International Students and Their Technology Proficiency

Abstract

The term “Global Village” has been used by both experts and novices to explain how the world we live in has gradually become a mere neighborhood. Meanwhile, one important factor that does not come into the global village discourse is that not all places or people can be accessed based on disparities in technology infrastructure and proficiency (Internet World Stats, 2012). Most importantly, not all college students in today's classrooms are technologically savvy (Fletcher, 2005). The purpose of this chapter is to identify the perceived relevance of computer technology among international students and their past technology experience levels in one of the Midwest universities in the United States. A sample of 90 international students reveals that they perceive technology as relevant to their learning. The study also reveals that different continents have different past technology experiences that might adversely affect international students' academic work.