To: Head of IT Services

Dear Colleague

LARA Sub-Project on Student IT Skills

I am the Project Leader for a HEFCE-funded Learning and Residence Abroad (LARA) sub-project which aims to determine the IT needs of Modern Language students undertaking a work placement abroad.

The project seeks to identify employers' needs with regards to student competence in IT and also to establish what IT skills students are called upon to use during their work placement abroad.

Early questionnaire returns suggest that students are required to have quite a wide range of skills on a variety of different platforms, using a range of different applications. Generally speaking, students appear to have little or no formal training in IT and would benefit from some programme of IT induction before they go abroad.

Since much of the student time is already taken up with compulsory modules, I suspect that the only way to meet their training needs is by means of self-instructional packages.

I am writing to ask if you could let me have a comprehensive list of any such packages produced by your institution and indicate whether these can be purchased by students or staff from other HEIs. My intention is to compile a comprehensive database of resources, which will be made available on the LARA website, hopefully in the form of a searchable online database.

Could I further ask if you would be prepared to make a set of these materials available to me here at UWE, where I hope to set up a library of resource materials that colleagues from other institutions can consult.

Details of the LARA project and its sub-projects can be seen at: /lara/index.htm

I would be more than happy to receive any information by email. Could I ask you to post any email to Raymond.Gallery@uwe.ac.uk

The kinds of material I have in mind are introductory guides to Windows, MacOS, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Works, etc.

I would be most grateful for any help you are able to give.

Yours sincerely,

Raymond Gallery