Computer literacy: It's time to “get back to basics”

This paper argues the need for a back-to-basics approach in computer literacy education. It then presents such an approach. This approach has worked well both in courses designed for majors in computer science and in information systems, as well as in a course designed for nonmajors. The current view of literacy as indicated by courses taught at universities and in industry around the country is that literacy means learning about the computer (lots of terminology) and learning to use microcomputer application packages. It might include a glimpse of programming, but the feeling seems to be that computer users do not need to understand more than packages. We contend that the current approach is not literacy, does not prepare users to use the computer effectively, that the function of the universities is not to teach skills, and that such skills are in fact taught more efficiently if understanding that is true literacy, precedes the teaching of skills.