Computer literacy: what students know and from whom they learned it

Do new college students already know much of what has previously been taught in our computer literacy courses (assuming a functional definition of knowledge according to which students are proficient with personal computer and Internet applications)? We conducted a survey of incoming first-year students at Quinnipiac University to learn not only their skill level with a representative range of technology tasks, but also from whom they learned these tasks. Results provide a profile of students who report learning many technology tasks primarily on their own. We propose a taxonomy according to which native technology tasks are learned with family support, social and educational technology task categories are supported by friends and teachers, respectively, and optional technology tasks are learned with little support. Our results will help in the design of appropriate computer literacy courses.