The millennials: Computer savvy (or not?)

Abstract

Abstract: Th is paper describes a study of age diff erence in the computer skills, practices and attitudes of business students enrolled in the Batchelor of Business degree (BBus) and the New Zealand Diploma in Business (NZDipBus) at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Previous studies have indicated that students are becoming more computer literate. Th e Millennial Students, (or the digital generation) those students who were born after 1983 are now entering tertiary study. Are these students more computer literate than their older peers? Th e main aim of this study was to determine students’ access to computers, what software applications students have access to and use, and how confi dent students feel using computers. Most importantly this study investigated students ’ actual knowledge of the Internet, e-mail, word-processing, spreadsheets and databases to see if the variance in computer literacy among tertiary students as a whole was diminishing and in particular, between age groups.