The search company, based in Mountain View, Calif., has set up an online survey at https://www.google.com/studentsurvey, which asks students about their habits and preferences for using email and online applications, and to rate their satisfaction with existing communications systems.
"Since email is such a vital tool for managing academic careers -- used to coordinate study groups, organize campus activities, or communicate directly with their professors -- this generation of college students includes some of the most knowledgeable consumers of online applications ever," said Jeff Keltner, Google manager of collaboration products for education.
More and more students are expecting that the applications they use for school have the same quality and ease-of-use as the applications they choose in their personal lives. In asking students to talk about email use on campus, Google is engaging in an ambitious effort to better understand the email needs of college students and discover ways of improving the email and online collaboration experience. Google Apps(TM) Education Edition offers accredited not-for-profit colleges and universities free email, instant messaging, calendar and document collaboration tools. Already, students at schools such as Arizona State University and Northwestern University use Google for their campus email and collaboration.
"University students lead hectic lives and are ready for email that helps them better organize themselves and communicate with others," said Keltner. "We're asking students to share their thoughts on campus email so we can help to make that experience even better."
About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
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