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American Journal of  Smart 
Technology and Solutions (AJSTS)

A Comparative Study of  On-Campus and Off-Campus Internet Facilities
Fe Nangcas Jalon-De La Cruz1, Cherlyn Sarguilla Abillar2

Volume 2 Issue 1, Year 2023
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Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: March 02, 2023

Accepted: March 11, 2023

Published: March 18, 2023

This study aimed to compare the lived experiences of  the graduate school students in 
accessing internet facilities inside and outside the university campus. Qualitative method 
using phenomenology as a design was utilized. The internet services in two campuses were 
compared. Aspects of  comparison between the two lenses started with the on-campus 
followed by the off-campus were presented in terms of; internet connection: dawdling 
versus fast;  Wi-Fi connection: difficult to access versus accessible; network: low versus 
hassle-free;  accessibility: limited versus limitless; adequacy of  facility units: discomfort 
versus comfortable; expert’s and mentor’s guidance: available versus difficult to avail; re-
search environment: safe versus unsafe; power supply: sustainable versus susceptible to 
interruption. These results implied an urgency of  the university to look into the problem 
that the students are facing in accessing internet facilities for their research activities. 

Keywords
Phenomenology, Qualitative 
Research, On-Campus Internet 
Facility, Off-Campus Internet 
Facility, Wi-Fi, Internet Facilities

1 College Librarian, St. Francis Xavier College, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, Philippines
2 Teacher III, Don Manuel H. Gutierrez Sr. Elementary School, Matina District, Davao City, Philippines
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: lady.feus3819@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION
As a sequel to the investigation we conducted on the use 
of  off-campus internet facilities by the graduate students 
of  the university, this inquiry was borne. Relative to 
their revelations, their experiences on  the off-campus 
utilization were compared to the on-campus.  
The researchers observed the inadequate internet facilities 
and services of  the university. With our honest intention 
as an opener to our beloved Alma Mater, we would like to 
mention what we personally identified in the libraries and 
internet laboratories like; the frequent low bandwidth or 
slow connection which was one of  the major constraints 
that crippled fast internet access; the limited number of  
computer units shared by the undergraduate, and research 
level students in computer laboratories; no separate 
library with internet connectivity; and limited use of  Wi-
Fi  since password  was protected.  
The insufficiencies mentioned earlier pushed them to rely 
on the internet connectivity of  home-based broadband, 
internet cafés, free Wi-Fi zones, pocket Wi-Fi and 
mobile-equipped cellular phone for research purposes.  
During class days, student-users opted to seek internet 
cafés’ services outside the campus for corrections and 
emergency printing of  their academic requirements. 
Students were obliged to spend money for loading to 
their pocket Wi-Fi with the intention to use this inside 
the school premises to comply class assignments. 
The research conducted by Arthur and Brafi 
(2013) outwardly hatched the idea on this problem 
aforementioned that the inadequacy of  on-campus 
internet facility encouraged him to proceed with his 
research study because he  observed that poor internet 
connection and limited number of  computer units in the 
laboratories inside the campus were among  the problems 
that were encountered by the students and teachers. 

Both groups of  users were pressured to avail of  the off-
campus internet facility as an alternative source,  although 
they  often found these expensive. 
We personally believe that this sequential study was 
deemed necessary to obtain information relative to their 
off-campus internet use. It is our hope and aspiration that 
the outcome of  this investigation would be considered by 
the university as basis in the conduct of  a new investigation 
that would reveal suggestions for the development of  
high speed internet connection inside the university. 
 
Grand Tour  Questions
This study was guided by the following questions:

1. What are the lived experiences of  the graduate 
school students in using the on-campus and off-campus 
internet facility?

2. How do the graduate school students compare their 
lived  experiences between on-campus and off-campus 
internet facilities?

