Being Fluent with Information Technology

Box 4.2 - Multiple Routes for Developing Aspects of Fitness

FITness can be developed in a wide variety of venues. Consider the following courses:

• Students in the social sciences and humanities and in the professional schools other than engineering at Berkeley can take an introductory interdepartmental course on information technology that deals with the conceptual foundations of computing and information technology, the structure and function of computing systems, elements of programming, and applications programs. Course examples are drawn mainly from work processing, database management, electronic spreadsheets, graphics and simulation, and telecommunication.
• Sociology students at Bowdoin College can take a social research course that provides firsthand experience with the specific procedures through which science knowledge is developed. The course emphasizes the interaction between theory and research, and includes field and laboratory exercises that involve observation, interviewing, use of available data (e.g., historical documents, statistical archives, computerized data banks, cultural artifacts), sampling, coding, use of computers, and elementary data analysis and interpretation.
• Students at Stanford University can take a variety of short, for-credit courses on the basis of computing. Subjects include word processing, spreadsheets, using UNIX, using the World Wide Web, and using university resources. Additional subjects include Web authoring tools, programming in specific languages such as Java or C++, problem solving with Mathematica, and security and privacy issues.
• Public policy students at Johns Hopkins University can take a course on the tools and techniques of policy implementation, including selecting strategies, weighing alternatives, and planning for contingencies; preparing budgets, which are the heart of public programs, and developing schedules