Computer Literacy

Computer Literacy • What do Employers Want? Ken BaldaufFlorida State University

Computer Literacy • …and how can we give it to them? Ken BaldaufFlorida State University

CurriculumDesign Tailoring the Intro Technology Course to Better Prepare Students for Professional Life

Session Organization • Technology Survey for Employers • IT Fluency Standards • Information Literacy Standards • Local Considerations • Curriculum Applications

Pages act as links

Survey Example

Motivation for Survey START • Knowing the level of competency of your incoming students provides a starting point, • determining what will be expected of them in their careers defines the goals of the curriculum.. • ..and ultimately opens doors for students while better satisfying employers

Survey Participant Profiles Real names withheld for privacy Global Healthcare IT Solutions focused on developing healthcare information technology (HIT) solutions. Our 870 clinicians, 1,360 engineers and 2,100 consultants have deployed more than 4,300 applications to clients across the globe Global Communications IT an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries - annual sales of over $3 billion and has more than 13,000 employees – including 5,500 engineers and scientists Local CPA Firm a full range of traditional accounting, auditing and tax services complemented by comprehensive consulting resources • National Building Supply Supplies lumber and building materials as well as value added services to the house builder and professional contractor. There are 255 branches in 30 US states.The US arm of a large Global Corp. • National Home Building A FORTUNE 200 company with operations in 54 markets and 27 states. In 2005, the company delivered 45,630 homes in the U.S. and generated consolidated revenues of $14.7 billion. • Global Paint and Coatings has more than 2,600 company-owned stores in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and is the U.S. market leader in distribution and sales of coatings and coating-related products with yearly revenues exceeding $5 billion and is ranked among the top U.S. Fortune 400 companies

Results • How prepared do you feel today's college graduates are for facing the technology demands of working for your company?

Skills Relevance Unneeded Useful Essential Relevance to average employee’s duties 10

Skills Relevance Unneeded Useful Essential 11

Unneeded Useful Essential 12

Conclusions • Windows, Web, Email & MS Office skills remain desirable to all • Web development skills are highly valued by some, not at all by others • Participants have little use for Apple skills

Concepts Relevance Unneeded Useful Essential Relevance to average employee’s duties

Conclusions • Four of the six participants found the understanding of these concepts to be useful if not essential • Of those four, Global/Ethical Issues, Security, Internet, and Information Systems were of most importance • Participants found media to be least relevant (relates to Mac indifference)

Freeform Response • What computer and/or information technology skills do you value most when evaluating job applicants?

Freeform Response • What important computer and/or information technology skills do you feel are lacking in today's college graduates?

Freeform Response • How important are mobile technologies (cell phones, Blackberries, mobile PCs) in your company's business practices?

What do businesses want? • The majority of businesses want... • strong MS Office skills including Outlook • an understanding of technology concepts including information systems • familiarity with mobile communications and computing technologies

What do businesses want? • Questions to consider... • Should curriculum cater to the average, least, or most demanding businesses? • What other considerations impact curriculum design?

IT Fluency • Considering Advice from Professionals: • Computer Scientists

IT Fluency • Report: Being Fluent with Information Technology - 1999National Research Council, Committee on Information Technology Literacy

Computer Literacyrote learning of specific hardware and software applications IT Fluencyunderstanding the underlying concepts of technology and applying problem-solving and critical thinking to using technology IT Fluency “Literacy is too modest a goal in the presence of rapid change, because it lacks the necessary "staying power.“ As the technology changes by leaps and bounds, existing skills become antiquated and there is no migration path to new skills.”

IT Fluency • IT Fluency emphasizes three types of knowledge: concepts, capabilities, and skills Contemporary skills“Skills provide a store of practical experience on which to build new competence” Foundational Concepts “Concepts are the raw material for understanding new information technology as it evolves” Intellectual capabilities“The ability to apply information technology in complex and sustained situations, …fosters more abstract thinking about information and its manipulation”

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education • Considering Advice from Professionals: • Librarians(Information Science)

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education • Published by:Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in 2000

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education • Endorsed by: • American Association for Higher Education • Council of Independent Colleges • Accrediting Agencies • The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) • Western Association of Schools and College (WASC) • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) One of 11 Initiatives in FSU’s LEAD PlanLeaders Educated to Make A Difference, or LEAD, is part of Florida State University's overall Quality Enhancement Plan. While it is a requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) reaffirmation process, LEAD will be a sustained and ongoing initiative that will result in a better student experience and, ultimately, a better university.

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education • The information literate student… • determines the nature and extent of the information needed • accesses needed information effectively and efficiently • evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system • individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. • understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education • Information literacy is related to information technology skills, but has broader implications for the individual, the educational system, and for society. IT Fluency focuses on Technology itself Information Literacy is an intellectual framework for understanding, finding, evaluating, and using information

Local Considerations • Knowing Your Students & Institutional Needs

Know Your Students • FSU Students Technology Survey • http://lit.cs.fsu.edu/survey/results • Most incoming Freshmen have had previous training in Windows, Web, Word, and PowerPoint • Information Technology Fluency levels in graduating high school students will continue to increase

Know Your Institution • What discipline-specific tech courses are being taught? • What degrees are represented by students taking your course? • What skills are required of those degree programs? • What are your Computer Literacy accreditation requirements? • Are there other special needs such as boosting enrollment?

Developing a Local Profile • Includes: • assumptions about incoming student competency levels and capabilities • statements of fact regarding Institutional needs • opinions of experienced teachers

Curriculum Applications • Applying what we’ve learned

A Recipe for Success InformationLiteracy Business Needs Local Profile IT Fluency Intro CourseCurriculum

Curriculum Possibilities Intro CourseCurriculum • Business NeedsBeef up Excel, include lessons in Outlook, discuss concepts such as business information systems, ethics, and security, and study mobile communications technologies • IT FluencyUse case-based projects from a variety of disciplines, include a team project, cover IT concepts and discuss the use of IT through case studies. • Information LiteracyProvide training in college level research including those skills listed in the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education - consider collaborating with your College Librarians • Local ProfileConsider eliminating skills from your curriculum that most students already have, push students to acquire more advanced skills, provide topics of interest in elective courses to boost enrollment

Thanks for your time. Ken Baldauf Florida State University baldauf@cs.fsu.edu 850-644-5832 http://lit.cs.fsu.eduhttp://www.kenbaldauf.com Presentations,Survey Results,Assignments, and More! • Sources • “Being Fluent with Information Technology” Reporthttp://books.nap.edu/html/beingfluent/ • Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Educationhttp://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm • FSU’s LEAD Planhttp://lead.plan.fsu.edu/index2.html • ISTE NETS http://cnets.iste.org/index.shtml • Try Ken’s 10-minute Tutors with your students! • Excel: http://lit.cs.fsu.edu/assignments/a2.html • Access: http://lit.cs.fsu.edu/assignments/a3.html • PPT: http://lit.cs.fsu.edu/assignments/a4.html

Computer Literacy