Students learned to plan and write complex computer programs by writing a program for playing NIM, a game in which two players alternatively remove one, two, or three sticks from an original pile of 21, with the player taking the last one being the winner. The primary teaching purpose was to develop the idea that a final goal--i.e., winning--could…

This report summarizes the rewriting of the BASIC Instructional Program (BIP) (a "hands-on laboratory" that teaches elementary programming in the BASIC language) from SAIL (a programming language available only on PDP-10 computers) into MAINSAIL (a language designed for portability on a broad class of computers). Four sections contain…

In August 1992, the Eastern Iowa Community College District convened a 2-day Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) workshop involving a panel of six computer programmer/analysts (CP/A's) in the identification of specific competencies and tasks expected of CP/A's. To validate the entry-level skills identified, a survey was conducted of 96 businesses…

This report examines the exploration and implementation of a multi-faceted approach to the use of computers in the instructional setting in the Worthington (Ohio) School District. Section I presents major steps which occurred during the 1981-82 and 1982-83 school years. These include formation of task forces, descriptions of major ways in which…