An increasing number of colleges and universities are setting higher standards of computer literacy for students, and the University also is taking steps to achieve that goal.
University President John T. Casteen III said while the vast majority of University students achieve computer literacy, there still is room for improvement.
Casteen is the president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a group that has called for its members to implement the requirement of computer literacy.
"The notion is not to require a course or a program but instead to integrate computer use and custom-made computer training into essentially all curricula," Casteen said.
Last semester, the Computer Literacy Committee worked to develop ways to incorporate computers and technology into the education of all students -- not just those in the Engineering School or computer-related fields.
"We're very aware of the national trend," Vice Provost Barbara Nolan said. "The reason we organized a committee ... was to study the best practices [around the nation] and aim for as forward-looking" a plan as possible.
To help achieve these goals, the University hopes to implement a class next fall for all students that will cover numerous aspects of computing, Nolan said.
Education School Dean David W. Breneman said two factors that contribute to the growing importance of computers are a combination of a fall in the price of computer equipment and the "ubiquitousness of the Internet."
Computer Science Chairman John Stankovic, who served on the Committee, said the University is "undertaking significant efforts in increasing computer literacy courses," and that the efforts should be centered in the Engineering School.
"Computer literacy's intellectual component is computer science," Stankovic said.
Committee member Karen L. Ryan, Slavic Languages and Literature chairwoman, said she hopes the University is able not only to teach students the skills necessary to use computers, but also touch upon the ethical concerns that can arise as well, such as Internet censorship.
Any program the University implements should "think about larger issues," Ryan said.
She said she would also like to see students learn to have a "more global vision" about technology and understand not only how, but also why they should use computers.
Nolan said the Committee considered not only the use of computers, but also the implications of their use.
"Our aim has been to create something really wonderful," she said.
Expanding the use of computers also is one of the main concerns at the Education School, Breneman said.
Students should "not only know how to use computers, but be able to use computer's capacity in other ways," he said. "It's to the student's advantage to have these capacities"
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