Abstract: The concern with a “digital divide” has been transformed from one defined by technological access to technological prowess—employing technologies for more empowered and generative uses such as learning and innovation. Participation in technological fluency-building activities among high school students in a community heavily involved in the technology industry was investigated in a study of 98 high school seniors enrolled in AP-level calculus. Findings indicated substantial variability in history of fluency-building experiences despite similar levels of access. More and less experienced groups were defined based on their breadth of prior experience. Males and females who were classified as more experienced utilized a broader range of learning resources and were more likely to learn from out-of-school classes and distributed resources such as online tutorials and reading material. Gender differences emerged with respect to participation in certain activities such as computer programming, even when controll...

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Adults with low literacy may encounter informational obstacles on the Internet when searching for health information, in part because most health Web sites require at least a high-school reading proficiency for optimal access. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to 1) determine how low-literacy adults independently access and evaluate health information on the Internet, 2) identify challenges and areas of proficiency in the Internet-searching skills of low-literacy adults. METHODS: Subjects (n=8) were enrolled in a reading assistance program at Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, PA, and read at a 3rd to 8th grade level. Subjects conducted self-directed Internet searches for designated health topics while utilizing a think-aloud protocol. Subjects' keystrokes and comments were recorded using Camtasia Studio screen-capture software. The search terms used to find health information, the amount of time spent on each Web site, the number of Web sites accessed, the reading level of Web sites accessed, and the responses of subjects to questionnaires were assessed. RESULTS: Subjects collectively answered 8 out of 24 questions correctly. Seven out of 8 subjects selected "sponsored sites"-paid Web advertisements-over search engine-generated links when answering health questions. On average, subjects accessed health Web sites written at or above a 10th grade reading level. Standard methodologies used for measuring health literacy and for promoting subjects to verbalize responses to Web-site form and content had limited utility in this population. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that Web health information requires a reading level that prohibits optimal access by some low-literacy adults. These results highlight the low-literacy adult population as a potential audience for Web health information, and indicate some areas of difficulty that these individuals face when using the Internet and health Web sites to find information on specific health topics. [J Med Internet Res 2004;6(3):e25]

Abstract: This study presents results from a 2002 Midwest urban random sample survey (N = 167 adults). It is proposed that attitudes toward technology have a direct impact on digital citizenry and are colored by racial and educational differences. A path model showed several key results. Desire for computer skills increased among respondents with lower levels of educational attainment. Respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to use computers at home and work. Non-Whites were more likely than Whites to agree that technological information is key to citizen empowerment and that computers should be accessible to all citizens, as well as reporting increased interest in learning computer skills. Interest in developing computer skills was positively associated with digital citizenship. Viewing technology as a source of informational power was positively related to support for digital government and to support for computer access equity.

Abstract: Spend your time even for only few minutes to read a book. Reading a book will never reduce and waste your time to be useless. Reading, for some people become a need that is to do every day such as spending time for eating. Now, what about you? Do you like to read a book? Now, we will show you a new book enPDFd computer science education research that can be a new way to explore the knowledge. When reading this book, you can get one thing to always remember in every reading time, even step by step.

Abstract: Adults over the age of 65 are the fastest growing segment of computer users. Due to this increased demand, effective training programs are essential. Although previous research findings illustrate the importance of older adults’ goals, abilities, and experience levels in learning to use computers, these factors are often neglected in the development of computer training courses. We apply a systems approach to help bridge this gap between research and practice to address the disparity between what older adults would like to learn and the content of computer training courses. We review the literature on training older adults to use computers and report data from a set of structured interviews to illustrate the criticality of each step in the systems approach. Lastly, we provide the means to evaluate existing computer training programs and suggest modifications for improvement. Our purpose is not to evaluate specific programs, but to educate developers about an approach that has proven successful. Specifical...

Abstract: Effective computer skill training is vital to organizational productivity. Two experiments (N = 288) demonstrated that the behavior modeling approach to computer skill training could be substantially improved by incorporating symbolic mental rehearsal (SMR). SMR is a specific form of mental rehearsal that establishes a cognitive link between visual images and symbolic memory codes. As theorized, the significant effects of SMR on declarative knowledge and task performance were shown to be fully mediated by changes in trainees' knowledge structures. The mediational role of knowledge structures is expected to generalize to other training interventions and cognitive skill domains. Our findings have the immediate implications that practitioners should use SMR for improving the effectiveness of computer skill training.

