How To Evaluate Computer Literacy

In order to evaluate computer literacy by age, a group of three students, three teenagers, three young adults, three middle-aged adults, and three senior citizens were selected to participate in a simple computer-based evaluation. The experiment focused on three evaluation categories: file management, networking, and printing. All procedures were conducted using a standard laptop computer, with the latest Windows operating system installed. The calculated, averaged scores of participants were low, indicating the need for improved general computer knowledge. Rapid changes in technology are a probable factor for poor computer knowledge. Future evaluations could focus on different operating systems, such as Macintosh or Linux. Different evaluation …show more content…
Materials. A comfortable workstation was necessary. A flat working surface and seating for participants were used throughout the evaluation process. Participants were selected based on the criteria listed in Table 1. Experience with a computer and Windows operating system was a plus, but not a requirement. For the purpose of evaluation by generation only, the race, gender, and technological skill level of participants were omitted throughout the selection process. A total of 15 participants were evaluated throughout the experiment. Methods. Participants were seated in front of a laptop computer, where the laptop was powered on and set to the main desktop screen. Verbally, participants were given an overview of the experiment, followed by instructions to complete a series of tasks on the computer. No assistance was given to any participant throughout the evaluation process, nor was any participant timed for his or her work. A single point was awarded per each task completed successfully, out of a possible 12 points. Since each task served as a prerequisite, participants who failed to perform the initial task were unable to complete the remainder of the evaluation of the specific