As part of the Electrical Engineering program at the Univesity of Southern Maine, students are typically introduced to Two's Complement algebra and representation, a method to include negative numbers in the binary representation of integers that is widely used in microprocessors and related digital systems. The traditional, procedural method to…

This study concerned conceptual difficulties of college students learning programming and ways the teacher can simplify the process. An analysis of general strategies used in solving problems involving loops is given, with four types of hierarchical strategy categorized. Students had difficulty transforming their algebraic descriptions into…

Ways of using calculators to presents the concept and methodology of concurrent processing are discussed. Several problems that could be used to compare sequential versus concurrent processing are presented. (MK)

A survey of chairpersons of the Departments of Economics at 47 accredited U.S. colleges and universities collected data concerning required and recommended courses, departments in which students take the courses, satisfaction with the courses, and problems in those courses where respondents indicated dissatisfaction. Results indicated that: (1)…