There is a growing digital divide with incoming college students. The assumption is that since students are fluent with smartphones or downloading music that they are technology wizards and can handle all technology related items that are presented to them. The problem with this assumption is that it isn't always correct. Survey data from the J.B. Speed School of Engineering suggests that for a number of students, the Tablet PC they are required to purchase is the first computer they have been solely responsible for maintaining. Prior to entering engineering school, many students stated they had a parent who kept the family computer updated or no one in the family ever worried about updates and backups. As technology adoption grows in personal, professional, and educational use, the students need a better handle on the available technologies and what are involved in using and maintaining said technologies. Some incoming students have been more exposed to technology than others by their parents, but even these students need some help in some technology pursuits. Universities and Colleges are expecting students to use more technology without always providing them with the basic common knowledge needed. The Department of Engineering Fundamentals has long believed in creating a common baseline in the beginning courses for the students' mathematical instruction. The department is starting to believe that the Introduction to Engineering course would be a good place to add a common knowledge scaffold for technology. This common knowledge will include some software dependent modules on Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, but also needs to include topics on maintaining your own computer; managing your online profiles, accounts, and privacy; learning about campus computing resources; and ethics in using computing/technology resources. The maintenance module will include technology components regarding the operating system as well as supplementary software such as browsers, flash, java, etc. The online profiles, accounts and privacy module will focus on information security and some best practices to protect their online accounts and identities. The campus computing modules will cover items related to being a J.B. Speed School of Engineering student, some example modules would be on Blackboard, email, Office 365, etc. The last module would be related to ethics related to using technology as a user and as a student. This Work-in-Progress is the documentation of the early creation of this technology common knowledge as well as the history and motivations behind each of the modules.
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