LITERATURE REVIEW 
Problems Encountered by the Students
The study of  Arthur and Brafi (2013) informed that 
internet users identified the hindrances  purposely, to 
enhance the research, teaching  and learning process. 
They mentioned that inadequate users’ skills were noted 
as the most leading constraints, followed by poor internet 
connection and limited number of  computer units in 
laboratories inside the campus. According to the study, 
although internet cafés were open 24-hours daily the 
problem was low internet connection due to poor signal. 
They added that the cafés had other impediments such 
as poor management, and inadequate facilities due to 
equipment and maintenance costs. 
In connection, Khan et al., (2016) gave an account of  an 

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investigation about the issues experienced by the students 
in accessing information online. The list  specified 
that slow internet connection, inadequate number of  
computers in laboratories, difficulty in information 
searches, inadequate knowledge and skills in evaluating 
information and information overload. He further 
elaborated that students limited knowledge on the use 
of   digital book, electronic databases, and retrieval of   
information could hamper performance.
The Nigerian university students found difficulty in 
utilizing the internet for research purposes because 
of  power interruption. This predicament hampered 
their research activities.  Survey results revealed that 70 
percent of  the students complained about the frequent 
loss of  signal; 66 percent stated  power outage; and 60 
percent declared service was highly expensive. Those 
who complained on slow internet speed, had trouble in 
judging accuracy of  the information, experienced lag in 
downloading webpages and murmured on information 
overloading accounted to 50 percent respectively.  
Around 10 percent, complained on limited cybercafés 
terminal stations and students’ accessing skills ( Nwezeh 
2010; Adekunmisi et al., 2013).  
In like manner, Audio (2016) said that many individuals 
expect when power is interrupted and computers are 
disconnected, it must be seen to it that there must be no 
information lost. Unfortunately, it is not that simple for a 
lot of  people; the risk is low, but when you’re using your 
computer even slightly more seriously and your data is 
equally important, you might want to consider using an 
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). It’s also convenient 
to have your external Universal Serial Bus (USB) disk, 
router, cable modem, telephone switch, or similar devices 
on the UPS. This is possible when you own the unit or 
doing at home. However, if  off-campus the safest way is 
to have your USB and have your data saved immediately 
after you accessed.
In fact, Nwokedi (2007) expounded that limited 
knowledge in searching  banned internet use. He clarified 
that showing abilities to search for information could help 
a great deal in finding the right information for research. 
It could improve and enhance teaching  and  would 
inspire students to pursue with their research activities.
The Nigerian university identified various problems about 
the students’ complaints about  the unequal internet 
connection access inside the campus. The report stated 
that while the staff  and personnel could access anytime, 
anywhere in the university campus relative to their 
teaching and research activities, students were not.  They 
could only access the internet through major access points 
such as the library and computer laboratory where the 
connection was very slow. The inequitable distribution of  
internet facility connection inside the campus prompted 
internet cafes to strategically position their sites to cater 
to students’ research needs (Ani,  2010). A similar study 
reported that the use of  facility outside the campus was 
more practical, efficient and dependable compared to the 
internet facility on-campus (Fasae &  Aladeniyi, 2012).

In Sunyani Municipality, a study was led on the adequacy 
and proficiency of  internet utilization. Among the 
major issues distinguished that influenced the students’ 
dissatisfaction were the slow internet connection, the 
limited number of  computer units and slightly damaged, 
students’ lack of  knowledge in browsing information, 
limited time in accessing connection at internet cafés and 
discomfort in room temperature at café houses (Arthur 
& Brafi, 2013).
A study on the usage of  ICT project at Nigerian 
university  libraries was observed to be poor  in serving  
the students, faculty and staff. The report suggested 
administration must see behind the present situation in 
the library so services be improved. Some researchers 
enlisted a particular organization where Nigerian 
universities could avail dependable internet connections 
like Nigerian Universities Network (NUNET), National 
Virtual (Digital) Library Project (NVLP), and Nigerian 
Virtual Library Consortium (VLC) (Ani, Esin & Edem, 
2010; Etim, 2006).   
In the University of  Nigeria, it was discovered that 77.8 
percent had internet laboratories in their libraries serving 
the entire university campus faculty and staff, students 
and other member of  the institution. The web network 
was discouraging in some colleges and universities with 
30 percent; and 19.5 percent in tuition based schools. 
The essential reason was absence of  budgetary allotment 
to enhance internet connection (Baro & Asaba, 2010; 
Chaputula & Boadi, 2010; Chaputula, 2011).
The poor internet connection and the limited  number of  
PC units in the research centers inside the campus were 
among the noteworthy distinguished issues experienced 
by the students. Despite the cost students, faculty and 
staff  opt to seek connection outside the university so 
that they can connect to their families and friends while 
studying (Arthur & Brafi, 2013).  
A study by GeorgeTownU Library (2016) reminds the 
clients to remember that practically anybody can post 
information anytime  he wishes on the web. It is regularly 
hard to determine origin of  Web sources, the authenticity 
of  authorship, and regardless of  the fact that the creator 
is recorded, he or she may not generally speak to  the 
truthfulness of  his work. It is the sole responsibility of  
the user to verify information posted  and assess viably 
on the information accuracy and its truthfulness.
Essentially, Shahin, Balta, and Ercan (2010) urged the 
university students to utilize the e-journals, e-books 
and other scholarly databases as wellsprings of  data and 
sources of  information for course-related researches  to 
guarantee dependability and reliability of  resources. For 
this situation, data presented required evaluation as to its 
legitimacy and exactness. Unfortunately, it is exceptionally 
hard to assess the data, since it requires client’s the ability 
and expertise.
Internet cafés access points or computer stations is not 
desirable. Computer terminals must be positioned to 
ensure a client’s security. Simple steps such as erasing 
settings on log-out, deleting of  content on hard drives and 

