Fluent with IT

Being Fluent with Information Technology (1999), Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council. The report is available on line at http://books.nap.edu/books/030906399X/html/index.html .

The National Research Council (NRC) completed a study on the subject of information technology literacy in 1999. The study introduces the concept of fluency with information technology or FITness. This is in contrast to the idea of computer literacy, which is more focused on a student acquiring specific hardware or software skills. The problem with a traditional skills-based approach is that technology evolves rapidly, and the skills learned become obsolete quickly. The FITness approach aims to provide the student with a deeper understanding of technology, providing a framework and flexibility to utilize technology in a complex and changing world.

The discipline of FITness involves three distinct types of knowledge: contemporary skills (i.e. how to create a Word mail merge); foundation concepts (i.e. how information is structured in digital settings); and intellectual knowledge (i.e. debugging problems in complex systems). Achieving FITness “requires deep, essential understanding and mastery of information technology for information processing, communication and problem solving.”

The report suggests that FITness training is best conducted in a project-based setting, allowing the student the opportunity to experience and explore the concepts as part of learning. Implementation of a FITness requirement in a program of study will likely result in a fundamental change to the core curriculum. A basic stand-alone course is probably not the best approach, rather the FITness principles should be integrated throughout the program.

The study responds to the question of why the FITness concept is important in a contemporary education. The prevelance of computer hardware and software in our daily lives is a fairly recent event. As of 2005 the personal computer has only been in wide use for some 20 years, and the internet for 10 years. Many people using technology struggle to make them work, and there is a widespread feeling that users would like to feel a greater sense of control with their technologies. Computer technology, when used properly, has been demonstrated to produce great benefits in productivity and effectiveness. And people are generally curious about computer technologies, and interested in learning more about the subject.

Since the study was released in 1999 the FITness ideas have been integrated into college curriculmns in different ways. Here are a couple of examples. One of the study authors, Lawrence Snyder from the University of Washington, has produced a textbook based on the FITness principles. The book is Fluency with Information Technology (2004), Addison-Wesley. There is a free online course offered through the University of Washington that utilizes the textbook as its basis at http://courses.washington.edu/benefit/ . There is an interesting report on a core curriculum proposal at Calvin College, which integrates the FITness ideas into a liberal arts program at http://www.calvin.edu/admin/rit/ .