2012 ECAR: Educause released its annual study (now in its ninth year) of tech usage and trends from over 100,000 postsecondary students in around the world. The general conclusions are no surprise: students, now equipped with more portable devices than ever, expect more tech usage ("blended-learning environments") from schools. Blended learning rules: three out of four students say at least one class includes an "online component." Undergrads at big public schools get the most: 25% say that all or nearly their courses have some online component. One interesting tidbit: despite all the talk of tablets and mobile, student responses suggest that laptop, printers, and USB sticks are still the "winning trifecta" of devices most important to academic success. Who would've thought?
