First year university students : to what extent are they digital natives

Abstract

Studies from advanced economies suggest that current undergraduates are high-end users of emerging technologies such as mobile devices and new communication tools. This study describes findings from a study of two consecutive years of the first-year university students that corroborate these claims: ownership of laptops, cellular phones and music devices seems to be proliferating among this group, along with the use of communication tools such as instant messaging, blogs and podcasts. An examination of these findings reveal that the first-year university students are not a homogenous population but consist of individuals who possess different skills and dexterities when it comes to utilizing tools and devices of ICT for both social and educational purposes. The results also bring to light the fact that decisions taken for enhancing the learning experiences of the incoming university students should be empirical and based on evidence and not on assumptions.

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