Two stories beneath Moffitt Library's ground-floor entrance, in IST's most popular student computer lab, a group of stragglers was still typing. It was 1:53 am on a Thursday. Soon the printers would turn off and the lights would go out. A student computing consultant would announce, as politely as possible, that they didn't have go home, but they couldn't stay there.
These dedicated students, the late-nighters, make up one of many demographics served by Workstation and Microcomputing Facilities (W&MF), a unit within IST. W&MF runs computer labs in four locations — Moffitt, Wheeler, VLSB, and Evans. Early this year, W&MF staff received nearly 1,500 responses and comments from users in a survey designed to open a dialogue with students and point out new directions for the labs to take.
"Our unit has perhaps the most face-to-face interaction with the student population of any part of IST," said Jon Crumpler, a staff supervisor for the labs' 89 student employees. "One of our goals is making our side of IST more engaged with the student experience."
The results contain a few surprises. For example: how many of the students using the labs have their own computers? Almost all of them, according to the survey. Ninety-five percent of respondents said they own laptops. Most students use the labs for convenience, Jon said. "It's a place where they can come, almost any time of day, to print, watch webcasts, or work on papers."
About half the survey participants said they use the W&MF computer labs once a week, and afternoons were the most popular time. More than 80 percent of respondents named printing as one reason they come to the labs. When he heard this figure, Eric Burstyn, a senior English major, said he wasn't surprised.
"I don't really think anybody has a printer at home," he said. "Or maybe they do, and don't use it. Either way, whenever papers are due in a class, everyone's there in the computer lab, printing them out."
Although Eric said he usually writes his papers at home, and prints them in the Wheeler lab, 71 percent of survey participants listed "writing papers and reports" as one of their lab activities.
"I used to write everything in Moffitt," said Jill Roberts, also an English major. "I liked the idea of being stuck there. I'd come with all my books and plant myself, and I wouldn't go home until I was finished."
Matteo Banerjee, a fourth-year Math and Philosophy major, said one reason he uses the computer labs is that carrying a laptop to campus is an inconvenience — and a liability.
"Well, for one thing, computers are heavy," Matteo said. "And then there's the chance you might get mugged walking home. Or that you'll forget and set your bag down too hard. It really isn't worth the risk."
The 19-question online survey was developed and conducted for W&MF by IST's Technical Account Management (TAM) group. The survey opened in November 2008 and ran through the first week of January 2009. W&MF and TAM attracted participants by posting links to the survey on bSpace, putting flyers on computers in the labs, instructing staff to invite users to participate, and offering raffle prizes such as an iPod Shuffle and printing credits.
Many students left comments suggesting they see the facilities primarily as a place to do homework, said Christopher Washington, head staff supervisor in the labs. This is a shift from the way his organization had been approaching the labs, he said.
"Now working on homework often requires a computer," he said. "I think we got a sense of the labs as a real lifeline for some students, who otherwise wouldn't have access to a computer."
Learning what students need from the labs, and learning how to respond to those needs, are two of the main reasons W&MF ran the survey, Christopher said. "We're equipped to change, and hearing from our users helps us know what changes to make."
"We love the input from our clients," he added. "We're here to serve them. Even with the current budget constraints, we try to make the services we provide top-notch."