81% of higher education students are using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones for study purposes, according to a new report from McGraw-Hill Education. The use of mobile devices for study has increased 40% year on year, and mobile technology is now the second most popular device category after laptops.
The study found that mobile devices are becoming essential to the process of study: 66% of respondents said that it was 'moderately' to 'extremely' important for them to be able to use a mobile device for educational purposes.
Students acknowledged the valuable impact of technology, with 77% of respondents indicating that it has had a positive effect on their grades. Students reported that their use of technology made them feel better prepared for classes, with more confidence in their knowledge of course material.
Almost half of respondents also reported that technology saves them study time, with 77% of this group saying that technology saved them between two and five hours per week.
The prevalence of social media platforms is having an impact on what students expect from their mobile study tools, too: 72% of students responding to the survey said that study technology should exhibit the same degree of tailoring as their social media feeds.
The feedback acknowledges changing study patterns, and "… suggests that today's students tend toward shorter, more concentrated bursts of studying anywhere they're able, rather than waiting for several hours to hunker down in the library," according to Sharon Loeb, vice president of marketing for McGraw-Hill Education.
The study surveyed almost 1,700 college students in the USA.
More information here.
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