Like most colleges of engineering, the J.B. School of Engineering has increased its expectations of students' computer literacy in recent years. This is highlighted by the decision in 2007 to require incoming freshman to purchase a Tablet PC. Survey data from 2008 indicated that this was the first computer ever owned for 42% of freshmen surveyed. With the Tablet PC requirement, the J.B. Speed School of Engineering also adopted the collaborative learning system (CLS) DyKnow, which is Tablet PC specific classroom software. More recently the Department of Engineering Fundamentals has begun adopting the use of on-line multimedia textbooks with active content, such as algorithmic homework problem generators with built-in systems for immediate help and grading. Though there are many students with excellent computer skills, the requirement that all students use DyKnow, a Tablet PC, and on-line course content, has made it clear that all engineering students lack the level of technical computer literacy needed to effectively participate in some Engineering Fundamentals courses. The J.B. Speed School of Engineering has also recently created a new required course offering: Introduction to Engineering. This course has many components, including software and Tablet PC use; making this course ideal for addressing the computer literacy shortcomings of the students. The authors have been working for several years developing computer literacy content for the Introduction to Engineering course. This paper discusses the content developed, pedagogical motivations for the content and its delivery, observations and challenges in this delivery for computer literacy for engineering students. There are two competing elements in this problem; improving student computer literacy, and decreasing the faculty effort required to overcome initial hurdles many students face. Due to many factors, a percentage of students arrive with a level of computer literacy that exceeds what can reasonably be expected of all students. Therefore, a base line of computer hardware and software literacy is currently under development, and instructors continually work to move students to that level. This paper provides a taxonomy of the computer literacy components required for engineering students to succeed, and offers justification for these components, as well as identifies challenges. A key observation that has yet to be adequately addressed is the disconnect between students' perceptions of their computer literacy (often very high) and their actual computer literacy. This disconnect can frustrate both students and instructors, and also disrupt learning. Even with the vast computer literacy improvements over the years, there is still much that needs to be addressed. However, given the short amount of time allotted, students in the course (400+) do generally achieve a sufficient level of technical literacy in a very short time (one week), but there is much room for improvement. Going forward, the authors expect that developing a taxonomy and formalism will lead to improved teacher efficiency and student computer literacy.
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机译：像大多数工程学院一样，J.B.工程学院近年来提高了学生计算机识字的期望。这是由2007年决定突出的，要求收入的新生购买平板电脑。从2008年的调查数据表明，这是一台拥有42％的新生所拥有的电脑。通过平板电脑要求，J.B. Speed Engineering of Engineering也通过了Comproborative System（CLS）Dyknow，这是平板电脑特定课堂软件。最近，工程基本面已经开始采用与在线多媒体教科书的使用，例如具有内置系统的算法作业问题发生器，用于立即帮助和分级。虽然现在有很多学生具有良好的计算机技能，要求所有学生使用DyKnow，平板电脑，以及在线课程内容，已经明确表示，所有工程的学生缺乏有效参与一些必要的技术的计算机知识水平工程基础课程。 J.B. Speed Engineering of Engineering of Engineering of Engineers工程学院也创建了一个新的必修课程：工程简介。本课程有许多组件，包括软件和平板电脑使用;使本课程成为解决学生的计算机识字缺陷的理想选择。作者一直在为工程课程介绍开发计算机识字内容。本文讨论了在工程学生计算机识字的计算机识字中为内容开发，教学动机以及其交付，观察和挑战的内容。这个问题中有两个竞争因素;提高学生计算机识字，并降低克服最初障碍所需的教师努力。由于许多因素，一定数量的学生随着计算机识字程度而超过所有学生可以合理地预期的电脑素质。因此，目前正在开发计算机硬件和软件素养的基础线路，教师不断努力将学生移到该水平。本文提供了工程学生成功所需的计算机识字组件的分类，并为这些组件提供理由，并确定挑战。尚未得到充分解决的关键观察是学生对计算机识字（通常很高）和实际计算机识字性之间的脱颖而见。这种脱节可以挫败学生和教师，也扰乱了学习。即使多年来，众多电脑识字改善，仍有许多需要解决。然而，鉴于分配的短暂时间，课程中的学生（400+）通常在很短的时间内（一周）在很短的时间内达到足够的技术素质，但有很多改进的空间。展望未来，提交人期望发展分类学和形式主义将导致教师效率和学生计算机识字改善。
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