© 2006 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved. Computer Literacy What do Employers Want? Ken Baldauf Florida State University

© 2006 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.

Computer Literacy

What do Employers Want?

Ken BaldaufFlorida State University


Computer Literacy

…and how can we give it to them?



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

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

START


Survey Participant Profiles

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

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 Firma full range of traditional accounting, auditing and tax services complemented by comprehensive consulting resources

Real names withheld

for privacy

9


Results

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

10© 2006 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved.

Skills Relevance

EssentialUsefulUnneeded

Relevance to average employee’s duties

10


Skills Relevance


11


12



13



14



15



16



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


Relevance to average employee’s duties


19



20



21



22



23



24



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?

Microsoft Office is a must.

Experience with and knowledge of MicroSoft PC tools, particularly MSWord, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Basic windows skills, Word, Excel, etc.


Freeform Response

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

Many people are not familiar with the basics of excel. They don't know pivot tables, sorting, filtering, etc. That is something that anyone in any role of our company will use.

None. Most grads I've seen are computer literate.


Freeform Response

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

extremely important

These are becoming more important with us. Each of our sales reps uses a Treo and needs to be able to use this decive effectively on a daily basis.

We have started to use these technologies, so if students know them, it would be an added bonus.

Mobile phones and mobile PCs are very important as many of our employees travel frequently.


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


IT Fluency

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

“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. ”

“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 skillsContemporary

skills“Skills provide a store of practical experience on which to build new competence”

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”

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”

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)



Published by:Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in 2000



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.

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.



The information literate student…1. determines the nature and extent of the information

needed

2. accesses needed information effectively and efficiently

3. evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system

4. individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

5. understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.



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 itselfIT Fluency focuses on Technology itself

Information Literacy is an intellectual framework for understanding, finding, evaluating, and using information

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

Business Needs IT Fluency

Local ProfileInformation

Literacy

Intro CourseCurriculum


Curriculum Possibilities

Business NeedsBeef up Excel, include lessons in Outlook, discuss concepts such as business information systems, ethics, and security, and study mobile communications technologies

Intro CourseCurriculum

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



[email protected]

http://lit.cs.fsu.edu http://www.kenbaldauf.com

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

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

Presentations,Survey Results,Assignments,

and More!

Thanks for your time. 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

Documents

© 2006 Ken Baldauf, All rights reserved. Computer Literacy What do Employers Want? Ken Baldauf Florida State University