What difference does a Mac make?

Dartmouth students believe personal computers improve their academic performance, but there is little difference in grades between owners and non-owners of Apple Macintoshes.

Those are among the findings of a recent study sponsored by the dean of the faculty's office of the impact of personal computers on the campus. It is believed to be the first detailed examination of a campus in transition to microcomputers and will be continued for several years. The study's findings cover 1984—85, the first year the Macintosh was available to students and faculty in large numbers, with some followup statistics available for 1985-86.

The study found that:

Faculty and students were generally positive about the impact of computers on the curriculum. Half the students surveyed felt their grades would suffer without Macintoshes. However, there was no hard evidence that the computers enhanced learning. In 21 of 24 introductory courses, there was no difference in grades between computer owners and non-owners. In three courses, grades were slightly higher for non-owners.

In 1984-85, students who purchased Macintoshes had higher SAT quantitative scores than non-buyers, but did not differ significantly in verbal scores. The '89 freshmen who purchased computers had significantly higher quantitative and verbal scores than their classmates without computers.

Last year, 42% of male students but only 34% of females bought computers. But the '89 men and women purchased Macintoshes in equal percentages.

Students use their computers primarily for word-processing. Student papers increased in length by 50% in two courses. However, faculty opinion was mixed as to whether the quality of papers had improved.

Black students bought Macintoshes at significantly lower rates than did white students 27% compared to 40% in 1984-85 and 57.5% compared to 73% in 1985-86. Black students were also less likely to use the campus time-sharing system, available at no cost to all students, regardless of whether they own a Macintosh.

And comments by students involved in the study ranged from "It's basically an expensive typewriter with some games thrown in" and "I worry about having it stolen" to "Now I understand what people are talking about. I no longer hate computers because they can do amazing things" and "While writing a paper at 3:00 a.m. I had a new idea. I checked the library bibliography on the topic and realized it was worth pursuing. Then I went to bed, thinking that the Mac was well worth it."

Faculty dean Dwight Lahr notes that the initial findings will serve as baseline data and that several years of follow-up studies will be needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

In the fall of 1984, the number of personal computers on campus jumped from less than 50 to nearly 2,000, and at the same time Dartmouth became the first college in the nation to connect all dorm rooms to its central time-sharing system. The study which includes detailed analysis of archival records, student and faculty interviews, questionnaires, and course curricula is attempting to assess the effects of that revolution on the curriculum, grades, student life, and admissions. Lahr says that the College is especially interested in monitoring possible differences in the use of computing resources by different segments of the student body and in understanding and addressing the causes.