A study of computing education needs among college of education faculty

Very often, recommendations for faculty computer literacy training programs are based upon expert judgment. In contrast, the purpose of this study was to employ a research design with both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine faculty perceptions of their own computing education needs and the most preferred methods of meeting those needs. The research problem of polling faculty regarding their own computing education needs was seen as significant since a computer literate student body largely depends upon the computer literacy of the faculty, and the design of inservice training requires the cooperation and participation of the faculty. The sample for the study consisted of 209 College of Education faculty members at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Martin. Data were collected with a survey instrument titled "Faculty Self-Assessment of Computing Professional Development Needs," developed by the researcher, and with telephone interviews. The study addressed faculty's computing education needs, their preferences to attend computer literacy training sessions, computer utilization issues, and demographic differences. The current literature on issues of technology in education, the definition of computer literacy, and computing training needs assessment was also discussed. Major conclusions were as follows: (a) The uses of word processing software. E-mail, and the World Wide Web were the three most important competencies to the work of College of Education faculty; (b) the faculty's strongest knowledge/skills on computing competencies lay in the areas of using word processing software and E-mail; (c) the uses of presentation packages, the World Wide Web, and word processing software were the three most important computing training needs for faculty; (d) differences exist between subgroups of the faculty with respect to computing knowledge/skills, computing education needs, and willingness to participate in computer training sessions; (e) faculty are interested iu learning about computers, however, lack of time is the number one barrier most likely to prevent them from learning about computers; and (f) one-on- one, hands-on, and small group workshops are the most preferred computing training formats. The findings of the study recommended that further research be focused on micro-orientation (vs. macro-orientation) of faculty computing education needs. More interview studies and research on demographic issues such as gender and computer ownership were also recommended.