Background and context: We address the question of what computer science students take the discipline to be. How students conceive the discipline can influence whether a student pursues computer science, what particular area within computer science they focus on and whether they persist in the discipline. In this paper, we examine the epistemic…

A concern of computer-based learning system design is how to accommodate learners' individual differences during learning activities. Previous research suggests that adaptive e-learning systems can effectively address such individual differences and, consequently, they enable more directed tutoring via computer-assisted instruction. In this paper,…

Compares PLATO and non-PLATO student performance in an introductory computer programing course at the University of Illinois. Results indicate that PLATO students would recommend PLATO to friends, that the drop rate was higher for PLATO students than for non-PLATO, but that performance was equal for both groups. (RAO)

A research study investigated the validity of directly interfacing an uninitiated user with a complex, computerized batch processing system via a conversational, interactive language. A control group conducted mediated searches of the Educational Resources Information Center's (ERIC) files by consulting with an information specialist. Members of…

This study focused primarily on two types of computer interfaces and the differences in academic performance that resulted from their use; it was secondarily designed to examine gender differences that may have existed before and after any change in interface. Much of the basic research in computer use was conducted with command line interface…

Students in certain French language schools in eastern Ontario took part in this initial experiment in the teaching of computer and electronic programing at the elementary school level. This project had three objectives for optimizing the pedagogical impact of these first attempts at teaching programing: (1) to describe the context of this initial…

The COMPS course is a basic introductory computer course taken by first year Computer Systems students. Eighteen students took the course with Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), while the rest of the students took the course in the conventional classroom setting. Although there was no difference between the two groups' mean group performance…

Students entering beginning computer courses have a wide range of experiences with and prior learning in the use of computers. Additionally, adult learners who have returned to school at the community college level may be apprehensive and anxious about computer use. A hypertext computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program was developed in order to…

Discusses strategies for teaching elementary computer programing and describes a study that used two instructional strategies in a computer-based training program designed to teach turtle graphics programing techniques to novice undergraduate students. Learning activities that emphasized either the completion of existing programs or the generation…

Many university business schools have an instructor-led course introducing computer software application packages. This course is often required for all undergraduates and is a prerequisite to other courses, such as accounting, finance, marketing, and operations management. Knowledge and skills gained in this course should enable students not only…