This colorfully illustrated book is designed to introduce elementary school students to the world of computers. Computers, their component parts and their capabilities are personified using full page sketches and color drawings. The differences between analog and digital computers are given as is a short history of computer use and development.…

Some facts about the nature of computer studies are presented, and it is noted that males make up the majority of students. The nature of current assessment practices is detailed, and suggestions are made about future testing approaches. Mastery testing is promoted as the direction to take in the future. (MP)

Short descriptions are provided of several sessions of the Computer Education Group (CEG) Biennial Conference held at Nottingham University in April 1982. Sessions noted include the introduction, a presentation on teacher training, the development of examinations, and a question-and-answer session. (MP)

Most computer terms are viewed as understandable if approached with common sense. Five sources for the terms are noted. The glossary is not viewed as comprehensive, and suggestions of more complete dictionaries are made. "Computerese" and "cybercrud" are two terms noted to describe the jargon associated with computer technology use. (MP)

Two kinds of secret writing, codes and ciphers, are discussed. The weakness of a ciphering system mentioned in the March 1981 issue is pointed out, and an alternate method is presented. Programs written in BASIC are presented which can be used to encipher messages and help break ciphers. (MP)

A process-oriented approach that can be highly successful in introducing students to computer systems concepts and terminology in an integrated manner is presented. (MP)

In introductory computer science courses, the Unified Modeling Language (UML) is commonly used to teach basic object-oriented design. However, there appears to be a lack of suitable software to support this task. Many of the available programs that support UML focus on developing code and not on enhancing learning. Programs designed for…

The importance of gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has continued to be an area of national concern. Research examining women's experiences in STEM has highlighted several factors, both at the student- and institutional-level, that contribute to women's continued underrepresentation in STEM, especially in…

Visions of future computing in residential settings often come with assumptions of seamless, well-functioning, properly configured devices and network connectivity. In the near term, however, processes of setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting are fraught with difficulties; householders regularly report these tasks as confusing, frustrating, and…

Purpose: This paper aims to sketch the emerging notion of auto-adaptive software when applied to e-learning software. Design/methodology/approach: The study and the implementation of the auto-adaptive architecture are based on the operational framework "ActiveTutor" that is used for teaching the topic of computer science programming in first-grade…

Do liberal arts colleges act like research universities when they seek to appoint new faculty members? Evidence shows that research universities bid aggressively for talent, using discretionary salary policies to achieve a diverse professoriate, appoint research stars, and fill vacancies in fields where market forces require differential salaries.…

A number of educational researchers have developed pedagogical approaches that involve the teacher in discovering and helping to correct misconceptions that students bring to their study of their subject matter. During the last decade, several computer systems have been developed to support teaching and learning using this kind of approach. A…

This paper describes a one-credit laboratory course for freshmen majoring in electrical and computer engineering (ECE). The course is motivational in nature and exposes the students to a wide range of areas of electrical and computer engineering. The authors believe it is important to give freshmen a broad perspective of what ECE is all about, and…

As an alternative to dominant cognitive-constructivist approaches to educational technology, this article makes the case for what has been termed a discursive, or postcognitive, psychological research paradigm. It does so by adapting discursive psychological analyses of conversational activity to the study of educational technology use. It applies…

Before the 19th century the idea of more than three dimensions was exceptional. During the 19th century, however, geometry was revolutionized and new branches were developed. This revolution also created the idea of the possibility of a n-dimensional geometry or space; flatland, i.e. n = 2, was a consequence of this new thinking. In 1884 the…