Undergraduate fluency with information and communication technology: perceptions and reality

ABSTRACT

Students must be fluent with information and communication technology (ICT) to participate fully and confidently in the 21st century. However, there is growing concern that despite having grown up with computers and the Internet, today's undergraduates may not be sufficiently fluent with ICT. There is also evidence that suggests a discrepancy between perceptions and reality regarding students' ICT fluency.

This paper reports student's perceptions regarding their own ICT fluency and compares their perceptions with actual ICT assessment results. Approximately 200 undergraduate students enrolled in a computer information science (CIS) general education course were surveyed and asked to rate their proficiency performing tasks requiring the use of ICT. These students also completed an online scenario based ICT assessment in which they were required to actually perform tasks associated with accessing, evaluating, integrating and communicating information. The majority of students did not perform at their own perceived level. Results of the study have implications for information literacy, ICT education and assessment.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Literacy

General Terms:
Measurement, Performance

Keywords:
assessment, fluency, ict, information literacy