Minimum Technical Competencies for Distance Learning Students

The technical requirements for students have increased dramatically as the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web has grown as an instructional tool (Mory, Gambill, Schuster, Collins, Hall, & Griffen, 1999). Without solid technical skills, students may have a difficult time succeeding in Web-based learning environments. Through a survey of faculty at a midsize regional commuter campus in the midwestern United States, an inventory has been established of the minimum technical competencies faculty members believe students should possess to be successful in Web-based instruction. Additionally, students at the same university were surveyed to determine how well they thought they met the minimum competencies outlined by the faculty. What was found confirmed the faculty’s concerns (L. Hopp, D. Camin, & E. Wignall, personal communication, November 1999) that students often did not possess the technical skills required to be successful in a Web-based course.