A detailed analysis and computer-based solution to a puzzle addressing the arrangement of dominoes on a grid is presented. The problem is one used in a college-level data structures or algorithms course. The solution uses backtracking to generate all possible answers. Details of the use of backtracking and techniques for mapping abstract problems…

Describes a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program used to teach DOS commands. Pretest and posttest results for 65 graduate students using the program are reported, and it is concluded that the CAI program significantly aided the students. Sample screen displays for the program and several questions from the pre/posttest are included. (nine…

Presents an empirical study of listerv usage in an undergraduate computer science course to understand how email lists contribute to the learning experience and to improve the value of listservs in courses. Provides evidence that the listerv was an important information source and was an effective tool for peer-to-peer learning. (Contains 7…

This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CAI vs. classroom lecture for computer science at ICS level. The objectives were to compare the learning effects of two groups with classroom lecture and computer-assisted instruction studying the same curriculum and the effects of CAI and CRL in terms of cognitive development. Hypotheses of…

Program visualization is one of the various methods developed over the years to aid novices with their difficulties in learning to program. It consists of different graphical--often animated--and textual objects, visualizing the execution of programs. The aim of program visualization is to enhance students' understanding of different areas of…

The objective of this study was to determine whether there was a quantifiable improvement in learning outcomes by integrating course materials in a 4-year baccalaureate program, utilizing a knowledge repository with a conceptual map that spans a discipline. Two new models were developed to provide the framework for this knowledge repository. A…

This paper presents a goal-based scenario approach to teaching introductory database concepts to undergraduates using two different scaffolding methods. One method, termed "worked-out examples," attempts to reduce extraneous cognitive load by requiring students to complete increasingly complex missing parts of worked out examples. The other…

The aim of this study is to inform about the development of the software "Oral and Dental Health" that will supplement the course of Science and Technology for K8 students in the primary school curriculum and to carry out an evaluation study of the software. This software has been prepared for educational purposes. In relation to the…

This digest summarizes diverse viewpoints in the controversy over the meaning and practice of "computer literacy." The issue of whether being able to read and write computer programs should be a a computer literacy requirement for teachers is specifically addressed. Attempts to define computer literacy goals for teachers are noted,…

Three significant training needs in the computer area must be met: (1) providing computer staff with needed technical skills, (2) training non-specialist staff in new procedures and skills, and (3) enabling everyone who uses computers in his work to know something of their workings and application. (MW)

In most instances, the papers in this collection present information reflecting the current status of computer usage in education and offer substantive forecasts for academic computing. Two speeches from the special ceremony for the renaming of the computing center in honor of Gerard P. Weeg, which was held as part of the two-day national computer…

The Educational Data Services Department of the Palo Alto Unified School District is responsible for implementing data processing needs to improve the quality of education in Palo Alto, California. Information from the schools enters the Department data library to be scanned, coded, and corrected prior to IBM 1620 computer input. Operating 17…

A computer-assisted course on programing, consisting of a set of 50 lessons, was developed for and is now being used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) personnel. The course is intended for students at about the junior college level with no experience in mathematics beyond high school algebra and with no previous introduction…

This research program compared computer-based and programed textbook-based curricula for training students to troubleshoot digital logic circuits. Students were matched in pairs on two pretests, a verbal aptitude test, and an electronics and mathematics aptitude test, and randomly assigned to the two curricula, which contained identical…

Computer scientists have developed an interactive, graphical display system for pole-zero map analysis. They designed it for use as an educational tool in teaching introductory courses in automatic control systems. The facilities allow the user to specify a control system and an input function in the form of a pole-zero map and then examine the…