This week, I completed my 12 hours of observation in three general access computer labs on a college campus. In particular, I looked for overall patterns of behavior and Internet use.
I continued to notice that a lot of students answer their cell phones or make a call while in the lab, even though there are signs saying that cell phone use is prohibited. From what I have seen, students do not attempt to hide the fact that they are having a conversation, which suggests that they either do not know the rule regarding cell phone use or that they do not believe this rule will be enforced. I have never seen a student being reprimanded for breaking this rule, even though there is always a lab consultant in the room.
Other students’ reactions to cell phone use in the lab seem to be negative. Often, when someone answers their phone and begins a conversation, the students at the computers near him or her appear to be distracted. Sometimes, they will look over at the cell-phone-using student several times, which suggests annoyance at the disruption the conversation is causing. However, none of the calls I have overheard have lasted more than a few minutes. On a few occasions, I have heard the student on the phone tell the person on the other end of the line that they will call him or her back later, because they are busy. This suggests that students are willing to have quick conversations in the lab, but not lengthy ones.
I also continued to notice the popularity of using Facebook in the computer labs. Most often, I see students looking at pictures that other Facebook users have posted. One student in particular spent about 45 minutes clicking through pictures on this site. On the other hand, I have seen just as many students, if not more, writing papers in Microsoft Word. Often, students will switch back-and-forth between Facebook and MS Word, suggesting that even though they are in the lab to get work done, they also want to be able to take a break and use non-academic Web sites.
Another thing I noticed this week was that several students (mostly males) spent time looking up football and baseball team rankings. This suggests that professional sports are important to at least some college students. Football happens to be a large part of the culture of the state I am conducting my observations in, which likely affects the number of students who research this sport online.
Now that I am done with my observations, I will examine my field notes to find connections between the behaviors and activities that I have noticed in an attempt to come to a conclusion about the use of general access computer labs by college students. Next week, I will write my final observation blog detailing my reflections about the things that I have seen and heard.
