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After a semester of preparing to certify students with computer skills, administrators have both identified a director and secured funds for the new program.

The College of Arts and Sciences announced last semester that it would start issuing certificates to undergraduates who meet certain requirements in computing skills or the field of information technology. The program will start in the spring.

The Computing Certificate in Arts and Sciences Program will require students to take four courses designed to develop computing skills within their particular field of study, and will receive a notation on their transcript upon completion to attest to their proficiency.

To help fulfill these requirements, the College has already developed two new courses, "Fluency in Information Technology for the Arts and Sciences" and "Computer Learning for the Arts and Sciences."

The program will be under the guidance of Cecilia Buchanan, who has been spearheading an effort to integrate information technology among Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr and Haverford colleges. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman said that Buchanan is a good addition to the faculty.

"I am very pleased and excited that we were able to attract a person of [Buchanan's] competency to the position," he said. Buchanan could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Beeman said that the College created the program in response to the spread of information technology in the workplace.

"We want to be certain that graduates of the College are able to move out into the world with a full set of competencies both in understanding the conceptual foundations of the information revolution and in using the tools of technology," Beeman said.

The program arose out of a technology committee assembled by the School of Arts and Sciences, composed of faculty members and information technology experts.

But while the program was approved last April, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston remains unsure of what kind of student response and interest the certificate will generate.

"We are kind of uncertain of what the demand will be," he said.

"We're going forward with it. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity."

Preston said SAS hopes to raise $4 million over five years for the project to cover the cost of faculty for the program. Two University trustees have already made donations toward the project. Preston said SAS is currently looking to hire additional faculty, some of whom will come from the information technology industry.

Students will be able to substitute classes they have taken in the School of Engineering, specifically Computer Science and Engineering 100 or Cognitive Science 001, for the information technology fluency course. The new computer learning course can also satisfy this requirement.

According to Kristin Davidson, director of administrative affairs for the College, the program is designed to encourage students to integrate computing skills into their liberal arts education.

And Beeman said that the program would help bring technology to the average College student's education.

"I do think the program will be successful and will attract a great many students," Beeman said. "It fills a very important need in our students' education."

With Buchanan as director, Beeman said he is confident that the program will be effective.

"More than anything else, [Buchanan] is interested in and committed to improving the ways that students learn," Beeman said. "She has some very creative ideas about the integration of information technology into a liberal arts curriculum."

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