview of the BYU study.
The goal of this 2014 study was to examine parent-child relationships and the connections and outcomes for adolescents. The participants, 491 adolescents and their parents from the United States, were randomly selected from a national database.
They had to complete questionnaires on their social networking use, feelings of connections, and behavioral outcomes, which included internalizing and delinquency, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior.
They had to complete questionnaires on their social networking use, feelings of connections, and behavioral outcomes, which included internalizing and delinquency, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior.
Some examples of sample items from the survey:
- "How much time do you spend on social networking sites in a typical day?"
- "How often do you use social networking sites (such as Facebook) to connect with your parent/child?"
- "My parent and I have warm and loving times together."
- "My parents is responsive to my feelings and needs."
- "I am unhappy, sad, or depressed."
- "I lie or cheat."
- "When I have been angry at someone, I have tried to damage that person's reputation by gossiping about them."
- "I really enjoy doing small favors for my family."
All survey items were answered on a point-based scale (e.g., 1="not true" to 5="almost always true").
There's a large range of social networking use between parents and their children.
The researchers of the study revealed that "about half of the adolescents who are on social networking sites do connect with their parents over such sites." However, the frequency of parents and children connecting daily on social media is low -- less than 20 percent reported daily interactions with their parents.
Despite the rare daily interactions on these sites with Mom and Dad, there is a large proportion of adolescents that are still "friends" with their parents on social networking sites.
Despite the rare daily interactions on these sites with Mom and Dad, there is a large proportion of adolescents that are still "friends" with their parents on social networking sites.
A small survey was sent out in two University of Maryland journalism classes in regards to social networking with parents. This is the question that these college students responded to:
"Of the following social networks, check all of which you are a "friend" or follower of at least one parent."
The answer choices were Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Not a friend (follower of a parent on any of these).
"Of the following social networks, check all of which you are a "friend" or follower of at least one parent."
The answer choices were Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Not a friend (follower of a parent on any of these).
There were at total of 77 response to the survey question between the two classes. The results showed that 18 of the 77 students were not a "friend" or follower of a parent on any of the social networks that were listed.
There were 56 people who were "friends" with a parent on Facebook, 18 were following a parent on Twitter, 27 were following a parent on Instagram, and 14 were following a parent on Snapchat.
The results of this smaller survey conducted at the University of Maryland links with what was found in the BYU study. Both studies show that there is a large number of teens who are social networking with their parents.
Adolescents that are social networking with their parents can strengthen parent-child relationships.
According to the BYU study, "media use can become part of family interactions, and can strengthen family bonds in a variety of contexts." University of Maryland's Dr. Kevin Roy discusses that communication via social media is similar to any other form of communication.
Parents and children can use social networks for increased communication as well as in many other different ways, such as playing games, the study says.
A way in which parents and their children can show support to each other on social networks is by making positive comments on statuses and pictures. The researchers say that this can increase feelings of connection.
Parents can also understand what's going on in their child's life better if they are "friends" with each other on social media. This would allow parents to be aware of who their child is hanging out with and what their personal preferences are.
The increased communication and interaction between parents and their children on social networks can result in "heightened feelings of connectivity," the study says.
As a result, this can be "associated with a number of positive outcomes for adolescents, such as higher prosocial behavior toward family and diminished relational aggression and internalizing problems."
As a result, this can be "associated with a number of positive outcomes for adolescents, such as higher prosocial behavior toward family and diminished relational aggression and internalizing problems."
Children not social networking with a parent can increase delinquency, increase relational aggression, and decrease parent-child connection.
The researchers mention that it's possible that adolescents are interacting on social networking sites with peers that their parents may not approve of. The researchers also bring up the point that these teens may use social media "as a vehicle of harm."
The researchers mention that it's possible that adolescents are interacting on social networking sites with peers that their parents may not approve of. The researchers also bring up the point that these teens may use social media "as a vehicle of harm."
Some examples of adolescents causing harm on social networks that were given in the study include "sending mean messages, 'de-friending' others, posting unflattering pictures, or creating online groups for the purpose of excluding or humiliating others."
Parents, who are "friends" with their children on social networking sites, would be more aware of their interactions on these sites, and therefore, could monitor and help prevent certain issues from occurring.
Final thoughts from the BYU study: Social networking could be a "useful tool" for parents in connecting with their children.
The researchers' suggestion is for parents to not "friend" their child right away, but instead sit down and discuss with them the possibility of social networking together.
