Fifteen local middle and high school students will wrap up UNC Asheville’s second Computer Literacy Initiative with an exhibition of student work and an awards luncheon July 16. Congressman Charles Taylor, who played an instrumental role in creating the program, is scheduled to attend.

Sponsored by the Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas, the program teaches and reinforces important technological skills to help students pass the North Carolina state eighth grade competency test. The required test must be passed before students can graduate from high school.

Taught by UNCA Associate Education Professor Karen Cole and assisted by education licensure students Kadie Franklin and Lewis Carroll, classes focus on building computer skills as well as confidence and understanding of the technology. During the five-week program, students created PowerPoint presentations, designed and posted personal Web sites, practiced keyboarding skills, studied computer terminology, created an original database and accessed primary source documents via the Internet. Students also had a chance to experience a bit of college life by spending one night in Mills Hall dormitory on campus.

For more information about the program, call UNCA’s Special Academic Programs Office at 828/251-6558.