This document summarizes research on the digital habits and device usage of university students in Switzerland. It found that smartphone ownership is nearly universal, with iPhones being more common than Android phones. Laptop ownership is also very high. Tablet ownership has decreased slightly over time. Usage of communication, social media, and audio/visual apps on smartphones has remained consistent. Smartwatch ownership is low but growing. The digital ecosystem of students is shifting as new connected devices emerge and older standalone devices decline. Future research should expand to non-mobile devices and contexts of educational and general technology use.

1. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
The Multiple Apps and Devices of
Swiss Freshmen University Students
Christian Glahn & Marion R. Gruber
@phish108 & @em3rg3
1

2. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Background & Motivation
2
• Digital Natives and Millennials arrive in
higher education
• Organizations are still concerned about the
digital divide
• Multimodal learning activities are practically
non-existent in higher education
• Data on the student’s digital habitat is very
sparse

3. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts 3
Bring your own device
BYOD

4. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Definition
4
Habitat
“The typical place of residence of a person or a group”
Digital Habitat
The technologies available to and used by a person or
a group in normal daily activities
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Inspired by Wenger, White & Smith (2009)

5. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Definition
5
Ecology
“Studies relationships between organisms and
their environment”
Device Ecology
Studies the relationships between
people and devices in their environment
Britannica

6. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Question for Research
6
What comprises the
digital habitat
of
contemporary students?

7. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
The Anorexic Body of Research
7
Ally & Wark 2018 75% students own at least 1 mobile device
Canada &
North America
Al-Emran,
Elshreif, &
Shaalan
2016
71% own a smartphone, 28% own a tablet,
Not integrated into the curriculum
UAE
Kobus, Rietveld,
& van Ommeren 2013
68% own a smartphone, 83% own a laptop,
7% own a tablet, little curricular intgration
Netherlands
Murphy & Farley
et al.
Farley et al.
2014
2015
Device ecosystem for learning, 88% own a
smartphone, 88% own a laptop, 47% own a
tablet, other devices also reported
Australia
Oyelere,
Suhonen,
Shonola, & Joy
2016
94% own a mobile, 29% own a smartphone,
14% own a tablet, other devices also
reported
Nigeria
Byrne-Davis et al. 2015
iPads in HE, 4% own iPad, 36% own iPhone,
no Android data, student expectations on the
use of tablets
UK

8. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Conclusions from the Literature
8
• Few studies consider device ownership
• National data varies a lot
• Multi-device ownership not reported
• No continuous data
• No data for Switzerland
• Market studies are vendor centric

9. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Digital Natives in Universities
9
We have
no ideaabout the
digital experiences of
our students!

10. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts 10
Let’s shed some light on
our students’ digital habitat

11. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Method
11
5 consecutive cohorts
• 2014-2018
Mobile device ownership survey as part of the evaluation
of a m-learning-enriched freshmen course at UZH
• Communication Science
• Compulsory course
• Optional mobile learning experience
• Survey after the exam
Survey items include
• Device ownership
• Service usage
• Smartphone usage contexts*
* not reported here

12. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Participants
12
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Cohort size 410 343 323 342 327
Participants 50 93 60 59 65
Response Rate 12.2% 27.1% 18.6% 17.3% 19.9%

13. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Smartphone Ownership
is always at 100%
13
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
iPhone 72% 76.3% 68.3% 69.5% 63.1%
Android 26% 23.7% 31.7% 28.8% 36.9%
Windows 2% 0 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0 1.7% 0

14. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Service Usage on Smartphones
14

15. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Service Usage on Smartphones
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The usages remain mainly constant
across the cohorts
The increase of audio-visual media is
at the edge of significance

16. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Mobile Device Ownership
without Smartphones
16

17. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Ownership by Device Type
without Smartphones
17

18. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Smartwatches in the Ecosystem
in absolutes
18
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Android 0 1 0 1 1
iPhone 0 0 1 0 8

19. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Changing Device Ecosystem
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Decrease of unconnected digital devices
Uptake of wearables and connected devices
Device features and pricing affects device ownership

20. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Shifting From
Mobile to Contextual Learning
20
Digital Natives
are immersed in a
Device Ecosystem

21. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Limitations
21
Opinion-based only
Focus on mobile devices
Focus on one study program in one institution
New device categories are available
New service types are available
Representativeness is not ensured

22. Zurich Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts
Future Research
22
Expand beyond mobile devices
Include new types of services and appliances
Include service use on other devices
Stronger focus on general and educational contexts
Include commercial side of the students’ digital lifestyles