Tertiary students in S’pore not as tech-savvy as they think: Study

21 Jul 2017

Today, 21 July 2017 - Article highlighted the findings of a study conducted by International Computer Driving License (ICDL) Asia to measure the actual information and communication technology (ICT) literacy standards of students against their perceived proficiency in such skills. The study involved 373 Singaporean students, who were mostly between 20 and 22 years old, from eight higher education institutions, such as SP, TP, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Kaplan Singapore and PSB Academy. The study found that local tertiary students overestimated their level of proficiency in digital literacy skills, including word processing and spreadsheets. While their perceived proficiency levels for word processing and spreadsheets were 68 per cent and 60 per cent respectively, their actual proficiency levels stood at around 45 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. Students performed better in ICT concepts and file and data management, with a score of 72 per cent and 68 per cent respectively - although still short of the global passing standard. SP’s Deputy Director of Department of Educational Development, Mark Nivan Singh, opined on the importance of integrating both technical expertise and “horizontal skills”, such as communication and digital skills, into the job.