Student Perception of Digital Technology Usage in Higher Education Classrooms at Seattle Pacific University

Abstract Student Perception of Digital Technology Usage in Higher Education Classrooms at Seattle Pacific University By Jason Profit Chairperson of the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Nyaradzo Mvududu School of Education Since 2004, EDUCAUSE has been assessing the use of digital devices in higher education classrooms. Seattle Pacific University (SPU) had never participated in an ECAR Student Technology Survey until April, 2017. This study aimed to establish a baseline understanding of how SPU undergraduate students compare to other small, private, liberal arts institutions in regard to technology usage in the classroom. The broader purpose of this study was to add to the growing research involving the use of mobile digital devices within higher education classrooms. This study focused on the connectivism learning theory which seeks to explain the complex learning that takes place within all classrooms in a constantly and rapidly changing digital world. The author used the 2017 ECAR Student Technology Survey as the instrument to gather data. This research was a non-experimental, ex post facto study using a convenience sample in which participants provided survey data at one point in time regarding their perception of their instructors’ use of digital devices within a classroom, their perception of SPU’s learning management system and their preferred learning environment within a course. The researcher conducted a factor analysis to confirm the existence of factors before conducting a one-way MANOVA