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giving warning or caution to clients of  the dangers when 
they exposed themselves to public must be observed. 
These are the basic methods for helping  clients to 
comprehend and alleviate the dangers of  utilizing these 
systems. However, it is the individual and frequently 
their manager who are liable to end up in a bad position 
for neglecting to find a way to secure and protect the 
information online (TechTarget, 2016). 
In relation, Ring (2016) said that the greatest concern 
toward most PC clients is protection and privacy. Wi-
Fi hotspots in most open areas are unsecured, which 
implies that others could possibly access the  data on your 
computer. In the event that you will forget to log out in an 
open work station, somebody could get into your e-mail 
or other delicate personal records. On a physical level, the 
individual beside you in an Internet café  can easily look 
over your shoulder while navigating the web and might 
have the chance of  hacking your personal information or 
anything you did browse on the net. Open café terminals 
are not ideal for accessing information relating to work 
and other personal business–related transactions.

METHODOLOGY
Participants
A total of  eleven participants were included in the study 
from the graduate school. All  were interviewed  and the 
data collected  were recorded and transcribed for data 
analysis.  

Design
This study employed a qualitative method via phenomenology 
inquiry. To exemplify better understanding about the idea 
Willis (2007) simplified the perception that phenomenology 
as a method, construes experiences through attending 
and listening to the numerous storylines of  the 
informants. The method inspected the phenomenon 
over the distinctive eyes of  the research participants.  
As an approach, it attempted to understand the hidden 
meanings and essences of  an experience as well as how 
participants made sense of  that experience. As Pereira 
(2012) established that in order for a phenomenological 
study to be arbitrarily valid it must be rigorous and offer 
views and ideas in terms of  credibility and the clarity of  
a phenomenon. 
This method sparked our interest as  researchers with the 
desire to examine the lived experiences of  the graduate 
school students of  the university in accessing on-campus 

and off-campus internet facilities for research activities. 
The phenomenon employed purposive sampling methods. 
As, Cresswell and Clark (2011) defined purposive 
sampling as the involvement of  the individuals who are 
knowledgeable in a particular phenomenon of  interest. It 
recognizes and selects people who have direct experiences 
with the situation.  We endeavored what Sargeant (2012) 
affirmed that data could be collected from individuals or 
group of  people who were interviewed, an observation or 
from a document.  We recorded, transcribed and analyzed 
following Creswell’s procedure of  material organizing, 
to classify the text data into segments and segmented 
sentences into categories. I formulated a thematic coding 
process where identified themes would be classified and 
filled in. I used this process to identify the themes we 
classified all similar ideas and categorized into core ideas. 
Trustworthiness was established to make this study 
a reliable craft. As Lincoln and Guba (1985) defined  
trustworthiness is the “truth value” of  the study’s findings. 
It was how accurately the investigator interpreted the 
participant’s experiences.  The four criteria of  Lincoln 
and Guba (1985);  credibility, transferability, dependability, 
and confirmability were followed to evaluate the research 
findings. We attempted to pick an important criterion of  
what Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh and Sorensen (2010) presented 
on several criteria to test the dependability of  the findings. 
This included audit trail, a code-recode strategy, stepwise 
replication, triangulation and peer examination.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
It could be deduced from the interview results that 
accessing on-campus and off-campus internet facilities 
were intertwined in their studies. The storylines were 
presented and confined within the bounds of  the research 
questions carefully formulated to serve as an instrument 
guide in the conduct of  the in-depth interview and focus 
group discussions. The point of  inquiry was centered 
on comparison of  the graduate school students’ on-
campus and off-campus lived experiences in the use 
of  internet facility. The participants narrated these 
experiences  through individual interviews and focus 
group discussions. 
 
