Abstract: There is broad agreement that college students need computer and information literacy for their studies and to be competitive as graduates in an environment that increasingly relies on information technology. However, as information technology changes, what constitutes computer literacy changes. Colleges have traditionally used the freshman- or sophomore-level course in microcomputer applications/introduction to computers to assure basic literacy. There has been much discussion in schools of business about whether today’s entering students have enough experience in computer applications from high school and work experience to omit the course. There is also ongoing debate about the appropriate balance of theory and application, as well as the appropriate format for the course. This research used a questionnaire administered electronically via www.SurveyMonkey.com to poll individuals nominated by the deans of schools of business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as being the most appropriate for completing a survey on their school’s computer literacy requirements. The instrument requests information in the following areas: (1) demographic data about the respondents and the institutions they represent, (2) the structure and content of their computer literacy programs, (3) whether students are allowed to test out of courses, and if permitted, how many try to test out, how many succeed, and what are the standards to test out, (4) the contents of their computer literacy programs with percentages of time devoted to various aspects of computer literacy, and finally (5) the respondents’ views of major influences on computer literacy programs.

Keywords: AACSB, IS research toward educators, IS undergraduate curriculum, Pedagogy, survey, teaching computer literacy

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Recommended Citation: Hungerford, B. C., Baxter, J., LeMay, S., Helms, M. M. (2012). Strategies for Ensuring Computer Literacy Among Undergraduate Business Students: A Marketing Survey of AACSB-Accredited Schools. Information Systems Education Journal, 10(4) pp 49-73. http://isedj.org/2012-10/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2011)