Abstract: Today, they are students in colleges and universities. Tomorrow, they will be engineers in various industrial sectors. One of the primary goals of education is to prepare people for successful careers in the real world. As in every course, students want to obtain the maximum value of a CAD related course for their future careers. They want to obtain knowledge and skills that are most practical and useful to them when they become engineers. College professors and teachers also want to provide the maximum value for students in their CAD courses. The question is: what should be included in such a CAD curriculum. This paper tries to answer some critical questions related to developing such a curriculum, from an industrial perspective, based on the authors' survey results and the first author's own (rather limited) experiences as a R&D staff for a CAD vendor. It focuses on issues related to teaching and training students on CAD systems. These include, for different roles, how much underlying mathematical foundations in CAD systems should be taught, how much computer skills and engineering knowledge the students should know, how much design methodologies related to CAD systems should be taught, and how much ability the students should develop in order to specify their CAD needs and to evaluate and choose the CAD systems most suitable for their specific applications. The paper then shares some personal experiences and suggestions from long-term CAD veterans on the essential topics of CAD education. Based on the survey results, last section concludes the paper by authors' suggestions on what should be included in CAD curriculums for different levels of students.

Abstract: This paper describes a method for measuring job skills using survey data on detailed work activities, and using these measures examines whether the utilisation of skills is growing, and how they are valued in the labour market. We show that between 1997 and 2001 there was a growth in Britain in the utilisation of computing skills, literacy, numeracy, technical know-how, high-level communication skills, planning skills, client communication skills, horizontal communication skills, problem-solving, and checking skills. Computer skills utilisation was growing the fastest, and the use of computers was becoming more sophisticated. We re-evaluate the issue of whether computers have affected wages, taking into account existing critiques in the literature. We find that both computer skills and high-level communication skills carry positive wage premia, as shown both in cross-section hedonic wage equations that control for many detailed activities, and through a within-cohorts change analysis.

Abstract: In this article we describe and discuss a three-year case study of a course in web literacy, part of the academic literacy curriculum for first-year engineering students at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Because they are seen as ‘practical’ knowledge, not theoretical, information skills tend to be devalued at university and rendered invisible to the students. In particular, web-searching skills are problematic, given the challenges that the Web poses to academic values and traditional research practices. Consequently, the technical skills of web searching are often taught separately from academic curricula or left entirely unaddressed. We illustrate an alternative, integrated approach to the development of this aspect of information literacy. We apply a critical action research methodology to document, evaluate and reflect on students’ use of evaluative frameworks. Focusing on the facilitation of critical and evaluative use of the Web for exploratory learning, we interrogate the role of ‘cultural capital’ and evaluate the effectiveness of the scaffolding provided by the course design. We find important connections between developing knowledge of academic discourse and successful academic use of the Web, and note that, for students to transfer their skills to a range of contexts, these skills will require sustained attention throughout the undergraduate curriculum. We present evidence that the most effective strategies integrate everyday practical knowledge of research techniques with teaching about academic discourse and building students’ knowledge in a specific domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since the introduction of the use of computers in education in the 1960s, its terminology has continuously evolved. Some contributors to the new field adopted the term computer assisted instruction for a specific approach, either focusing on a type of program or a type of instructional process. Also related terms are being used, such as computer-based instruction, computer-based education and computer assisted learning. Often these terms focus on a broader conceptualization of different kinds of computer use in education. Watson (1994), for instance, used the term computer assisted learning for the whole variety of ways in which the computer is used for learning. The rather confusing terminology is partly due to rapid technological changes. At the introduction of computers in education big mainframe computers were still in use. Computers were conceived as being able to realize programmed instruction and to replace teachers. At the start of the 21st century computers are personal and networked. Particularly the increasing integration of computers with communication systems and with audio and video technology changes the potential for education. Due to the enormous impact of ICT our society is in transition towards an information society. The term computer technology is replaced by information technology [IT] (in North America) or information and communication technology [ICT] (in Europe). The latter term — ICT — will be used throughout this chapter.