Comparison of  the Graduate
School Students’ Lived Experiences on   
the Use of  On-Campus and Off-Campus Internet 
Facilities

Table 1: Matrix of  comparison between the graduate school students lived experiences on-campus and off-campus 
internet facility use in clearer presentation
Aspects of  Comparison Lived Experiences

On-Campus Off-Campus
Internet Connection Dawdling Fast
Wi-Fi Connection Difficult to access Accessible
Network Low Hassle-free
Accessibility Limited Limitless
Adequacy of  Facility Units Discomfort Comfortable

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The table shows the matrix of  comparison between the 
graduate school students lived experiences on-campus and 
off-campus internet facility use in clearer presentation. 

Internet Connection.
Dawdling versus Fast 
Participants compared their experiences in the on-
campus and off-campus utilization  of  internet facility. 
They wanted fast searching speed to cope with class 
work deadlines. Fast internet connection was the answer 
to their dilemma, and they got from off-campus cafés. 
Participants to this study had varied stories in this regard. 
In the on-campus, students who were desirous to comply 
school work on time got disappointed with slow internet 
connection, and that to them, it was a waste of  time. A 
participant shared that in accessing internet inside the 
campus he  experienced dawdling internet connection. 
He added that his search was delayed due to slow 
connectivity. All he had to do was to engage in searching 
to entertainment sites like Twitter, Skype and YouTube, 
WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Viber  that cause to delay his time. 
With the trend of  dawdling connection, research became 
difficult and waste of  his time. While in the off-campus, 
student participant mentioned that he was compelled to 
seek the services of  the internet cafés, in home-based 
broadband and in Wi-Fi connected areas. The fast internet 
connection he enjoyed in Café Haus has facilitated his 
searching and hastened the accomplishment of  his class 
outputs. 
With dawdling internet connection, an investigation 
conducted by Ojo (2013)  on the use of  internet facilities 
among the tertiary institution students discovered that 
most of  the sites visited by the students were not academic 
and that they spend many hours on the websites that are 
not educationally productive. In relation, another study 
by Wang (2015) explained that if  webpages open slower 
than usual or downloads seem to last for ages, these 
are due to some factors that could affect your internet 
speed.In contrary, fast access to off-campus internet 
facility portrayed different experience as reflected in the 
study conducted by Jerome (2013) mentioned that high 
speed internet connection made internet access speedier, 
simpler and more pleasant. 

Wi-Fi Connection 
Wireless services have introduced a new era in 
communication for the education community, and 
this new concept of  mobility within the educator’s 
daily environment is having a major impact on student 
learning. Wireless technology brings the primary benefit 
of  mobility to traditional class activities. Students and 
teachers’ laptop computers with wireless cards can be 
moved wherever needed in the local area and still access 
educational materials on the school’s server. A Wi-

Fi network will let you connect smartphones, tablets, 
Kindles, Nooks, and other devices to the network and the 
internet, while a hardwired network will not. Additionally, 
if  you use a laptop computer, a Wi-Fi network gives you 
the ability to use it anywhere in the office or in the house, 
instead of  just in the immediate vicinity of  a connection 
port for the hardwired system.
 
