Basic Computer Skills Criteria

Badge for Basic Computer Skills

This badge holder passed an assessment of the standards listed below by scoring at least 85% on an unproctored exam on the Northstar Digital Literacy website.

Learners taking unproctored assessments are not supervised.

Basic Computer Skills Standards

  1. Distinguish between different types of devices (smartphones, tablets, desktop and laptop computers).
  2. Identify specific computer hardware (e.g. system unit, monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse or touchpad, ports, touchscreen).
  3. Log on and log off a computer or device.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of keys on keyboard (Enter, Shift, Control, Backspace, Delete, Arrow Keys, Tab, Caps Lock, Number Lock)
  5. Recognize different types of input devices (mouse, touchpad, and touchscreens).
  6. Identify mouse pointer shapes and the functions they represent (spinning wheel [loading], iBeam [text], arrow [basic clicking], hand pointer [clickable links]).
  7. Select the appropriate mouse click for a given task (right-click, left-click, and double click).
  8. Drag and drop.
  9. Utilize common controls for screen interaction (e.g., selecting checkboxes, using drop-down menus, scrolling).
  10. Access and control audio output features (e.g., volume, mute, speakers and headphones).
  11. Identify icons on the desktop.
  12. Demonstrate ability to delete and retrieve items using the trash or recycle bin.
  13. Demonstrate understanding that it is possible to customize a computer for increased accessibility (e.g. customizing a mouse for left-handed use and sensitivity, and changing screen resolution on a monitor).
  14. Recognize the importance of periodically upgrading a device’s software to fix bugs and improve security.
  15. Identify mechanisms for storing files (flash drives, hard drives, cloud-based storage)
  16. Determine whether or not a device is connected to the internet.
  17. Locate a camera on a device and demonstrate knowledge that devices can utilize a microphone and camera for audio recording and communication.
  18. Turn computer and monitor on and off