Has the computing competence of first year university students increased during the last decade?

Abstract

Computers have become ubiquitous. The perception is that they are used effectively and with authority by much of the younger population. Previous generations used computers to manipulate data, mainly in employment. The current generation considers use of computers to be part of their social life. This paper reports on the results of a longitudinal study of students in an introductory computing class at Lincoln University. Results from 1999 were compared with results from 2008 to see if there were any differences in the overall computing confidence reported by students from both cohorts. The computing activities of the 1999 and 2008 students have been compared. Results show that the current students are more likely to be computing online and their overall confidence is higher than in the earlier study. This confidence is not matched by increased skills in offline computing. There is some evidence that the 2008 students are less competent users of productivity software such as spreadsheets and databases than the 1999 students.