In this paper we have examined the position and roles of Computer Science in curricula in the light of recent calls for curriculum change and we have proposed principles and issues to consider in curriculum design as well as identifying priority areas for further research. The paper is based on discussions within and beyond the International…

Aim/Purpose: Research shows that students encounter difficulties in identifying the structure of argumentation texts and in understanding the main message of the argument. The research examined the effect that learning Logic Programming (LP), while applying logic inference, has on students' understanding of argumentation texts. Background:…

This article tells a story of K-12 computer science in two different countries. These two countries differ profoundly in culture, language, government and state structure, and in their education systems. Despite these differences, however, they share the pursuit of excellence and high standards in K-12 education. In Israel, curriculum is…

One of the indicators about countries' quality of education is receiving the international prizes e.g. The Nobel Prize, The Fields Medal, The Turing Award, The IJCAI -- Computers and Thought Award, and the Award for Research Excellence according to international criteria. In this study the comparison of prizes that Israelis and Jews living…

This paper focuses on challenges in mentoring software development projects in the high school and analyzes difficulties encountered by Computer Science teachers in the mentoring process according to Shulman's Teacher Knowledge Base Model. The main difficulties that emerged from the data analysis belong to the following knowledge sources of…

Software engineering (SE) is a multidimensional field that involves activities in various areas and disciplines, such as computer science, project management, and system engineering. Though modern SE curricula include designated courses that address these various subjects, an advanced summary course that synthesizes them is still missing. Such a…

This study aimed at exploring how high school students deal with designing an information system, for example, for a small business or a medical clinic, the extent to which students develop as independent learners while working on their projects, and the factors that help or hinder fostering students' design skills. The three-phase dual-loop…

This work examines the Israeli National Informatics-Computer Science (CS) Olympiad from the perspective of diversity. A conspicuous phenomena in this olympiad (as well as in other science olympiads) is that very few females participate in the national competition, and none has ever represented the country in any international competition. When…

This paper discusses the role of reduction in computer science and describes a study on undergraduate students' perception of the concept of reduction. Specifically, based on an analysis of students answers to questions addressing different computer science topics, we present several findings regarding the ways in which undergraduate students…

The motivation for organizing the meeting was to search for ways to advance information technology in Israel and to explore avenues for its export. As a result of the very early introduction of electronic computers to Israel and the subsequent active use and development of computers by the government, commercial and educational sectors, Israel's…

In order to meet the needs of the developing nations, a large number of panel sessions was organized to discuss the basic elements of computer technology that are of interest to developing nations. Some of the issues discussed are: (1) How does one get started with a small or with a large computer system? (2) Who are the individuals who can be…

Choice of institution and field of study for a bachelor's degree in Israel was found essentially meritocratic although influenced by socioeconomic status (SES) as well. As expected, students of higher ability attend universities and those of lower apply to academic colleges. However, among students of higher ability, those of higher SES opt for…

Worldwide surveys indicate that the number of women studying undergraduate-level Computer Science is constantly decreasing. Based on data collected in Israel, significant differences were found in the percentages of female high school students studying advanced-level Computer Science among different sectors. More specifically, while the percentage…

When dealing with a complex problem, solving it by reduction to simpler problems, or problems for which the solution is already known, is a common method in mathematics and other scientific disciplines, as in computer science and, specifically, in the field of computability. However, when teaching computational models (as part of computability)…

This paper describes a series of courses in technical librarianship in Israel. Upon successful completion of these courses and the relevant examinations, students receive certification as non-academic librarians from the Israel Library Association's special educational committee. Two levels of courses are briefly described: Level A--the basic…