Computers, communications, digital information, software—the constituents of the information age are everywhere. Being "computer literate," which means being technically competent in two or three of today's software applications, is no longer enough. Tech fluency, also known as technology literacy, means understanding how each application is used in a workplace environment and how it works with other technologies. This kind of understanding enables better collaboration, increases productivity, and accelerates timelines.
Like the reading process, wherein fluent readers read almost instinctively and effortlessly, being digitally fluent allows you to leverage your knowledge of how one system works across multiple systems. If you know how one software program works, for instance, it is easier to adapt to a new system that emerges, and may even give you the ability to create your own platform or tool.
This is why it's important for students to develop their digital fluency. The UMBC policy on Technology Fluency states, "UMBC graduates will possess the information technology related skills that define technology fluency as a result of curricular focus and instructional strategies and exposure to technology as members of the UMBC community." (emphasis added) UMBC's goal is for all undergraduate and graduate students to become digitally fluent by graduation.
