A student’s effective learning environment (ELE) is comprised of multiple factors, both internal and external, that are largely shaped by the student’s perceptions.  Starting in 2006, the ELE concept was initiated and explored by an international group of scholars through the creation of an ELE survey which was adopted in eight countries and translated into five languages. The ELE survey made it possible to compare students’ perceptions of their learning environments across cultures as well as distinguish similarities and differences in the students’ needs related to their learning. In the past decade, the technology revolution has transformed students’ learning and the education system, which has brought us to question if there is a shift in the students’ perceived needs related to their learning environment and self-efficacy. More broadly, we are curious to see if technology has influenced students to be more independent and in control of their learning or if there is perhaps a growing culture of student dependency?  Through our literature review, we discovered relevant, critical factors missing in the original ELE survey.  The new version of the ELE instrument contains a demographic question about a student’s race and ethnicity, an important factor not covered in the original survey.  As a result, specific needs of minorities and underrepresented minorities were overlooked. Literature has supported an assumption that underrepresented minorities are significantly affected by class size, student-peer interactions, and engagement.  Additionally, the newly developed instrument includes other, previously overlooked populations, such as commuters, international students and online students.  Furthermore, the growing use of online classes has affected student’s self-efficacy in the area of metacognition that has gained a new level of significance in recent years. Lastly, technological changes have led to modifications in the student and the teacher roles in education.  The new ELE survey was constructed to allow us not only to compare with past data but to accurately capture the distinct needs of today’s students.