Applies a cultural perspective to the problem of introducing novices to computing. Presents a model of initial socialization composed of reality shock, confusion, and attempts at control. Describes a survey of college students' first encounters with computers and suggests that the social contexts of introductory courses encourage feelings of…

Discussion of the use of peer teachers to provide college students with microcomputer education focuses on a video course used to teach Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software. Budget considerations are discussed, student and faculty reactions are described, and potential time savings to faculty are examined. (LRW)

Expresses a high school student's frustration at trying to learn programing through courses in BASIC and PASCAL and her renewed enthusiasm studying programing with Scheme. Changes in the elementary, secondary, and advanced placement computer science curriculum are encouraged, and information for obtaining Scheme software is provided. (MES)

Discussion of assessment of student performance focuses on peer assessment and the development of a hypermedia-based peer assessment tool, the MUCH system, at the University of Liverpool (England). A study conducted with undergraduate computer science students that used the MUCH system is described, and student attitudes are discussed. (Contains…

The attitudes of high school students toward the use of microcomputers were examined in terms of causal attributions, i.e., student perceptions of the causes of academic performance. The subjects for the study were 171 male and female students, representing 102 white and 69 minority students who were enrolled in a large city high school. The…

Four liberal arts college programs are described that use a variety of interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to bring technological, computer, scientific, mathematical, and physics literacy for both students and faculty. (MSE)

Factors affecting the motivation of high school students to learn to use computers were examined in this study. The subjects were 160 students enrolled in a large city high school, 89 females and 71 males who represented five ethnic groups--White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian. The majority of subjects had prior computer coursework…

Describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a computer-assisted learning (CAL) package called CLEM (CORE Learning Environment for Modula-2) that was developed in Great Britain for teaching the Modula-2 programming language to first-year college students. Topics discussed include interactivity, flexibility, ease of use, student…

Women stand to lose a great deal in the information revolution if they fail to master computer technology. Presently they are taking little part in the computer field. In the future, access to jobs, information, and power will depend on computer knowledge and skills. Women will be pushed into lower status jobs or out of jobs altogether,…

Discusses various factors involved in planning and implementing an introductory computer science course in an Indian secondary school located in Bahrain. Topics discussed include computer literacy; selection criteria for microcomputers; funding; computer laboratories; teacher training; criteria for student selection; students' viewpoints; teaching…

Describes experiences with computer-mediated communication (CMC) in a postgraduate information systems course at Central Queensland University (Australia). Highlights include a description of a case study discussion via electronic mail; use by off-campus students; examples of CMC interactions; responses to a student survey, including student…