Final thoughts from the BYU study: Social networking could be a "useful tool" for parents in connecting with their children.
The researchers' suggestion is for parents to not "friend" their child right away, but instead sit down and discuss with them the possibility of social networking together.
Some adolescents may get embarrassed or weirded out if parents are always commenting on statuses and pictures, or controlling their kids' interactions.
For that reason, the researchers "suspect that careful and respectful use of social networking sites with parents may be good for adolescents."
Thursday, September 10, 2015
College students aren't as "techie" as we think because they prefer simplicity
College students spend a lot of their time on the Web, but they aren't the "technology wizards" we think they might be.
A study conducted by Nielson Norman Group on college students revealed some intriguing results about students' Internet use. It showed that students rather use websites that have a "clean and simple" look, instead of a "flashy and busy" look. They also "prefer websites that are easy to scan and don't intimidate them with a wall of gray text."
Despite being more comfortable using new technology than most older users, college students tended to "avoid Web elements that they perceive[d] as 'unknown' for fear of wasting time." Students are obviously very busy and as a result want to acquire information as quickly as possible. If they find something on a site that is difficult or confusing, they'll lose patience and leave the site rather than sit there and figure out the issue.
The article termed college students as "search dominant." This means that students don't like to be swarmed by visuals and audio and motion clips. They "gravitate toward one very plain user interface: the search engine." One user was quoted saying that websites should "stick to simplicity in design, but not be old-fashioned. Clear menus, not too many flashy or moving things because it can be quite confusing."
College students don't require the sites they use to entertain them. These students are "goal-oriented" people, therefore, the websites they use are sites "that [help] them quickly accomplish their goals." These students also don't always trust the information they read on the first website they look at. As a matter of fact, "many students were skeptical or turned off by websites that lacked depth and detail, or didn't answer their questions."
We know that college students are intelligent because, well, they're in college. They have strong reading skills and are more than apt to reading advanced writing. With this all being said, students don't want to read a large amount of text. They prefer to scan a page to retrieve information instead of reading it all word for word. As previously stated, college students are busy people and want to quickly accomplish their goals.
International students were also tested in this study. And believe it or not, there was no differences between the U.S. students and the foreign-born students. Both groups of students were the same in regards to their usage of online websites.
The participants involved in the study were college students, both undergraduate and graduate students, ranging in age from 18-24. Forty-three students in four countries (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States) participated.
One method used for testing was that the students had to complete tasks in a one-on-one session -- one person being the participant and the other being the observer. For some of those tasks, the students could use any website(s), and for the others, they had to use a predetermined site. Another method used was that the students' Internet use was recorded at home for two days using screen-recording software.
A study conducted by Nielson Norman Group on college students revealed some intriguing results about students' Internet use. It showed that students rather use websites that have a "clean and simple" look, instead of a "flashy and busy" look. They also "prefer websites that are easy to scan and don't intimidate them with a wall of gray text."
Despite being more comfortable using new technology than most older users, college students tended to "avoid Web elements that they perceive[d] as 'unknown' for fear of wasting time." Students are obviously very busy and as a result want to acquire information as quickly as possible. If they find something on a site that is difficult or confusing, they'll lose patience and leave the site rather than sit there and figure out the issue.
The article termed college students as "search dominant." This means that students don't like to be swarmed by visuals and audio and motion clips. They "gravitate toward one very plain user interface: the search engine." One user was quoted saying that websites should "stick to simplicity in design, but not be old-fashioned. Clear menus, not too many flashy or moving things because it can be quite confusing."
College students don't require the sites they use to entertain them. These students are "goal-oriented" people, therefore, the websites they use are sites "that [help] them quickly accomplish their goals." These students also don't always trust the information they read on the first website they look at. As a matter of fact, "many students were skeptical or turned off by websites that lacked depth and detail, or didn't answer their questions."
We know that college students are intelligent because, well, they're in college. They have strong reading skills and are more than apt to reading advanced writing. With this all being said, students don't want to read a large amount of text. They prefer to scan a page to retrieve information instead of reading it all word for word. As previously stated, college students are busy people and want to quickly accomplish their goals.
International students were also tested in this study. And believe it or not, there was no differences between the U.S. students and the foreign-born students. Both groups of students were the same in regards to their usage of online websites.
The participants involved in the study were college students, both undergraduate and graduate students, ranging in age from 18-24. Forty-three students in four countries (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States) participated.
