College Students Find WiFi Essential to = Education, Survey Reports

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College Students Find WiFi Essential to Education, Survey = Reports

10/7/2008

By Dian Schaffhauser

Ninety percent of college students in the United States say WiFi = access is as=20 essential to education as classrooms and computers, and nearly three in = five say=20 they wouldn't go to a college that doesn't have free WiFi, according to = a survey=20 by the WiFi = Alliance and Wakefield = Research.=20 What's more, 79 percent said that without WiFi access, college would be = a lot=20 harder.

In conjunction with the WiFi Alliance, Wakefield Research surveyed = 501 U.S.=20 college students in September 2008. The WiFi alliance has a membership = made up=20 of companies involved in WiFi technology and services.

Other survey findings:

If forced to choose, the survey reported, nearly half of = respondents (48=20 percent) would give up beer before giving up WiFi;=20
Seventy-two percent would rather wear their school's rival's team = colors=20 for a day;=20
More than two in five (44 percent) used WiFi to get a head start = on an=20 assignment before a class was finished;=20
More than half have checked Facebook or MySpace and sent or = received=20 e-mail while using their laptop in class. Just under half sent instant = messages to a friend during class;=20
Many students reported that the availability of WiFi influences = their=20 choice of coffee shop (52 percent), bookstore (42 percent), and = restaurant (33=20 percent).

"WiFi is expected as part of today's campus experience both from an=20 educational perspective as well as from a social perspective. Students = expect=20 WiFi so that they can learn anytime and anywhere on campus as well as = always be=20 available for friends and family," said Stan Schatt, vice president and = research=20 director at ABI Research. "We expect to see WiFi penetration in U.S.=20 universities at 99 percent by 2013."

Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business. = Send=20 your higher education technology news to her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.

Cite this Site

Dian Schaffhauser, "College Students Find WiFi = Essential to Education, Survey Reports," Campus Technology, = 10/7/2008,=20 http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=3D68281

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