Looking Forward… in the Computer Applications Contest
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 10:44 AM
Being directly linked to Microsoft Office, the Computer Applications Contest must change as this application package changes. 
As students graduate into the workplace or into college, they are better prepared to succeed with the current skills of Office 2007, which has already been in the marketplace for more than three years, rather than tethered to Office 2003, which is seven years old. Seven years is a long time in an environment based on technology.
Section 926(d)(3) of the Constitution and Contest Rules states a "current or near current version of software is required" for the computer applications contest. The most current software available is Microsoft Office 2007. For the last few years we have accommodated both Office 2003 and Office 2007 and run and tested all tests in both packages. For the 2009-2010 contest year, all tests are written in Office 2007, and they are not tested in any older versions. Answer keys are included in tests for only Office 2007 output.
We have been announcing the move to Office 2007 since 2008, and this information has been both posted on the UIL Web site and announced at Student Activities Conferences. The Computer Applications Contest will continue to evolve in the future as software becomes available.
While contestants will not be disqualified and will be allowed to compete with Office 2003, they may compete at a disadvantage.
A survey last year to more than 200 computer application coaches addressed the change to Office 2007 and the impact it is expected to have on participants in the contest. There was a percentage who felt that the change would create a hardship on their school districts and possibly preclude their participation. The large majority (nearly 75 percent) favored using strictly Office 2007. Thanks enormously to those who responded! The computer application coaches are the absolute backbone of this contest, the driving force.
In the same survey, coaches were asked for comments and critiques on the contest. Some of the suggestions involved making the directions for tests less complicated and putting instructions "in order" so that students don't have to "go back" to change things. Writing tests for only Office 2007 should resolve this problem. Many said that grading was hard, and the tests had too many discrepancies. Hopefully, some of this will be alleviated when there are not separate printouts and grading instructions for the two different packages.
Other comments centered on the difficulty of the contest. We monitored the results from district, region and state last year and have reset a bit. Clearly, this is an extracurricular contest, and as that, it is not expected to track the classroom-learning environment, but to extend students' expertise beyond the basics.
A few suggestions recommended that the contest reflect Excel and Word and cut back on Access. We have done a bit of that. However, of all the applications, Word is the most straightforward, and Excel is the most fun. Students commonly gain a good mastery over both of these well before they begin to become proficient in Access. Access is simply not as intuitive as the others. The learning curve is considerably greater, and for that reason, knowledge of Access is particularly valuable in the workplace.
If the use of Access were moved to higher-level tests, students who are jackrabbits in Excel would definitely rise to the top. However, these same students, if they had not also mastered Access, would hit a brick wall when it is introduced at a higher level. The intention is that the students who are well-rounded and have a command of all three packages to rise to the top.
Please see the UIL Web site links under Computer Applications for current updates on what to expect for 2010 competition, and have a great UIL year!