how tech savvy are you?

Two years into my corporate life (oh what a jungle it was!), I decided to go back to school and take up Masters in Marketing..primarily to develop myself and my potential and partly to get a much needed respite from all the hulabaloos of work.

As a part-time student, I only took 2 classes this term, and one of them is Statistics. Though not really my favorite subject in the world, it's something that I have a background on as a Management student, something I can be average or excellent in..depending on which side of the boat I wish to sit.

Classes and lessons started slow because as expected, there would be some sort of introductions among the 21 or so students in that class; which by the way my professor is disappointed in as she had wished that it would be a smaller class size so she can manage to teach us one by one. One by one?? Are we not masters students?? Or does she think of us as some grade schoolers?

I was actually shocked that she may be thinking lowly of us. Not that I'm a computer genius or a statistics whiz but I guess her expectations were really that low.

Imagine my surprise when at the end of the introductions, I found out that there were some classmates who did not even own a computer - even a desktop computer at that! Luckily, the school is able to provide students with fully-functioning computer labs. But how would they get by knowing they do not even know the basics of using a computer or its applications?

My hunch proved true that come laboratory time, there'd be disturbing buzzes among those who did not even know the following:

• Log in to the computer
• Save the downloaded file as an Excel file
• Copy and Paste an entire column
• Create new worksheets

My professor's perception of her students are REAL now! The need for a smaller and more manageable class size is real too!

On my part, I do not fault my classmates because they do not own a computer nor because they do not know how to use the applications. I just wish that there would be a desire on an effort on their part to learn. As it is, most of the oldies are just complainers at this point. Well, they have to start somewhere before they gain that proficiency. In the long run, it would really be annoying if all they ask the professor is how to save or how to copy this and that...I would appreciate it more if there would be more insightful questions and analytical discussions on STATISTICS!

Maybe DLSU should look into this too when screening their potential students. Not really to reject those who are not tech savvy but to help those deserving students use technology better as a tool, as an aid to their learning and development process.