Difficult to Access versus Accessible
The students who used internet services inside the 
university expressed their sentiments: A participant 
elucidated his feeling that it was difficult for him to access 
internet connection inside the campus due to low capacity 
of  wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi was password protected. 
If  he could  access, it was a very slow. It was always a delay 
in complying  with the teacher’s requirements. 
In relation, another student mentioned that it was difficult 
to collaborate with their classmates on a class project. He 
could not communicate promptly because of  difficulty in 
finding the “hot spot” or Wi-Fi connected area. Opposite 
with, the off-campus students enjoyed the accessibility 
in the café houses and Wi-Fi zone areas in malls, in 
transport service, hotels and in coffee shops. He said that 
access is faster and easier everywhere. Once he found the 
information he needed he immediately saved through the 
flash drives or USBs. He stated further that he had enough 
time with social networking for self-entertainment. Since 
he could finish earlier, he could submit requirements 
on or before deadlines, which meant less pressures, less 
stress, more time for fun and relaxation.
We  believe that the participants experiences in accessing 
internet facility inside and outside campus were significant. 
Wireless connectivity are revolutionizing communication 
and can benefit both schools and students in many ways. 
In addition, internet ready mobile gadgets and sets of  
computers give students one-to-one access. Students 
can continue to collaborate on a class project with 
other students while outside the classroom, school or 
campus and can send the results to their instructors from 
anywhere they find a “hot spot” in wireless public access, 
increasingly offered by businesses, libraries and other 
facilities. 
A related literature reinforced this idea that the quality 
of  the student computing experience has become an 
important decision-making factor for Brazilian students 
in selecting a university. In the TIC Educacao survey, 
96 percent of  teachers in Brazilian public schools use 
Internet resources to prepare their classes (PR Newswire, 
2015). In fact, internet satisfaction is still a problem for 
some students, especially residents who use the internet 
for various activities including contacting home, social 
media and streaming videos (Kraemer, 2015).
Compared with the in-campus Wi-Fi connectivity, a study 
conducted on the availability of  Wi-Fi in public areas 

Expert’s and Mentor’s Guidance Available Difficult to Avail
Research Environment Safe Unsafe
Power Supply Sustainable Susceptible to Interruption

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have changed the face of  internet accessibility. Beside the 
noteworthy advantages that the connections carried with 
critical portability, the old system on getting connection 
altered. It demonstrated that the likelihood of  wireless 
internet  connections in public places would encourage 
the chance to lessen eye- to- eye communications and 
social interactions (Sanusi & Palen, 2008).

Network Bandwith
As far as network bandwidth is concern, the on-campus 
users experienced low bandwidth while those who 
used off-campus had hassle-free moments. Bandwidth 
is likened to lanes on a highway. It allows  more traffic 
to go through at once, while still retaining high speeds. 
However, oftentimes many requests must go through a 
network simultaneously and a low bandwidth connection 
will severely slow speeds. A high bandwidth connection 
can service many requests and users without sacrificing 
precious speed.

Low versus Hassle-Free
An informant expressed his frustration that  the internet 
facilities inside the campus has low bandwidth internet 
connection that contributed to their delayed submission 
of  class requirements. Due to slow network performance 
his online requests were not served promptly, searches 
were not immediately accessed. Another one voiced 
his experienced that he had to wait for high bandwidth 
connection that could serve many requests and users 
without sacrificing precious speed. Some articles and 
other related materials that were accessed but could not be 
downloaded. Transferring of  data accessed was difficult. 
All these could be attributed to low bandwidth. 
The participants confessed, they experienced slow 
application performance and decreased data transfer 
capability. Uploads and downloads were painstakingly 
slow. Watching videos that constantly freeze was 
extremely frustrating.  Whereas, the off-campus internet 
facility users expressed that a connection with plenty of  
bandwidth available provided a smooth, responsive user 
experience. To them that experience was hassle-free. A 
student explained that the more available bandwidth the 
more he enjoy internet access on a very fast and satisfying 
tone.  He was  able to accomplish his goal, and enabled 
him to do multi-task and maximize productivity by 
running multiple applications simultaneously. 
The most common problem related to internet use was 
the low bandwidth (72 percent) and retrieval problems 
(Bankole, 2013). Obaje, Sani and Lawal (2008) study at 
the University  of  Jos, Nigeria revealed that students and 
faculty members who queued up could not access internet 
in the library and that the internet was used mainly for 
research and email. The findings of  Chitanana (2012) 
study have demonstrated that more awareness education 
on bandwidth management is needed for universities to 
make it a priority. Increasing bandwidth without adequate 
network management is wasteful and reduces its value. The 
absence of  effective bandwidth management strategies 

poses serious challenges for almost all universities. 

Accessibility
In terms of  accessibility, connection was difficult in in-
campus while accessible in the off-campus. 

