Roles can be assigned to occurrences of variables in programs according to a small number of stereotypical patterns of use. Studies on explicitly teaching roles to novices learning programming have shown that roles are an excellent pedagogical tool for clarifying the structure and meaning of programs and that their use improves students'…

This research emerged from an effort to develop a theory of computer anxiety relevant to beginning adult learners in a range of university disciplines. To this end, the first step was to design and refine an instrument which was reliable and valid for this population. The development of the "a priori" model of computer anxiety used in this study…

An overview of the current status of new information technologies (NIT) in teaching, training, research, and administration of higher education internationally includes 25 papers: "The Impact of NITS of Higher Education" (C. Calude and M. Malitza); "Educational Implications of Artificial Intelligence" (M.A. Boden); "On…

This paper discusses two conflicting opinions on the role of computer education within the West German school curriculum, i.e., the opinion of the majority of the education ministers and administrators, who wish to see computer use distributed over as many school subjects as possible, and a minority of specialists in computer education who prefer…

This report of an international seminar which examined the utilization of advanced educational technology for the promotion of teacher education in the countries of the Asia and Pacific region is divided into six chapters: (1) an introduction providing background information, the purpose and themes of the seminar, and brief descriptions of the…

As school organizations become more complex, the task of designing schools becomes more difficult. Not the least of the problems is determining the teaching spaces required. This report describes a new method of determining teaching accommodation needs from a statement of the school curriculum. Central to the method is a computer-based system of…

Examines the new emphasis on introducing computers into secondary schools in the Soviet Union and describes the development of a computer literacy course, including descriptions of course materials and teacher training. Technical and socioeconomic problems hindering the program's success, especially regarding computer hardware and software, are…

Describes a compulsory computer education course for pre-service elementary and secondary teachers at the University of Calgary, Canada. Reviews the course content, laboratory topics, and provides an evaluative overview of the program's first year of implementation. (ML)

Survey of informatics developments within Danish schools discusses the report of the Johnsen Committee, which was mandated to undertake an assessment of public teaching of informatics; computer education in primary schools, general secondary schools, and secondary vocational schools; computing capacity; situation in the municipality of Odense; and…

As recently as the 1999-2000 academic year, the most sought after graduates were those completing degree requirements in a wide variety of information systems based programs. Many graduates were enticed by lucrative signing bonuses as organizations prepared for the dreaded uncertainty of Y2K. Information systems and computer science programs and…

This document contains two papers on globalization versus localization from ICCE/ICCAI 2000 (International Conference on Computers in Education/International Conference on Computer-Assisted Instruction). The first paper, "Implementing Modern Approaches to Teaching Computer Science: A Cross-Cultural Perspective" (Jill Slay and Kam W. Li),…

A system for computer-assisted analysis and assignment of tasks designed for use in administering distance learning programs is also proposed as a model project of research into computer science in education. The aims, design, and initial application of the program are outlined. (MSE)

Through research data collected from 75 Taiwanese eighth graders enrolled in a computer course, this study revealed that students with higher-order metacognitive skills in monitoring their comprehension, selecting main ideas, and using resources helpful for learning tended to have higher computer achievement, better computer attitudes, and lower…

Describes an instructional methodology developed and implemented at Sunderland Polytechnic that uses formal computer program design methods to teach computer programing in computer science and data processing courses. Jackson Structured Programming is explained, and the results of an evaluation by both teaching staff and students are presented.…

Interviews 2,645 eighth-grade West German male and female students to determine: (1) the computer experience gained by students in their leisure time; (2) the knowledge they would like to acquire at school; and (3) the influence of vocational orientation on students' readiness to learn about computers. Describes pre-conditions and develops…