Transfer of Computer Skills From Introductory Computer Courses

Abstract

This paper identifies a very serious problem for computer educators. The positive transfer of computer-related skills to novel computer tasks is an underlying assumption of computer education. Yet, some evidence suggests that certain introductory computer courses produce very highly specific and non-generalizable skills. Consequently, learning to use one piece of software may not guarantee the easy mastery of another. The magnitude of this potential problem is increased by the certainty of technological change. Therefore, unlike in more static disciplines, the applicability of some computer education may be extremely short-lived. This paper reviews transfer-related literature in order to provide recommendations to facilitate better transfer of students’ skills from introductory computer classes to future technological challenges. The literature indicates that transfer is a complex phenomenon and that certain computer skills may transfer very specifically to closely related tasks and more generally to distant domains. Recommendations based on this literature review include the following: (a) introductory courses should have more realistic goals, (b) educators should adopt consistent user interfaces for instructional systems, (c) problem solving should be the focus of software instruction, (d) educators should articulate important foundational concepts to students, and (e) naturalistic research should be conducted to determine the extent of transfer between popular software tools.

Keywords:

• transfer
• introductory computer course
• computer skills
• software training
• end-user education
• concept learning
• problem solving