Mobile use among students was on the rise from 2013 to 2014, according to new research released by McGraw-Hill Education. The second annual report, 'The Impact of Technology on College Student Study Habits,' conducted by McGraw-Hill Education and Hanover Research, found that 81 percent of students use mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) to study, the second most popular device category behind laptops and up 40 percent year over year. Of the different types of learning technologies available, students found that adaptive learning technologies were the most effective, with 85 percent indicating a moderate or major improvement in grades.
According to the survey of roughly 1,700 college students across the US, technology plays an integral role in their collegiate experiences. Mobile is becoming a must-have with 66 percent of students indicating that it is moderately to extremely important for them to be able to study on a mobile device.
Technology adoption for higher education is growing rapidly, due in large part to the positive impact on students. The report found that technology can lead to better grades with 77 percent of students saying study technology has positively impacted their grades. Tech also saves students time with 48 percent of students saying technology saves them time while studying; of this group, 77 percent indicated technology saves them two to five hours per week or more.
When it comes to providing high-quality education technology solutions for students, personalization matters. Seventy-two percent of students agreed that study technology should feel as tailored as social media feeds, and 79 percent of students agreed study technology should be more individualized. Additionally, students said technology helps them feel better prepared for classes (62 percent) and have more confidence in their knowledge of course material (52 percent).
Other findings from the report offer insight into a student's perception of college readiness and sentiment about their financial futures. More than half of students (51 percent) said that college is harder than they expected, while 57 percent indicated that the cost of tuition is the most difficult part about college. Eighty-nine percent of students agreed that without student loans, they would not be able to afford college, and 77 percent said they are worried that they will feel trapped by student loan payments after graduation.
