Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

          UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
                        POLICY MANUAL
                              
                                               This      Replaces
                                     File:    170.50         
                                     Date:   07/01/02        


ORIGINATOR: Provost and Chief Academic Officer

SUBJECT: Policy 170.50 - Information Technology Fluency

I. Introduction

The Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of
Maryland (USM) requires that all graduates of USM institutions 
be able to demonstrate Information Technology Fluency - that 
is, the ability in both their personal and their professional 
lives to use technology available now and to adapt to the rapid
and inevitable changes of the future.  In order to ensure
that its graduates meet this requirement University of
Maryland University College (UMUC) has established the
definitions and procedures contained in this policy.

II. Definition of Information Technology Fluency

UMUC defines Information Technology Fluency as the ability
to: understand information technology broadly enough to be
able to apply it productively to academic studies, at work,
and in everyday life; recognize when information technology
would assist or impede the achievement of a goal; and adapt
to the changes in and advancement of information technology.

III.  Standards for Information Technology Fluency

In order to integrate the above characteristics successfully
into an academic environment, UMUC has established three
sets of standards for Information Technology Fluency:

1.   Minimum Information Technology Fluency Standards:
Information technology fluency competencies required of all
UMUC graduates regardless of their level, degree program, or
academic discipline.
     
2. Level-Specific Information Technology Fluency Standards:
Information technology fluency competencies that are
specific to graduates of the School of Undergraduate Studies
and to graduates of the School of Graduate Studies.
     
3. Discipline-Specific Information Technology Fluency
Standards:
Information technology fluency competencies that are
specific to particular academic disciplines.

IV.  Implementation

UMUC will develop and implement a plan for ensuring that all
three sets of standards are appropriately embedded in the
curriculum.  UMUC will also assess Information Technology
Fluency using a variety of assessment formats. Results of
these assessments will be reported to the BOR in accordance
with its reporting schedule.  The plan will be reviewed and
updated annually at the time of the report to the BOR to
ensure UMUC's technology fluency standards remain current
and that the University makes steady progress in enabling
its student to achieve them.