Professors Stressed Over Technology
By ANJETTA McQUEEN
12:02 AM ET 08/30/99
WASHINGTON (AP) - As college students research papers on the Internet and
manipulate numbers on spreadsheets, their professors are feeling a little less in tune
with the newest computer trends. Two out of three professors say they are stressed
trying to keep up with the emerging technology, surpassing traditional troubles such as
publishing pressure and teaching loads, according to a new national survey of university
faculty.
Researchers say they may be not be using the technology because they are scared
by it, which means they never learn how it works or how to handle it calmly.
``The level of stress resulting from information technology is quite likely a
reflection of the time faculty invest in computer use,'' said Linda Sax, a researcher who
directed the faculty survey at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Nearly nine in 10 college instructors agreed that ``student use of computers
enhances their learning.'' But only 35 percent use the Internet to conduct research, and
just 38 percent use technology to create class presentations.
By contrast, 87 percent use computers to send e-mail and 85 percent use them to
write memos or letters.
Like most of his peers, Thomas King, a theology professor at Georgetown
University, said he doesn't use computers for classroom presentations.
``I just don't have the time. I don't have the time to use everything they come
up with,'' he said.
King uses e-mail, calling it a ``very nice development'' for keeping up with
friends and colleagues. But he said even that can be cumbersome.
``I just get so many messages that it's a real chore,'' he said. The
34,000 faculty members surveyed by mail in the 1998-99 academic year represent 378 of the
nation's two-year and four-year colleges and universities. The margin of error was not
available Sunday.
The survey suggests that colleges, like the nation's elementary and secondary
schools, have a way to go in preparing teachers for their technically savvy students.
``We are seeing a generation that has practically grown up with computers as a
part of everyday life, whether it's at home or in their K-12 classes,'' said Harlan Leebo,
a UCLA spokesman. He noted that 80 percent of last year's freshmen arrived with their own
computers.
UCLA does not require students to have computers, but others do. And some
schools, such as the University of Florida, even offer counseling for students who suffer
from computer anxiety.
But professors might not be getting such help. According to the survey,
``technology-related stress'' was only topped by meeting household responsibilities, not
having a personal life and other time pressures.
It even topped traditional stresses. Sixty-seven percent of faculty said they
felt regular stress keeping up with information technology. That beat the 62 percent
stressed by their teaching loads, and only 50 percent said they were stressed by research
or publishing demands.
Older faculty, those age 65 and older, were less likely to use the technology,
and more likely to report that computers caused them stress.
The 1999 survey also found:
- Little change in faculty diversity since the first survey 10 years ago; 92
percent of current instructors are white, compared with 90 percent in 1989.
- College staffs are aging; 32 percent of faculty are 55 years or older,
compared with 24 percent in 1989.
- More faculty are satisfied with their jobs; 75 percent this year, compared
with 69 percent in 1989.
