A CLaSS of its own

A software solution to computer literacy problems.

Using a computer can be a daunting prospect when it’s the first time you’ve sat in front of the screen or you haven’t touched one for a couple of years.

You suddenly find out that you going to have to use, it if your going to get through the Health Studies course you’ve just started.

In the words of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ‘DON’T PANIC’

The computer skills required to complete your academic work can take time to acquire but there’s a new computer based software program to help you and it wasn’t written by Marvin the Paranoid Android.  

To assist students with their computer and electronic information literacy, the CLaSS software package has been developed specifically for the Department of Health Studies. It has taken two years to design, develop and implement and has a very strong nursing focus.

The CLaSS software name is an acronym for ‘Computer Literacy and Skills System’ (CLaSS) and covers the following specific areas of computer and information literacy:

The software package is split into the five individual tutorials and each one can be undertaken in any order and completed within 1 hour.

CLaSS uses appropriate images from the nursing environment and has interactive elements such as: drawing blood, moving a skeleton across the screen, finding the hyperlinks on an Internet web page, sending and receiving electronic mail messages. It even has it’s own bibliographical database so students can practice these skills.

It can be accessed on all University central computers from the Health Studies sub folder of the Teaching folder. It is also available on all Health Studies computers and is accessed through the Applications folder of the Novell Launcher.


Anyone wanting further information or help accessing CLaSS should contact class_software@yahoo.co.uk

Published in Megaphone, the Univeristy of York, Department of Health Studies Newsletter 2001