Abstract: The first aim of this study was to develop an instrument of self-perceived computer competence and to assess differences among university students. For this purpose, two instruments were developed: 'quantity of computer applications' (16 items) and 'quality of application use' (30 items). Questionnaires were administered to two samples of first-year university students in psychology, education and andragogics. The results indicated a high correlation between the two computer competence scales. The second aim was to identify possible determinants of self-perceived computer competence and to test the impact at an individual level. The results from a path model demonstrated that self-perceived computer competence (quality of application use) was affected by four factors: computer confidence, computer experience expressed in time, intensity of computer use and home access to a computer. The four variables accounted for a significant proportion of the variation (54%) in the self-perceived computer competence variable.

Abstract: Peer assessment is a technique that has been successfully employed in a variety of academic disciplines, and which is considered to be effective in developing student's higher cognitive skills. In this paper, we consider the results of applying novel web-based technology to the delivery of peer assessment in the context of an undergraduate computer programming course, and discuss the benefits of this approach.

Abstract: Professional development for teachers in information and communication technology (ICT) is currently a major priority for school systems in Australia and internationally. The metacognitive and reflective approach to professional development described in this paper is a response to the limitations of directive approaches to ICT learning within a context of rapid technological change. It proposes a capability based approach which strives to develop lifelong computer learning strategies. An important characteristic of the metacognitive approach is that, rather than specific objectives or outcomes being 'imposed' on learners, participants are encouraged to identify, articulate and pursue personally relevant goals, including those related to skills, attitudes, confidence, values and understandings, integration and school leadership. This paper reports on a research project which investigated the applicability of such an approach to teacher professional development. The approach was found to have significant outcomes in terms of computer skill development, and in influencing teachers' approaches to their own and their students' learning.

Abstract: Earlier work often referred to as the "hole in the wall" experiments has shown that groups of children can learn to use public computers on their own. This paper presents the method and results of an experiment conducted to investigate whether such unsupervised group learning in shared public spaces can improve children's performance in school examinations. The experiment was conducted with "hole in the wall" (minimally invasive education, or MIE) kiosks in the rural Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra State, India. 103 children of the Grade 8 level, across 3 villages, were administered the curricular examination for 'Computer Science' for that grade. The results show that children who had learned at MIE kiosks were able to complete this curricular examination without being taught the subject. They scored only marginally lower than children who had been taught the 'Computers' curriculum in school throughout the school year. The results of this study throw new light on pedagogy for bridging the digital divide. It poses the question that similar learning may well be observed in whole or part in other subjects of the school curriculum.

Abstract: Managing chronic illness in the isolation of rural environments is challenging for women who lack access to personal sources of social support and health information. The Women to Women project was designed to provide chronically ill rural women access to support and health information via electronic means. This article reports on the acquisition of computer skills, the perceptions of importance of various aspects of the intervention, and an assessment of women's overall satisfaction with participation in the research project. Findings indicate that the women's self-ratings of computer skills improved significantly over the 22-week intervention and that highly interactive features of the project were rated as most important by the participants. Overall, women found the program beneficial in assisting them to better manage their chronic illness.

Abstract: African Americans with low incomes and low literacy levels disproportionately suffer poor health outcomes from many preventable diseases. Low functional literacy and low health literacy impede millions of Americans from successfully accessing health information. These problems are compounded for African Americans by cultural insensitivity in health materials. The Internet could become a useful tool for providing accessible health information to low-literacy and low-income African Americans. Optimal health Web sites should include text written at low reading levels and appropriate cultural references. More research is needed to determine how African Americans with low literacy skills access, evaluate, prioritize, and value health information on the Internet.

