The Impact of Technology on University Life
Technology is the reason why university is a completely different experience today than it was a couple of decades ago. Tech influences everything from education to socializing. In particular, here are a few key ways technology is impacting university life.
1. Connecting Through Social Media
Thanks to social media, no one is ever that far away. You can easily stay in touch with your hometown friends and family members, even if you rarely see each other during the school year. Plus, social media makes it easier to form new friendships because you can send messages and see what people are posting to get to know them better.
2. Risk of Misunderstandings
There’s a greater risk of misunderstandings when communicating digitally compared to talking in person. This is often because it’s more difficult to express emotion through text messages, meaning the recipient may misinterpret the sender’s tone.
3. Better Engagement
Professors are incorporating more tech into their teaching, which is leading to higher levels of engagement. Technology allows professors to combine lectures with online readings, recordings, videos, and interactive activities.
4. Improved Comprehension
If you’re struggling to understand a concept, you can look it up — you can even search for a term you don’t understand while you’re in class. Plus, you can find extra information or a different explanation if your textbooks are unclear. Lastly, there’s no need to wait until office hours if you have a query: if you drop your professor an email, you can expect a response in a few days at the most.
5. Faster Grading
Tech often allows professors to grade tests and assignments faster. It also gives students access to their results earlier, as grades can appear on the university website as soon as they are ready.
6. Online and Hybrid Classes
Even if you’re attending university in person, you may have the chance to take some online or hybrid classes. This may be useful if you need more flexibility in your schedule — or you may simply prefer to take some classes from the comfort of your apartment.
7. Fewer Paper Handouts
It’s difficult to stay organized when you have piles of handouts from your professors. One great thing about technology is it has enabled teachers to switch to digital copies of materials. This includes instructions for homework. Plus, students typically email their assignments to professors instead of printing out and stapling papers together to bring to class.
8. Up-to-Date Information
When materials are in a digital format, it is easier to update them with new information and to correct errors. This is particularly important in subjects where new research has a big impact.
You can take full advantage of technology during your time at university by living at the Revalie. We have rooms to rent near Carleton University equipped with modern amenities like RFID secure electronic access, 55-inch smart TVs, and WiFi-6 or multi-gigabit fibre wired internet connections. You’ll also find cutting-edge tech in our community amenities, such as in The Studio, which has three vignette areas for film and audio recording. Take a virtual tour to see everything our student housing has to offer.