SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 8, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National non-profit Connected Nation and the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) have released a first-of-its-kind statewide inventory of technology deployed across all 989 Utah public schools. The report includes individual school district technology profiles, a statewide analysis of data, and a comparison of findings between school districts and charter schools. The study, commissioned by Utah Senate Bill 222 in 2015, involved an assessment of hardware, software, wired and Wi-Fi infrastructure, digital content licenses, technical and instructional technology support personnel, and network management tools and capabilities.
"The Utah School Technology Inventory provides Utah policymakers with an in-depth and comprehensive view of digital learning resources across every single district and charter school in the state," said Brent Legg, Vice President of Education Programs at Connected Nation. "As Utah prepares to make further investments in education technology, it was important for the Legislature to fully understand what ed tech resources are currently available so that it can make informed decisions about the future. We hope that other states will take note and follow their lead."
Key findings from the report include:
- Utah schools have, on average, 0.61 computing devices per student.
- Only 11% of Utah schools have deployed devices on a 1:1 basis to their students.
- Wi-Fi infrastructure is lacking; approximately 79% of Utah schools have fewer than 1 Wi-Fi Access Point per instructional space.
- Sixty-one percent of Utah schools report that their wireless hardware is at least three years old.
The 14-week study involved the creation of an online data collection portal with approximately 45 questions about infrastructure, access, and use of digital learning resources, as well as perceived needs for the future. Connected Nation staff members were also deployed on a regional basis to provide on-the-ground support to school districts as needed. The resulting dataset contains over 100,000 points of data that were provided to UETN along with a report on key findings. The study garnered a remarkable 100% participation rate across all of Utah's district and charter schools.
For more information about the Utah School Technology Inventory, or to view the summary report and individual district profiles, please visit http://www.uen.org/digital-learning/. To learn more about Connected Nation's work, please visit http://www.connectednation.org. Inquiries may be directed to Amanda Murphy at amurphy@connectednation.org.
Download the full report here: http://www.uen.org/digital-learning/downloads/inventory/UtahSchoolTechnologyInventoryReport.pdf
About Connected Nation: Connected Nation is a leading technology organization committed to bringing affordable high-speed Internet and broadband-enabled resources to all Americans. Connected Nation effectively raises the awareness of the value of broadband and related technologies by developing coalitions of influencers and enablers for improving technology access, adoption, and use. Connected Nation works with consumers, community leaders, states, and technology providers and foundations, to develop and implement technology expansion programs with core competencies centered on a mission to improve digital inclusion for people and places previously underserved or overlooked. For more information, please visit: www.connectednation.org/.