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This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of completion of an introduction to computers course on postsecondary students' confidence of computer use and basic computer literacy. The study also examined if there was a relationship between computer use confidence and computer literacy scores prior to taking the introduction to computers course and certain student characteristics, if the gain in computer use confidence ratings and literacy scores at the end of the introduction to computers course was different for comparable students not enrolled in the course, and the relationships between student computer use confidence and student computer literacy scores.
The following conclusions were drawn from this study: (a) The number of prior computer classes taken and hours spent using the computer for educational purposes have a positive relationship to pretest computer literacy scores. The number of prior computer classes taken, hours spent using the computer for educational purposes, and hours spent using the computer for e-mail have a positive relationship to pretest computer use confidence scores. (b) Completion of an introduction to computers course results in a significant increase in computer use confidence ratings. (c) Completion of an introduction to computers course results in a significant increase in computer literacy scores. (d) Students completing an introduction to computers course have higher gains in both computer use confidence ratings and computer literacy than students not completing an introduction to computers course. (e) There is a positive relationship between computer use confidence ratings and computer literacy scores. Students with higher computer literacy scores will also have higher computer use confidence ratings.