Teaching programming concepts in a more object-oriented way is a growing trend in Computer Science education. This paper takes the idea of abstraction-first teaching a step further, by using Bloom's Taxonomy to design a course to present factual content early, followed by higher-level cognitive skills. In the course described here, factual content…

Several major universities are not granting academic credit to students who pass the College Board's Advanced Placement Test in Computer Science. Issues related to this trend and to the teaching of computer science in high schools and in colleges are explored. (JN)

A pair of abacuses is used to illustrate addition, subtraction (by adding complements), multiplication, and division, with simplified examples given to illustrate the various features of each operation. Also indicates how this information can help students understand computer operations. (JN)

Mandates related to computer education have made their presence felt nationwide. Provided are ideas about and suggestions for computer training in schools and teacher education to help determine the content behind these mandates. These include making computers tools in all curricula and continued teacher retraining without mandates. (JN)

Provides information on teaching the "logic" component of computer studies specified in the J.M.B. syllabi (ordinary and advanced levels). Indicates that the information may be useful for teachers contemplating or starting courses leading to A-level. Information is based on notes provided with DALECK and assume use of this kit. (JN)

Introductory courses in computer science at colleges and universities have undergone significant changes in 20 years. This article provides an overview of the history of introductory computer science (FORTRAN, ANSI flowchart symbols, BASIC, data processing concepts, and PASCAL) and its future (robotics and C++). (PEN)

Training professionals to design and produce interactive systems requires the use of well thought-out training scenarios. Indeed, it is essential to consider pedagogical forms whose objective is providing learners with field experience. It is also necessary to motivate learners to learn about subjects that sometimes seem distant from their…

From 2004-2007, the University of Memphis carried out the NSF-funded Tri-P-LETS (Three P Learning Environment for Teachers and Students) project to improve local high-school computer science curricula. The project reached a total of 58 classrooms in eleven high schools emphasizing problem solving skills, programming concepts as opposed to syntax,…

This article describes the sequence alignment problem in bioinformatics. Through examples, we formulate sequence alignment as an optimization problem and show how to compute the optimal alignment with dynamic programming. The examples and sample exercises have been used by the author in a specialized course in bioinformatics, but could be adapted…

The growth of online resources and the advances in Web 2.0 technology are changing the information landscape and impacting teaching and learning. While information literacy has been recognized as a critical component of undergraduate learning, little if any discipline-specific research is done in the lower division mathematics/computer science…

The nature of the organization, Micros and Primary Education (MAPE) is detailed, and its history and development are noted. The primary purpose of MAPE is to promote and develop awareness and effective use of microelectronics as an integral part of the philosophy and practice of Primary Education. (MP)

The setup of computers in schools in Bavaria is detailed, starting with the fulfillment of the preliminary requirements through teacher instruction. The plan from 1981 onward is to provide at least eight computers per school, with the use of microcomputers helping to keep the costs relatively low. (MP)

Reveals some drawbacks to computer studies in the primary and secondary learning environment in the United Kingdom. Addresses: (1) technical support; (2) low use of computer assisted learning in other subjects; (3) low enrollment of females in computer education classes; and (4) low enrollments in science education at the higher education level…

We have been using robots in our artificial intelligence course since fall 2000. We have been using the robots for open-laboratory projects. The projects are designed to emphasize high-level knowledge-based AI algorithms. After three offerings of the course, we paused to analyze the collected data and to see if we could answer the following…

"Computer Science: Reflections on the Field, Reflections from the Field" provides a concise characterization of key ideas that lie at the core of computer science (CS) research. The book offers a description of CS research recognizing the richness and diversity of the field. It brings together two dozen essays on diverse aspects of CS…