What happens when you have to use a computer but don’t like to? Ranida B. Harris, Indiana University Southeast, and Kent Marett, Mississippi State University, investigated what happens to people who have to use computers for more than 20 hours per week for work but don’t like computers.
Certainly not all corporate trainers and academics love computers. David Noble organized strikes at 2 universities in the 1990’s, opposed among other things to some enforced uses of technology. However, this seemed to be an issue with lack of justification to faculty about the anticipated advantages of the proposed uses of technology and providing them with the training and support to not overburdened by the increased workload. And many corporate trainers were told to start developing online courses when the shift started, also in the 1990’s, from instructor-led classrooms to online courses.
But what about the students? Many people are expected to take online courses at work, or they sign up for online programs because of the convenience or other factors; presumably not liking computers would put such people at a disadvantage. Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass, in The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places, found that “even technologically sophisticated people treat boxes of circuitry as if they were other human beings”. Is not liking your computer the same as not liking your teacher? Does not liking your computer make you skim through course materials that require concentrated attention? Is mediation needed? Please share your insights!
Interesting question. I would say that disliking computers is NOT the same as disliking your teacher. It’s more like disliking teachers (or people) generally. In fact, some people are misanthropic but are nevertheless forced to deal with people anyhow. Some people dislike cars, phones, animals, insects, ball point pens, elevators, etc. I tend to view computers in the workplace and learning-place as largely inevitable, so I work to make them less onerous for more people. That way I feel less abusive when I’m responsible for creating or deploying computer-based things people are forced to use.
I like the question. I would say yes; it may hamper your attention span.
I think this seemed to be an issue with lack of justification to faculty about the anticipated advantages of the proposed uses of technology and providing them with the training and support to not overburdened by the increased workload.
I started thinking about this article again tonight, when I was watching a new documentary about Apple. People in the documentary kept making the point that computer users make a personal connection with their computers, especially when they use them frequently, for long hours. Mac users say they tend to become fans because those computers don’t make them feel stupid.
I would say that not liking your computer is like not liking your teacher in that sense, but the courseware is just as apt an analogy to the teacher, maybe even more so. And the good news is that the courseware is far more within the designer’s power to control… to make it “less onerous”, as Mark says.