ABSTRACT
Summary: Academic staff of a large Australian university with an orientation toward science and technology were surveyed to determine what academic tasks they were performing with the assistance of microcomputers. Responses suggest that a surprisingly low percentage of this university’s staff were using microcomputers in their academic work. The survey also asked what training users and non-users of the technology would most like to receive. The survey identified a number of difficulties in attempting to meet the perceived needs of academic staff, including an organizational problem within the university – that is, that no one had been assigned responsibility for conducting staff development activities in academic uses of computers. The case is argued that without appropriate training for academic staff, any university’s goal of computer literacy for all graduates is very distant. A proposal is offered which would allow training to proceed with limited resources. The model is of a strong central co-ordination of local services which draw on the expertise of enthusiastic users of the technology.
