In the wake of so many changes to education this year, the Mopria Alliance recently conducted a survey to find out how important print and scan capabilities are for those who are engaged in “learn-from home” or distanced learning vs those participating in traditional in-person school.
The survey sought to uncover how vital print is as an educational tool, why people using print for school and whether they have access to printing at home or have lost that resource due to distanced learning situations.
“When people were asked why they print for school, the answers were very illuminating,” said Phil Mazzilli, Marketing Chair for the Mopria Alliance. “Beyond printing to turn in an assignment to a teacher, the top three out of four reasons students hit the print button is to obtain that extra bit of help in learning, comprehending and focusing on the information that can only come from the printed page. That data point is substantiated by academic studies and one that even young students seem to intuitively understand. Furthermore, it highlights how important printed materials are to learning and education in an increasingly digital world.”
Top takes from the survey:
Printers are generally easily accessible and used often
- About 75% of students had access to a printer in their home
- Approximately 75% of older learners (high school and up) and 2/3 of younger learners (K-8) print at least monthly, if not daily or weekly for school
- This is a much higher incidence of printing than for office workers
- About 50% of students/parents said they would have a hard time without a printer and print is very important to their education
- 75% of older learners reported that print is an essential learning tool
Why use print?
- Top reason for using print: to turn in or complete an assignment, homework or worksheet
- 3 of the top 4 reasons are to help students learn, comprehend and focus better
- When students aren’t required to print for an assignment, they frequently do anyway to help them understand the information in a way that only print provides in spite of a very digital world.
Technology used in printing
- Older Students: Mobile phones and apple computers are significantly more important learning tools
- Older students need technology with more computing power that will last through college and beyond
- Younger Students: Tablets and Chromebooks have a greater impact
- Have lower compute needs and have less frequent tech usage
Source of print
- Microsoft Office files and PDF viewers are the most common sources of eventual printed materials
- Printing from classroom learning tools/electronic learning platforms such as Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, etc.
- Highlights the importance of integrating print capabilities into industry-specific software solutions
