The Differing Technology Support Needs of Beginner and Expert Users: Survey Findings from the University of Washington

Educational technology advances quickly, with new tools and services becoming available. Consequently, users are always trying to keep pace with these new developments. Technology discussions are often most influenced by the needs of experts, since these users are more likely to be the pioneers of new technology. In this paper, we report data from a universitywide survey of faculty, teaching assistants, and students at the University of Washington, Seattle. Our data show that individuals with technical expertise at the “beginner” level rely on different sources of support and encounter different obstacles than do individuals at the “expert” level; for instance, lack of knowledge about where to go to learn about new technology was a significantly greater obstacle for beginners. Overall, our data demonstrate the importance of recognizing a range of expertise within all populations when assessing obstacles and implementing programs to alleviate obstacles related to incorporating educational technologies.