Limited versus Limitless
On-campus internet facility users expressed their 
disappointments with the limited access they experienced 
in doing their research activities. One felt that he was 
defeated by time and expenses. When their teachers gave 
to them the term papers, they actually started browsing 
for possible inputs. However, with the limited number of  
computer units with the  rule on “first come, first serve” 
basis, and  they had to follow the long lines. “Limited 
access” was on his computer screen..  With regards to 
the off-campus, students who used internet facility as 
an alternative source testified their enjoyment with the 
limitless accessibility.
He could access to almost all websites using all search 
engines. Almost all topics that he would like to search were 
easy to find. Social networking sites such as Facebook, 
Skype, Twitter, Blogs, WhatsApp, Viber, Nimbuzz to 
name a few  are  easy to access. On the contrary, one 
student expressed his worries that there are certain cons 
and dangers relating to the use of  internet. 
The need for internet access was critical in the acquisition 
of  academic information in order to complete class 
assignments. Although the required information could be 
acquired through outside alternative sources, preference 
for using the internet inside the university was expressed.  
With their experience of  limited access, the foreseen 
benefits of  time saving and access to wide variety of  
information available through the internet were not 
enjoyed. 
The connection was poor. Even if  we connect to internet, 
it says very limited access. I have to keep restarting my 
laptop after trying to connect a number of  times to see if  
I get access. The worst part is when I am doing an online 
assignments or quizzes and the internet decides to stop 
working (University Wire, 2014). 

Adequacy of  Facility Units
In terms of  adequacy of  the facility, the on-campus users 
experienced discomfort, due to inadequate facilities, while 
those off-campus were enjoying the comfort of  having 
adequate facilities like personal computers, internet-ready 
cellular android phones, iPads, tablets,  and other gadgets.

Discomfort versus Comfortable
A participant expressed that  the limited number of  
computer units hampered his research activities inside 
the campus. Computers were occupied by researchers 
almost every time he had to go to the university to login. 
Other PC’s are not updated and connection is very slow.  
He could not comply his requirement on time due to 
the delay of  his research activities. Another participant 
expressed  his disappointment and said  that computer 

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laboratories were fully booked each time he tried to use 
the internet. The library has a free computers but with 
limited units it cannot accommodate all users. 
Opposite to the on-campus users confessed that the  
services provided by the internet cafés, home-based 
broadband, Wi-Fi zone areas, office internet connection 
to avail desired websites  for needed information was 
fulfilling and comfortable. One said that he access 
internet from the off-campus to download videos and 
pictures for his lessons in the class.  Through this initiative 
he feel free and comfortable. Another one further stated 
that the off-campus facility is giving excellent service to 
users. Where downloading is very fast, connection could 
be accessed anywhere in malls,  internet cafés, in home-
based broadbrand, Wi-Fi zone areas such as public places 
even in parks and amusements halls, hotels, airports, cars 
and buses.   
A related literature supported this experience on the 
inadequacy of  facilities inside the campus as Bamigboye 
and Agboola’s (2011) study on the availability and 
accessibility of  internet facilities in Nigerian university 
libraries indicated that a majority of  respondents 
found that there were not enough computers. This was 
something the administrators of  those institutions should 
note. 
In fact Allen (2016) conversely said that if  you have high-
speed equipment but a slow connection, you will not get 
the advantage the equipment can offer. You always get the 
lesser speed. No matter how high or slow  your internet 
connection is, you must have the right equipment to use 
it properly. You need a decent wireless router to convert 
the signal to wireless and broadcast it throughout your 
location. The modern you use to connect your computer 
to the Internet may have built-in wireless router capability.
 
Expert’s and Mentor’s Guidance 
Availability of  Experts versus Inavailability
Guidance of  experts for consultation was available in 
on-campus but those off-campus users found difficulty 
in this regard. Students accessing information inside 
the university campus are enjoying the availability of  
experts for guidance and consultation. They imparted 
their knowledge to novice researchers. As one said that 
he shared his profession as a librarian to others when he 
assisted  the students in looking for better information 
resources. 
As we were listening to the interview, one participant 
captured our attention when he mentioned the importance 
of  my profession that a librarian is someone who had the 
expertise in research and  articles to be researched. To 
the students he is important because it was different if  
there would be someone who could provide guidance 
than merely depend on personal knowledge. However 
in the off-campus there would be no experts available 
for consultation. One shared, there were some helpful 
aides in the counter, but with many users, he could not 
consistently secure the in-charge attention. Besides 
the internet in-charge is not a librarian or expert in the 

