Mastery of technology tools is a requirement rather than an option for enhancing academic, business, and personal performance.  To prepare students to be successful in today’s global business environment, which is increasingly dependent on—and defined by—technology tools, educators must focus on the use of technology as a tool for facilitating business functions.

Accordingly, business educators should

• coordinate information technology instruction in business education and across the curriculum;

• teach students to value information technology and the impact it has on their lives;

• develop students’ ability to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and apply technologies to solve problems, increase productivity, and improve their quality of life;

• foster the development of interpersonal and service quality skills;

• encourage ethical, legal, and responsible behavior;

• emphasize information technology as a common thread throughout all areas of business;

• encourage students to respect intellectual property, personal privacy, and information security; and

• be catalysts for change.

I. Impact on Society
Achievement Standard: Assess the impact of information technology in a global society.
 
II. Hardware
Achievement Standard: Describe current and emerging hardware; configure, install, and upgrade hardware; diagnose problems; and repair hardware.
 
III. Operating Systems and Utilities
Achievement Standard: Identify, evaluate, select, install, use, upgrade, customize, and diagnose and solve problems with various types of operating systems and utilities.
 
IV. Input Technologies
Achievement Standard: Use various input technologies to enter and manipulate information appropriately.
 
V. Productivity Software
Achievement Standard: Identify, evaluate, select, install, use, upgrade, and customize productivity software; diagnose and solve software problems.
 
VI. Interactive Media
Achievement Standard: Use multimedia software to create media rich projects.
 
VII. Web Development and Design
Achievement Standard: Design, develop, test, implement, update, and evaluate web solutions.
 
VIII. Information Retrieval and Synthesis
Achievement Standard: Gather, evaluate, use, cite, and disseminate information from technology sources.
 
IX. Database Management Systems
Achievement Standard: Use, plan, develop, and maintain database management systems.
 
X. Systems Analysis and Design
Achievement Standard: Analyze and design information systems using appropriate development tools.
 
XI. Programming and Application Development
Achievement Standard: Design, develop, test, and implement programs.
 
XII. Telecommunications and Networking Infrastructures
Achievement Standard: Develop the skills to design, deploy, and administer networks and telecommunications systems.
 
XIII. Information Technology Planning and Acquisition
Achievement Standard: Plan the selection and acquisition of information technologies.
 
XIV. Security, Privacy, and Risk Management
Achievement Standard: Design and implement security, privacy, and risk management policies and procedures for information technology.
 
XV. Ethical and Legal Issues
Achievement Standard: Describe, analyze, develop, and follow policies for managing ethical and legal issues in organizations and in a technology-based society.

XVI. Technical Support and Training
Achievement Standard: Develop the technical and interpersonal skills and knowledge to train and support the user community.
 
XVII. Information Technology and Business Functions
Achievement Standard: Describe the information technology components of business functions and explain their interrelationships.
 
XVIII. Information Technology Careers
Achievement Standard: Explore positions and career paths in information technology.
 

From the National Standards for Business Education © 2007 by the National Business Education Association, 1914 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191.