Describes study that was conducted at Bar-Ilan University (Israel) to examine the influence of previous experience on the computer activity of first-year university students. The average computer activity for high-experience and low-experience groups is analyzed, and implications for beginning computer courses are discussed. (10 references) (LRW)

Discussion of collaborative learning focuses on the MUCH (Many Using and Creating Hypermedia) System, developed at the University of Liverpool (England) for designing and implementing collaborative learning systems. Examples of applications of the MUCH System for nursing education and for computer science education are described, including the use…

Describes Hyper Apuntes, an interactive learning environment developed at the University Carlos III of Madrid which teaches students the basic concepts of computer programming. Discusses results of an evaluation of the courseware that assessed its usability and utility and collected suggestions for improving the system. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study of undergraduates at Bolton Institute (England) that investigated biological sex, psychological masculinity and femininity, computer comfort, computer engagement, and computer over-use. Discusses the role of applications in determining sex differences, and explains findings that imply that some reduction of sex asymmetries in…

The aim of this paper is to report on a three-year follow-up evaluation of an experimental problem-based learning (PBL) integrated curriculum directed to second-year engineering students. The PBL curriculum brought together the contents of physics, mathematics and computer science courses into a single course. Instead of the students having to…

Recursion is a central concept in computer science, yet it is difficult for beginners to comprehend. Israeli high-school students learn recursion in the framework of a special modular program in computer science (Gal-Ezer & Harel, 1999). Some of them are introduced to the concept of recursion in two different paradigms: the procedural…

Realizing the importance of teaching efficiency at early stages of the program of study in computer science (CS) on one hand, and the difficulties encountered when introducing this concept on the other, we advocate a different didactic approach in the introductory CS course (CS1). This paper describes the approach as it is used at the Open…

The development of new communication technologies and their applications has opened a broad spectrum of options to promote learning, of which a significant one is CMC--Computer-Mediated Communication. Yet, students use this medium to a relatively small extent. Our premise is that the use of these technologies depends on the level of skills and…

Earlier work often referred to as the "hole in the wall" experiments has shown that groups of children can learn to use public computers on their own. This paper presents the method and results of an experiment conducted to investigate whether such unsupervised group learning in shared public spaces can improve children's performance in…

In this paper, we present the results from a two-part study. We analyze 60 programs written by novice programmers aged 16-19 after their first programming course, in either Java or Python. The aim is to find difficulties independent of the language used, and such originating from the language. Second, we analyze the transition from a…

There are many factors that affect the e-learning process. Instructor, assessment and evaluation, communication, and technical support are among the leading factors. It is obvious that these factors influence the effectiveness of e-learning and may be related to different expectations of e-learners. Therefore, this study focuses on examining the…

In recent years, tertiary institutions in developed countries have made extensive use of Course Management Systems (CMSs), software packages designed to help educators create online learning communities. To date, however, such packages have been little used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. In this article, we describe the…

Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development and education at Monash University (Australia) investigated the quality of teaching and student learning and understanding in the computer science and software development departments. Edproj's research led to the development of a training program to…

The use of different types of media for distance education, and the examination and evaluation of a computer-based distance training program in Thailand are the focus of this paper. After a discussion of the characteristics and types of media-based distance education--including print-based, audio-based, video-based, and computer-based…

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…