Abstract: Section 1: Understanding online behaviour Predicting and understanding student attitudes and behaviour in e-learning The ontology of internet user interactions The neuropsychology of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Current problems of moral research and education in the IT Environment Why do people publish weblogs? An online survey of weblog authors in Japan Interacting with virtual lecturers: outcomes from introducing streamed video into the classroom Differentiating computer-related addictions and high engagement Personal competences and social structure: information management in business networks Section 2: Personality and computer attitudes Psychological effects of work with a helmet mounted display Acceptance of an implantable data security chip to facilitate a cashless society Section 3: Cyber interactions Online audits and energy using behaviour Cohesion in online groups Section 4: New interaction methods Do short texts imply small thoughts? An investigation of the semantic networks associated with restricted and non-restricted text production ICT - the solution of communication hurdles in the modern family? Section 5: Applied psychological uses for computers An expert system supporting diagnosis in clinical psychology Skills in computer use, self-efficacy and self-concept Section 6: Influencing gender roles Gender issues in the career development of computer science staff "I don't understand computer programming, because I'm a woman!": negotiating gendered positions in a Norwegian discourse of computing The role of gender in the outcome of ICT adoption - can nurses be technologists? An outreach venture: bringing computer literacy to rural women in Malaysia Mentoring computer science undergraduates Gender in information technology: review of a mentoring initiative Section 7: Gender and computer behaviour Gender impact assessment in the Department of Digital Media of Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences, Germany: design of the study and first empirical results Fair play: gender, digital gaming and educational disadvantage Gender, language and computer-mediated communication Gender demands on e-learning Instructional technology innovation as transformational learning: female faculty's narratives of experience Comparative gender differences in faculty job satisfaction at higher education: Taiwan and China Section 8: Gender stereotypes Paradoxes in the impact of the Internet on women Gender and IT: do stereotypes persist? Section 9: Cyber society norms and values Understanding cultural and national identity in teleworking and electronic communication Handling paradoxes and uncertainty in virtual networks Relationship of organizational culture with use intensity of the Internet and sales performance: an international empirical investigation Architecture between applicational and virtual space Section 10: Threats and challenges to diversity The role of economic growth in coastal culture: a case-study in Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf Norms and values in contemporary society: an application to the field of sustainable transportation A study of hospital based social workers in the UK: the importance of verbal communication in this community ActKM: variety from a complexity perspective Sharing places, enhancing spaces: an investigation into the effects of mobile networking technologies on physical communities Impediments to development in the border provinces of Iran Section 11: Advertising with an intercultural perspective Advertising to multi-cultural audiences: promoting energy efficiency in South Africa The impact of the homogeneous global advertising on multicultural reality Section 12: New learning technologies and paradigms Current issues in new learning Burnout and emotional intelligence in Greek employees A dynamic web educational assessment system Assessment: the Trojan horse of blended learning Computer-assisted vs. traditional homework: results of a pilot research project Factors influencing the effectiveness of a web-based learning environment: An assessment from the Malaysia perspective Oracle 9iAS Portal as a platform for Geographic Information Science distance and flexible learning at the University of the South Pacific Data-driven modelling of learner's cognitive style in educational hypermedia Section 13: E-business Concepts, methods, standards and technologies to promote e-business interoperability in a large enterprise E-business security in international perspective The impact of the World Wide Web on South African businesses Multi-analyses electronic payment system Interoperable and flexible digital signatures for e-government and e-commerce

Abstract: Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organizations.

Abstract: Nursing requires computer competencies. This study aimed at identifying those competencies required for the nursing profession in Taiwan. The Delphi technique was deployed in this study. In the Delphi questionnaires, computer competencies were sorted into seven domains: concepts of hardware, software, and networks; principles of computer applications; skills of computer usage; program design; limitations of the computer; personal and social issues; attitudes toward the computer. In three Delphi questionnaires, nursing informatics experts gave us their opinions on the importance of each computer competency for the nursing profession. The experts also designated when the competency should be cultivated. This study provides a comprehensive list for nursing professionals to check on their computer competence. The results of this study should also serve as good references for teachers and schools in designing related curriculums.

Abstract: Teacher education programs in the United States are trying to equip tomorrow's teachers with the technology skills needed to impact learning in the classroom. During the past decade there has been a realization that teaching technology skills alone is not adequate-pre-service teachers must also learn how to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. This paper describes BYU's instructional technology course and the design process that a team of instructors went through to redesign the course in order to put greater emphasis on technology integration. An iterative redesign approach was used. Several iterations of the course redesign will be shared along with the strengths and limitations discovered in the design and implementation process.

