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November 12, 2007, 01:31 PM ET
Community Colleges Face Wide Tech Discrepancies Among Students
Students who enroll in community colleges don’t always have the extensive backgrounds in technology that college officials expect from younger generations. In fact, some students come in having never used a computer in their lives.
At the League for Innovation in the Community College conference here in Nashville, community-college officials are sharing information about the unique challenges with technology that they face, and the solutions to those problems. Unlike students who enroll in major universities, students who go to community college do not always get much computer experience in high school.
“That’s our job, to get them up to speed,” said Foster Stewart, project leader of business and tourism at SAIT Polytechnic, in Calgary, Alberta.
Mr. Stewart said during a presentation Sunday that his institution has handled the technology-knowledge gap by requiring that all students take an orientation course covering the basics of using a computer, starting with how to boot it up. The computer novices appreciate the chance to learn in an environment where they aren’t expected to know anything and can ask all the seemingly dumb questions they would otherwise be too embarrassed to pose.
But what about the students who are comfortable with computers? They benefit from the orientation too, Mr. Stewart said. Although they think they are familiar with computers, many of them do not know how to perform basic functions like setting up a printer. Also, the students with more experience help out the newbies, strengthening their own knowledge.
Some colleges take it for granted that students will come in with an expertise in computers, Mr. Stewart said. But even to this day, many of them need help. “We don’t take it for granted,” Mr. Stewart said. “We take it as our responsibility.” —Dan Carnevale
Categories: Teaching
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