Organizing education for minorities: enhancing minority access and use of the new information technologies in higher education

Many minority students in the United States are entering higher education with less expertise and experience in using the new academic tools than majority culture students. The lack of computer competence can become an additional barrier, (in addition to the fiscal, cultural and educational barriers) to their successful pursuit and completion of an academic degree program. This paper discusses: the rapid changes which are taking place in the use of computers and related technologies in higher education institutions; the potential impact of present inequities in pre-college access and use of computers experienced by minority students, particularly Black, Hispanic and American Indian students; and strategies and recommendations to enhance the computer competence of minority students in institutions of higher education and public schools.