Abstract: Background : Doctors need information skills to deliver health care in the 21st century There is concern that those who trained before the ‘information age’ will be inadequately equipped for their work Objectives :T o assess doctors’ use of computers for clinical tasks, and their knowledge and skills in health information management and technology Design : Questionnaire survey Setting : An acute NHS trust in the UK Participants : 96 (83%) of all doctors in the trust responded Main outcome measures :P roportion of respondents reporting the following: use of computer-based systems for clinical tasks, knowledge in eight health informatics topics, skills in using specific hardware and software applications Also comparison of reported skills between senior and junior staff; proportion of doctors identifying specific training needs Results : All but one (1%) of the responding doctors used a computer regularly Over three quarters of respondents reported they were semi-skilled or fully skilled in basic office applications, though the juniors scored significantly more highly than the seniors for some applications However, 44% of doctors reported no skills in database software, identifying this as a training need Around half of the doctors were unaware of health informatics topics, including electronic patient records, the Caldicott report and data protection law In each case the senior doctors were significantly more aware than the juniors of the topic in question Conclusion : Both junior and senior doctors have basic computer literacy, but nearly half of this population identify the use of database software as a training need In addition, there are several health informatics topics of which a large proportion of doctors, particularly the juniors, have little knowledge, but which have not been identified as training needs Some recommendations are made for provision of in-house health informatics education for doctors

Abstract: Although most college faculty are aware of the problems that students encounter when conduct ing research using the Internet, fewer recognize why their students lack success when using the electronic databases and indexes to which the institution's library subscribes. In this article, I point to teachers' assump tions about their students' "computer literacy," as well as to the students' lack of hands-on experience in an actual library, as potential sources of the problem. I provide practical, detailed suggestions, which are use ful across disciplines, for overcoming these obstacles.

Abstract: Several factors have to be taken into account in order to guarantee computer usage. In this study, we focused attention on some of these factors and created a theoretical model to better understand the relationship between computer literacy, attitudes, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness as determinants of computer usage. Additionally, we examined the impact of some external variables such as gender, income, and others on computer literacy, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitudes toward computers. We studied these relationships and investigated how gender and educational background mediate the hypothesized relationships. To validate the research model, we collected data from 166 students at a regional Midwest university. Finding support for the proposed model is of vital importance for organizations that can make better decisions when facing employee training issues and also for scholars and curriculum administrators. The results showed that gender, traditional vs. non-traditional students categories, educational background (business vs. non-business), classification (full-time vs. part-time) were not significant factors in affecting students' computer usage. However, income, self-reported measure of computer knowledge, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, computer literacy, and attitudes toward computers (positive vs. negative) were significant factors that impacted students' computer usage.

Abstract: As the number of computers accessible to students and teachers has increased, there has been a growing emphasis on integrating technology across the curriculum. Even though schools increasingly invest in new technologies, the actual use of computers in classrooms remains limited. This paper examines a model developed to guide the implementation of a Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology (PT3) project and its capacity to promote improvement of teachers’ ability to integrate technologies into their instructional practice. The essential conditions, identified by ISTE, provided the foundation on which this model was developed. Emphasis was placed on access, professional development, support, incentives, and assessment, with the remaining conditions embedded within. The findings indicate that the model was effective in improving teachers’ technical skills and their ability to integrate technology into instructional practice.

Abstract: Background. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in Pondicherry from May to October 2002 to assess computer and internet use among medical students. Methods. The participants were four batches of undergraduate students, one batch of interns and two batches of postgraduate students. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 394 subjects. Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants. Results. Computer knowledge was found to be higher among postgraduates (93.3%) compared to undergraduates (84.5%). Students learnt computers by self-learning, attending classes and using manuals. Writing letters was the most common use of the computer (postgraduates [100%] and undergraduates [87.5%]). Seventy-one per cent of the postgraduates and 43% of the undergraduates used English language dictionaries. About 61% of the undergraduates used computers for playing games. Students also used computer for watching movies. MS Office was the most commonly used software (postgraduates [100 %] and undergraduates [72.2%]). The use of software for visual designing and drawing was low. Undergraduates used audio players more often than postgraduates. Most students used the internet for e-mail (postgraduates [100%] and undergraduates [97.3%]). Undergraduate students used the internet for chatting and entertainment. Online banking was also used to some extent. Most of the students were willing to undergo training. All the groups unanimously felt that the institute should provide free training in medical informatics. Conclusion. This study revealed high computer use among medical students in an institution with good computer facilities. The majority expressed their willingness to undergo further training.

Abstract: This report presents data on computer access, Internet use, and factors associated with health information seeking on the Internet among a sample of youths aged 15 to 30 years in New York City. Findings from street intercept surveys indicate substantial computer access at home (62%) and frequent (everyday or a few times a week) Internet use (66%). Fifty-five percent of the sample reported seeking health information on the Internet, which was associated with positive beliefs about getting a health checkup and frequent Internet use.