Are students IT savvy in the right way?

by Florence Kizza

Executive Briefing

July 2006

Students can e-mail, surf the web and send instant messages. But university professors say students are lacking in graphics, database and e-commerce skills. According to a survey of 1,287 instructors who teach IT courses at two-year and four-year colleges and universities, those professors also told surveyor, Thomson Learning:

• Students should be required to take a course or prove IT proficiency in order to graduate (89% of responding instructors).
• Internet research (76%) and Microsoft Word (89%) are the two most important skills needed for academic success.
• Only 33 percent of students have advanced internet research capabilities, and 53 percent are skilled in Microsoft Word.
• 76 percent of students have advanced e-mail capabilities, and 71 percent can surf the web with skill. However, just 19 percent of students have significant database abilities; 12 percent with graphics programs; and 10 percent in e-commerce.