Share Paper: The Differing Technology Support Needs of Beginner and Expert Users: Survey Findings from the University of Washington

  1. Cara Lane, University of Washington, United States
  2. Henry Lyle, University of Washington, United States
Sunday, June 21 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Virtual Presenter Room

Abstract: Educational technology advances quickly, with new tools and services becoming available. Consequently, users are always trying to keep pace with these new developments. Technology discussions are often most influenced by the needs of experts, since these users are more likely to be the pioneers of new technology. In this paper, we report data from a university-wide survey of faculty, teaching assistants, and students at the University of Washington, Seattle. Our data show that individuals with technical expertise at the “beginner” level rely on different sources of support and encounter different obstacles than do individuals at the “expert” level; for instance, ...