College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Jon Margalit
Paul Morrisroe
Michael Petchenick

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Background:

In determining our social change project, our group decided together that we would strive to achieve a significant social change through education rather than food drives or monetary donations. From e-mail to e-bay computers have revolutionized the way people think and act. Basic computer skills have become baseline requirements for many jobs outside the technical arena. The San Diego Workforce Partnership’s recent “Workforce Summit” revealed that many San Diego companies prefer applicants with basic computer skills for almost all of their positions. With this in mind, we reflected back on our own experiences as college students, and it quickly became evident that computers were the key to our academic success.

Objective:

Our main objective was to educate students in computer knowledge and prepare them with skills that they will need in the future. We also wanted to motivate them to increase their confidence and self-esteem for potential job and social opportunities. We hope that with this knowledge and confidence, students will be able to meet the standards and possibly even be one step ahead.

Process:

We originally set out to have an eight-week long training program to be held every Friday after school for 75 minutes with a 15-minute Q&A. We taught programs ranging from basic Microsoft interface to Microsoft Office 2000. We wanted to create a comfortable and relaxed learning atmosphere where students would be able to interact throughout the learning process. These sessions were taught using power point presentations and informational packets.

Results/Reflection:

Due to team and school scheduling conflictions and low attendance we were limited to only four sessions. Attendance ranged from 3-9 students over the four sessions, which was far lower than our original projected goal. Results were nowhere near what we projected in attendance, evaluations, and overall completion of the project. Student evaluations deemed the program informative, but at times boring and drawn out. They also commented on needing a more convenient day and time.

We had to end the project early because of unexpected scheduling conflictions. We were disappointed and wish that we could do it over again because we know that we could make it work successfully.

In a business sense the project was a failure. However, from an intrinsic view we felt the project was a success in terms of what we learned: scheduling, coordinating, planning, and the need for constant communication.

Libertarianism:

People have the right to learn and be equipped with high tech/expensive learning tools. Students from low-income families should not be denied the same privileges as kids from higher income families. Some students cannot afford a PC and never get the benefit of learning how to use one. We want to make sure that these students are offered the same opportunities and given a fair chance to compete academically and in the workforce.

Utilitarianism:

Education is one of society’s most highly regarded ideals. We value education and have always held it as a top priority. Education produces the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. Food and clothes help but eventually need to be replaced. Knowledge is power and lasts a lifetime.