One method used for testing was that the students had to complete tasks in a one-on-one session -- one person being the participant and the other being the observer. For some of those tasks, the students could use any website(s), and for the others, they had to use a predetermined site. Another method used was that the students' Internet use was recorded at home for two days using screen-recording software.
Monday, September 7, 2015
College students aren't as "techie" as we thought
College students spend a lot of their time on the Web, but they aren't the "technology wizards" we think they might be.
A study conducted by Nielson Norman Group on college students revealed some intriguing results about students' Internet use. It showed that students rather use websites that have a "clean and simple" look, instead of a "flashy and busy" look. They also "prefer websites that are easy to scan and don't intimidate them with a wall of gray text."
Despite being more comfortable using new technology than most older users, college students tended to "avoid Web elements that they perceive[d] as 'unknown' for fear of wasting time." Students are obviously very busy and as a result want to acquire information as quickly as possible. If they find something on a site that is difficult or confusing, they'll lose patience and leave the site rather than sit there and figure out the issue.
The article termed college students as "search dominant." This means that students don't like to be swarmed by visuals and audio and motion clips. They "gravitate toward one very plain user interface: the search engine." One user was quoted saying that websites should "stick to simplicity in design, but not be old-fashioned. Clear menus, not too many flashy or moving things because it can be quite confusing."
College students don't require the sites they use to entertain them. These students are "goal-oriented" people, therefore, the websites they use are sites "that [help] them quickly accomplish their goals." These students also don't always trust the information they read on the first website they look at. As a matter of fact, "many students were skeptical or turned off by websites that lacked depth and detail, or didn't answer their questions."
We know that college students are intelligent because, well, they're in college. They have strong reading skills and are more than apt to reading advanced writing. With this all being said, students don't want to read a large amount of text. They prefer to scan a page to retrieve information instead of reading it all word for word. As previously stated, college students are busy people and want to quickly accomplish their goals.
International students were also tested in this study. And believe it or not, there was no differences between the U.S. students and the foreign-born students. Both groups of students were the same in regards to their usage of online websites.
The participants involved in the study were college students, both undergraduate and graduate students, ranging in age from 18-24. Forty-three students in four countries (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States) participated.
One method used for testing was that the students had to complete tasks in a one-on-one session -- one person being the participant and the other being the observer. For some of those tasks, the students could use any website(s), and for the others, they had to use a predetermined site. Another method used was that the students' Internet use was recorded at home for two days using screen-recording software.
A study conducted by Nielson Norman Group on college students revealed some intriguing results about students' Internet use. It showed that students rather use websites that have a "clean and simple" look, instead of a "flashy and busy" look. They also "prefer websites that are easy to scan and don't intimidate them with a wall of gray text."
Despite being more comfortable using new technology than most older users, college students tended to "avoid Web elements that they perceive[d] as 'unknown' for fear of wasting time." Students are obviously very busy and as a result want to acquire information as quickly as possible. If they find something on a site that is difficult or confusing, they'll lose patience and leave the site rather than sit there and figure out the issue.
The article termed college students as "search dominant." This means that students don't like to be swarmed by visuals and audio and motion clips. They "gravitate toward one very plain user interface: the search engine." One user was quoted saying that websites should "stick to simplicity in design, but not be old-fashioned. Clear menus, not too many flashy or moving things because it can be quite confusing."
College students don't require the sites they use to entertain them. These students are "goal-oriented" people, therefore, the websites they use are sites "that [help] them quickly accomplish their goals." These students also don't always trust the information they read on the first website they look at. As a matter of fact, "many students were skeptical or turned off by websites that lacked depth and detail, or didn't answer their questions."
We know that college students are intelligent because, well, they're in college. They have strong reading skills and are more than apt to reading advanced writing. With this all being said, students don't want to read a large amount of text. They prefer to scan a page to retrieve information instead of reading it all word for word. As previously stated, college students are busy people and want to quickly accomplish their goals.
International students were also tested in this study. And believe it or not, there was no differences between the U.S. students and the foreign-born students. Both groups of students were the same in regards to their usage of online websites.
The participants involved in the study were college students, both undergraduate and graduate students, ranging in age from 18-24. Forty-three students in four countries (Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States) participated.
One method used for testing was that the students had to complete tasks in a one-on-one session -- one person being the participant and the other being the observer. For some of those tasks, the students could use any website(s), and for the others, they had to use a predetermined site. Another method used was that the students' Internet use was recorded at home for two days using screen-recording software.
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