This paper introduces the LEGO® Database, a large natural dataset that can be used to teach Structured Query Language (SQL) and relational database concepts. This dataset is well-suited for introductory and advanced database assignments and end-of-semester group projects. The data is freely available from Kaggle.com and contains eight tables with…

The Purdue Polytechnic Institute was created two years ago from the former College of Technology. This was more than a name change; it represented a transformation which will have an impact not only the curriculum, but on learning, and teaching methods. Students need technical skills but they must also be able to collaborate, be problem solvers,…

This paper updates the efforts to educate blind students in higher education in the digital age and describes how to support the development of mental models in learning through tactile learning and 3D-printing technology. It cites research documenting a drop in Braille literacy along with the growth in use of digital technologies by blind…

Describes the use of the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol as the basis for Infocal, a read-only, client/server-based campus information system. Technical considerations in adapting the protocol to nonbibliographic data, including semantic modules, dynamic attribute sets, and dynamic record syntax, are described in detail. (Contains 11…

According to the requirement of modern teaching theory and technology, based on software engineering, database theory, the technique of net information security and system integration, a net testing system on local network was designed and realized. The system benefits for dividing of testing & teaching and settles the problems of random…

This paper describes a methodology for use in teaching an introductory Database Management System (DBMS) course. Students master basic database concepts through the use of a multiple component project implemented in both relational and associative data models. The associative data model is a new approach for designing multi-user, Web-enabled…

Analysis of 300 information technology job postings in two Internet databases identified the following skill categories: programming languages (Java, C/C++, and Visual Basic were most frequent); website development (57% sought SQL and HTML skills); databases (nearly 50% required Oracle); networks (only Windows NT or wide-area/local-area networks);…

Learning Objects Metadata (LOM) aims at describing educational resources in order to allow better reusability and retrieval. In this article we show how additional inference rules allows us to derive additional metadata from existing ones. Additionally, using these rules as integrity constraints helps us to define the constraints on LOM elements,…

An intelligent advisor computer program designed to assist undergraduate computer science students in producing an entity-relationship diagram, a conceptual model of a database. The advisor helps students perform modeling exercises and monitors student performance. (MSE)

This paper describes a National Science Foundation-sponsored project at Louisiana Technological University to develop computer-based laboratories for "hands-on" introductions to major topics of computer science. The underlying strategy is to develop structured laboratory environments that present abstract concepts through the use of…

OpenURL resolver is the next big thing for libraries. An OpenURL resolver is simply a piece of software that sucks in attached data and serves up a Web page that tells one where he or she can get the book or article represented by it. In this article, the author describes how he designed an OpenURL resolver for his library, the Lewis & Clark…

Discusses the relationship between prior computer experiences and the linear or nonlinear steps students choose when working with hypermedia environments and time spent on task (based on a study of graduate students). Experience with content-area software, word processing, databases, spreadsheets, programming, hypermedia, and authoring are…

Humankind has become accustomed to reading and learning from printed books. The computer offers us the possibility to exploit another medium whose key advantage is flexibility through extensive memory, computational speed, and versatile representational means. Specifically, we have the hypercard application, an integrated piece of software, with…

The rapid growth of e-business and e-commerce has made server-side programming an increasingly important topic in information systems (IS) and computer science (CS) curricula. This article presents an overview of the major features of several popular server-side programming technologies and discusses the factors that influence the selection of…

An analysis of the role and functions of the United Kingdom's newly-implemented Higher Education Statistics Agency looks at key features of the data collection and storage system, including its comprehensiveness, new record structure, capability for tracking individuals, data categories and coding, quality of data, and data accessibility. Despite…