field.  He added that the off-campus users had the hard 
time locating for the  right search engine so they needed 
guidance from experts in the field. Sometimes he stayed 
longer in the cafés to seek an advise which to mean extra 
effort, time and money.
Reliable websites and search engines were easier  to locate 
for  the needed information relative to his assignments. 
Whereas, the experience of  those students who 
sought the off-campus facilities were left to their own 
understanding. As researchers, we would like to share 
some points to consider when judging the reliability of  
information on the net as clearly elaborated by  Erma 
Wood Carlson Library (2016) as to  Who created the 
site? Who supported it?  On the page you are referring 
to, that individual or association ought to be recognized, 
that individual’s capabilities ought to be specified, and 
different avenues for verification ought to be open for 
public scrutiny. Are there no prejudices or bias? Who 
published the site? Is there any publicizing or advertising? 
Does the page appear to be professionally designed? Is 
the writing trying to persuade you to buy something? Is 
contact data given by the publisher? In the event that 
the page is supported by a trustworthy individual or 
association, there ought to be some other approach to 
check that notoriety like email address or postal location.
Is there a copyright image or symbol included on the 
page? Provided that this is true, who holds the copyright? 
What is the reason for the page? Why is this data being 
posted, as an open administration, as a news source, 
as a research tool for academics or as an approach to 
catch up an attention? How the page was organized? 
Is the information on the page primary or secondary? 
Is it a report of  facts, making it primary or secondary 
information, or is it an internet newsgroup discussion? 
Can you verify the information on the Web page?  Can 
you check the page’s bibliography against the library’s 
holdings or check the information against a source in the 
library? What is the quality of  information provided on 
the website? 

Timeliness 
When was the website first published? Is it regularly 
updated? Check for dates at the bottom of  each page on 
the site.  What type of  other sites does the website link to? 
Are they reputable sites? If  the author references online 
material, does it provides links to the material referred to? 
What type of  sites link to the website you’re evaluating? 
Is the website being cited by others? If  you are worried 
that the information may lack credibility, try starting with 
a source you know is reputable.  Finally, remember that 
even though a page might not meet your standards as a 
citable source, it may help you generate good ideas
 
Research Environment
The traditional library is gradually becoming a thing of  
the past as cheaper and more up-to-date information 
materials become available on the internet. Libraries are 
faced with immense challenges. Access to information 

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can stimulate change and create a research environment 
that makes learning more meaningful and responsive. 

Safe versus Unsafe
The primary focus for the students should be on 
maintaining a safe and secure internet using environment. 
A user expounded that  his internet journey inside the 
university was fulfilling because he was assured of  a safe 
and secured environment. Students who seek information 
inside the university campus occur with “over-the-
shoulder” adult supervision. One added that the use 
of  electronic communication devices in a fully secure 
environment gave him peace and wholesome satisfaction. 
Beyond all these, those students who used the internet in 
the off  campus felt uncomfortable. Another informant 
declared that using internet café was very annoying. 
Sometimes, boys were very noisy even if  they had 
headphones. They sang, giggled with boisterous laughters. 
Another participant shared the same experience, he said 
that he observed other issues related to the irresponsible 
use of  the internet. He witnessed an intentional copying 
of  information verbatim which to mean plagiarism.
What the on-campus users experienced was the opposite 
outside. We were reminded of  the misuse of  the internet 
by students in accessing information from the internet 
café was very rampant. In fact, access of  potentially 
harmful material, that included copyright infringement, 
plagiarism, computer security violations (hacking, 
spreading viruses), violation of  privacy, harassment, 
stalking, and dissemination of  harmful speech or other 
violent or abusive material is illegal and immoral in  
nature.  The off-campus users whole experience pictured 
the unsafe environment.
This impression is hatched in the research conducted by 
TechTarget (2016) which said that computer terminals 
must be positioned to ensure a client’s security. Simple 
steps such as erasing settings on log-out, deleting of  
content on hard drives and giving warning or caution to 
clients of  the dangers when they exposed themselves to 
public. These are the basic methods for helping  clients to 
comprehend and alleviate the dangers of  utilizing these 
systems. In relation, Ring (2016) said that the greatest 
concern toward most PC clients is protection and privacy. 
Wi-Fi hotspots in most open areas are unsecured, which 
implies that others could possibly access the  data on your 
computer. In the event that you will forget to log out in an 
open work station, somebody could get into your email or 
other delicate personal records. 

