Senate Reference No. 00-13
TO: Fort Wayne Senate
FROM: Educational Policy Committee
L. DeFonso, Chair
SUBJECT: General Education Subcommittee report on computer literacy – for information only
DATE: February
23, 2001
The Educational Policy Committee
(EPC) has accepted the attached report from the General Education Subcommittee
(GES) and endorses its recommendations regarding computer literacy. In addition, the EPC has asked that the Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs request that the Deans implement the
recommended changes and report back to the GES with their concurrence. The EPC submits the report to the Senate for
information only.
For the Educational Policy
Committee:
|
Approving: S. Hannah L. Hite D. Marshall D. Oberstar |
Disapproving |
Absent: |
Non-voting: |
Senate Reference No. 00-13
To: Educational Policy Committee
From: General Education Subcommittee
Date: January 31, 2001
Subj: Report and recommendations on the computer literacy
requirement
Background: In April 2000 the Senate amended the revised General
Education document to include, in Area I (Foundation Skills), “a computer
literacy requirement as defined by the degree-granting unit and approved by the
General Education Subcommittee” (SD 99-25).
The document further states that the requirement could be met by
completion of an approved course or “acquisition of comparable skills in other
courses required as a part of the degree program.”
In October, GES asked schools
to define their requirements, addressing the use of technology in 5 areas: 1)
communication and collaboration; 2) investigating and solving problems; 3) to
search, retrieve, and evaluate information; 4) understanding ethical issues
related to technology; and (5) the possibilities and limitations of information
technology. See attached memo and questionnaire.
A summary of school responses
and copies of relevant documents are attached.
In general, departments/programs prefer that computer literacy skills be
integrated into required courses, so that the requirement can be met without
adding hours to the GE requirement.
Some departments/ programs did not specify all 5 areas as necessary at
the foundation skills level.
Recommendations:
1. The GES
recommends that (a) the schools’ definitions of the computer literacy
requirement be accepted, (b) responsibility for monitoring satisfactory
completion of the requirement be assigned to the schools, and (c) any changes
made at the school level be reported to GES for concurrence.
2. Because
several schools (A&S, HSC, PEA) identified Area I courses as meeting part
or all of their computer literacy requirement, there exists a potential for
pressure on departments offering those courses (primarily Communication,
English/Linguistics, and Math) to provide “remediation” for students who enter
the university without prior computer experience. Therefore, the GES also
recommends that departments/programs that offer courses identified as meeting
the computer literacy requirement at a foundation skill level be encouraged to
define (perhaps in consultation with ACITAS) computer skills that students
should have prior to enrolling in the course–for example, email, word
processing, file management (copying, loading, deleting, etc.). Students with no prior computer experience
could then be directed to programs such as JumpStart (offered through
Transitional Studies) for training in the computer skills needed for success in
the course.
The
GES appreciates the thoughtfulness of the schools’ responses.
Responses Received from
Schools.
1. A&S
proposes that the computer literacy requirement be defined in terms of the
computer literacy skills taught/required in ENG W131, COM 114, and one of
several CS or quantitative skills courses.
The recommendation came from the A&S Curriculum Committee.
2. BMS provided a matrix listing courses in which
various computer literacy skills are taught/required and indicating which
courses are required for which degrees.
3. EDUC reports that the five skill areas are taught
in EDUC W200 (Microcomputers for Education), required of all undergraduates in
the school.
4.
ETCS: the course that establishes
the floor for computer literacy in the school is ETCS 101 (Introduction to
Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, 1 cr.). A response from EET identifies EET 114
(Introduction to Microcomputers) and EET/CPET 355 (Introduction to Data
Communication) as meeting the requirement for that department.
5. General Studies. GS requires “a college-level computer course for
graduation.” The courses most commonly
used to meet the requirement are CS 106 and the BUS K2__ series.
6. HSC: The
school identified courses in which computer literacy skills are
taught/required. Separate responses received from Nursing and RHIT indicate
that all computer literacy skills needed by their students are integrated into
various courses required for the respective degrees.
7. OLS: CS 106 (Introduction to Computers) and OLS
280 (Microcomputer Software Applications) are required of all bachelor degree
students in OLS and address the five areas.
