Assessing Computer Literacy: A Comparison of Self-Assessment and Actual Skills

Abstract

The ubiquity of the Internet in our daily lives and the pervasiveness of computer technology in K–12 education today suggest that incoming college students should be better prepared to use computer technology than their predecessors. This chapter presents the results of a study to determine the incoming computing skills levels of business students. The study also measured the difference between the students’ self-assessment of these computer skills and an actual assessment of their computer skills. In discovering what level of computer literacy our students actually have, and pinpointing areas where students lack proficiency, we can look to develop curriculum to address the weaknesses. Our goal would be to look at developing a curriculum model that provides flexibility in tailoring content to accommodate the evolving literacy of students, ultimately providing a richer educational experience for our students.