Power Supply 
Sustainable versus Susceptible to Power Failure. The 
power supply affects the efficiency and efficacy of  
services in libraries. Access to online research is power-
driven and its success or failure will depend solely on 
its electric service sustainability. Power supply inside 
the campus is maintainable while in the off-campus is 
vulnerable to brownouts. 
In this study, the students who worked on their research 

assignments inside the campus were contented to have 
sustainable power supply. Participant said that his stay 
in the campus using the available facilities was fulfilling, 
knowing that his work would not be hampered by power 
interruptions. In relation, one added that the presence of  
generators helped maintained the power supply. One said 
that he was very satisfied with the presence of  the electric 
generators inside the university. He could continue 
working on his research until he finish. Everything was 
taken cared of  by the university. 
On the other hand, the off-campus users suffered frequent 
power interruptions. Another one elaborated that when 
there were brownouts or blackouts there was no available 
electrical power to substitute due to the absence of  
generators. If  there was damage to electrical equipment 
there was no available expert to repair. The tendency was 
for the users to leave the cafés without finishing the work. 
Another student aired his frustration, the payment in 
internet cafés  was non-refundable, despite services were 
suspended due to power failure. He elucidated that for 
many times his important data files were not yet save were 
brownouts occurred leaving him frustrated.  
Hearing all these predicaments, a literature speaks of  
the same problem when brownouts, more typical than 
power outages or blackouts, cause equipment failures, 
incremental harm, diminished hardware stability and 
information data loss. Power outages and voltage 
fluctuations can cause quick information misfortune and 
system crashes with no chance to spare critical records, 
which means important data can be lost in a split of  a 
second (Tripp-Lite, 2016).

Implications for Practice
The comparative lived experiences between on-campus 
and off-campus internet users for their educational 
and other pursuits were presented. Alarming was their 
testimony that off-campus experiences provided them 
pleasant feelings in internet use as compared with 
on-campus. There were more enjoyed privileges on 
fast connection, quick accessibility to Wi-Fi, limitless 
accessibility, high bandwidth; and adequate facilities 
and services which they have found to be substantially 
insufficient inside the university campus.
In support for students’ experiences in accessing internet 
connection outside the university  a  review of   literature 
by Jerome (2013) said  that high speed internet access 
makes it faster, easier and more enjoyable to browse 
online. Websites load in the blink of  an eye, and clicking 
from one site to the next is a breeze. With high speed 
internet, uploads are also fast and easy. This allows you 
to take full advantage of  the cloud. Upload photos, 
documents and other files to the cloud for safekeeping. 
Uploading files to the Internet is a lot safer and more 
secure than storing them on physical disks, which can 
be lost, stolen or damaged. Your high speed connection 
will also allow you to quickly and easily share videos and 
photos on popular social networking sites like Facebook, 
Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and others. 

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Implicitly, a sequel to this investigation implied a call to 
go deeper into the possible suggestions of  the students 
to improve the internet facilities and services of  the 
university should be conducted. Henceforward, this study 
is  necessary in order to find appropriate answers to the 
perennial problems on slow internet connectivity inside 
the  campus. 

Implications for Future Research
The current study has some limitations which should be 
covered for relevant researches
in the future. The researchers were convinced that 
perhaps future researches should consider increasing 
the number of  participants to provide a better and more 
convincing implications if  the same study would have 
a sequel. Probably, future researches may be extended 
to undergraduate and  post-graduate students in the 
university. Therefore, when conducting relevant studies 
in the future, the researchers should also include the 
suggestions of  the students as their participants so as to 
find out how to improve the internet facility and services 
in the university.

CONCLUSION
The revelations of  the study pointed out that the off-
campus internet facility served better to students when 
compared with the  on-campus internet facility. The study 
findings might be a good reference  for the university and 
library authorities to develop the internet facility in the 
campus. It may help if  the administration will increase 
the speed of  the internet access and provide a dedicated 
server with strong connection for  students’ optimum use. 

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