The first Internet course: implications of increased prior participant experience Available to Purchase

Examines changes in experience and confidence among students taking their first Internet course at university between 1994 and 2000 in a country with high Internet use. Time series show that the number of participants who had used the Internet before commencing university has increased so it is now rare to encounter a student with no prior experience. While almost all new students are experienced and confident users of e‐mail and the WWW, not all have used search engines, and exposure to new and advanced tools is limited. Very few have built a Web page. The first Internet course at universities in countries with high Internet penetration should develop students’ understanding of the Internet as it is used in everyday life by developing knowledge of the Internet’s history and development, advanced skills in Internet use, and the knowledge required to evaluate the potential of new Internet technologies and applications.