8. PEA: Questionnaires received from Bill Ludwin
and Tom Guthrie listed CS 106 (Introduction to Computers), SPEA K300
(Statistical Techniques; counts in Area I), and various SPEA courses as meeting
the computer literacy requirements of their students.
9. The VPA Technology Committee recommended “an
entry-level mechanism for testing knowledge at the time of admission,” and
defined “Central Components of Foundation Level Knowledge” for their school. The Visual Art Department provided a
detailed discussion of what computer literacy means for their students. No responses were received from Theatre or
Music.
Copies of the complete texts
of the schools’ responses are available upon request.
Senate Reference No. 00-13
To: Deans
and School Curriculum Committees
From: General
Education Subcommittee
Date: October
4, 2000
Subj: Computer
literacy component of Area I (Foundation Skills)
As you know, the revised
General Education document was amended by the Senate to include, in Area I
(Foundation Skills),
“completion of a computer literacy
requirement as defined by the degree-granting unit and approved by the General
Education Subcommittee.”
The degree-granting unit is
defined as the school or division.
The process is again
addressed under the definition of Area I:
“The
Area I requirement is fulfilled by completion of one approved course in each of
three areas: Reading and Writing; Listening and Speaking; Quantitative
Reasoning, and evidence that computer literacy has been demonstrated through
completion of a course approved by the General Education Subcommittee or
acquisition of comparable skills in other courses required as a part of the
degree program.”
It is now time to establish
the school/division definitions of computer literacy, effective fall 2001, in
time for student advising and registration next spring. To facilitate the process, the GES has
developed a brief questionnaire, attached.
We ask that you work with your school curriculum committees to determine
how students in your school will meet the computer literacy requirement, using
the questionnaire as a point of departure.
Please return the completed questionnaire, and a statement of how your
students will fulfill the computer literacy requirement, to Jeanette Clausen
(KT 174) no later than November 20, 2000.
Senate Reference No. 00-13
General Education Computer Literacy Questionnaire
Return to Jeanette Clausen by November 20, 2000.
Name of individual completing questionnaire:
_________________________________________
Information applies to __________________________ in
_______________________________
(program/s) (school/division)
The Area I computer literacy requirement should
provide students with Foundation Skills that will enable them to use
information-technology tools effectively throughout their undergraduate degree
program (as, for example, ENG W131 develops writing skills that students use
throughout their undergraduate experience).
In keeping with policy on the other Area I skills, it
should be possible for students to test out of the computer literacy
requirement, or to demonstrate the required level of proficiency without
necessarily taking a course (perhaps by completing non-credit courses, or by
other means).
The GES expects that the school-level definitions of
computer literacy will be based on information-technology skills used in the
discipline and degree program, and that at least one item will be listed for
each of the five goals below. If the skills
described are always integrated into courses required for your degrees, please
indicate the course numbers. If you are
unsure how or whether your students acquire certain skills, please suggest the
solution you would like to see.
1. Use of information technology to communicate and
collaborate.
foundation skill(s)
___________________________________________________________
demonstrated by ________________________ or covered in
_________________________
(course number[s])
unsure how students acquire skill(s)
_____________________________________________
(optional comment)
2. Use of
information technology to investigate and solve problems.
a) foundation skill(s)
___________________________________________________________
2)
demonstrated by ________________________
or covered in _________________________
(course number[s])
3)
unsure how students
acquire skill(s) _____________________________________________
(optional comment)
3. Use of information technology to search, retrieve,
and evaluate information.
a) foundation
skill(s) ___________________________________________________________
4)
demonstrated by
________________________ or covered in _________________________
(course number[s])
5)
unsure how students
acquire skill(s) _____________________________________________
(optional comment)
Ethical issues related to information technology.
a) foundation
skill(s)/knowledge __________________________________________________
6)
demonstrated by
________________________ or covered in _________________________
(course number[s])
7)
unsure how students
acquire skill(s) _____________________________________________
(optional comment)
The possibilities and limitations of information
technology.
a) foundation
skill(s)/understanding ________________________________________________
8)
demonstrated by
________________________ or covered in _________________________
(course number[s])
9)
unsure how students
acquire skill(s) _____________________________________________
(optional comment)
6. Other?
____________________________________________________________________