Students in an introductory computing class participated in a study investigating the impact of using a graphics programming environment (Alice) and pair-programming on confidence, enjoyment and achievement. Sixty-four participants completed a short questionnaire and a content pre-test about computer programming concepts. Students were then…

A tool for teaching bioinformatics concepts to information systems majors is described. Biological data are available from numerous sources and a good knowledge of biology is needed to understand much of these data. As the subject of bioinformatics gains popularity among computer and information science course offerings, it will become essential…

Transformational Events is a new pedagogic pattern that explains how innovations (and other transformations) happened. The pattern is three temporal stages: an interval of increasingly unsatisfactory ad hoc solutions to a persistent problem (the "mess"), an offer of an invention or of a new way of thinking, and a period of widespread adoption and…

In this paper, we present the results from a two-part study. We analyze 60 programs written by novice programmers aged 16-19 after their first programming course, in either Java or Python. The aim is to find difficulties independent of the language used, and such originating from the language. Second, we analyze the transition from a…

The field of information technology is changing and those responsible for educating the next generation of technology professionals have responded with a new computing curriculum, which identifies five distinct technology majors: computer engineering, computer science, software engineering, information systems and information technology.…

This paper describes the process used by the Computer Information Technology Department at PUC (Purdue University Calumet) during a major curriculum review and revision to implement the curriculum model developed by the SIGITE Curriculum Committee (Curriculum, 2005). The process was based on the learning outcomes set forth by the SIGITE curriculum…

Research shows that girls tend to lose interest in science and math as they move through the education pipeline--a retreat that often begins during middle school. Summer science camps can be part of reversing that trend, some say. Academic camps are on the rise across the country, including ones to get adolescent girls excited about the…

In recent years, tertiary institutions in developed countries have made extensive use of Course Management Systems (CMSs), software packages designed to help educators create online learning communities. To date, however, such packages have been little used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. In this article, we describe the…

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…

Saint Mary's College (Indiana) offers a minor program in computer science. The program's introductory computer science class traditionally taught Pascal. The decision to change the introductory programming language to C++ with an object oriented approach was made when it became clear that there were good texts available for beginning students.…

Following a definition of multimedia, a description of the advantages of multimedia software, and a list of necessary multimedia hardware, this paper describes in detail the phasing in of new technology into the curriculum at Lake-Sumter Community College (Florida). Implementation of a one-credit course entitled Introduction to Multimedia Computer…

This handbook is intended for use in teaching the concepts and applications of information processing to secondary and technical institute students preparing to be secretaries, typists, and office clerks. The guide begins with a list of the competencies to be developed, followed by lists of the terminal and enabling objectives for the two phases…

Students with a semester or more of instruction often display remarkable naivety about the language that they have been studying and often prove unable to manage simple programming problems. The main purpose of this study was to create a set of problem-plan-program types for the BASIC programming language to help high school students build plans…

The second volume of a two-volume computer science curriculum guide, reflecting the technology of the 1980s, presents 66 lessons on advanced computer literacy topics for high school students. Topics include advanced programing concepts in BASIC, spreadsheet management, telecommunications, writing a computer-assisted-instruction program, computers…

A cooperative work group experiential format is proposed for an introductory college computer course, which views the computer as one of several components of a business information system. The system is applied to a five-step problem solving model, consisting of problem analysis, problem understanding, making decisions, designing the solution,…