In 1989, a survey was conducted to assess the status of computer use and education in two-year colleges in Alabama. Three copies of the survey instrument were sent to the academic deans of all 41 institutions in the state's two-year college system. The deans were asked to complete one questionnaire and ask two randomly selected teachers to…

The training of computer users is becoming increasingly important to all industrialized nations. This study examined how individual differences (e.g. ability and gender) may affect learning outcomes when acquiring computer skills. Subjects (N=347) were college students who took a computer literacy course from a college of business administration…

In 1988, the Office for Undergraduate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (USEME) convened a series of disciplinary workshops designed to obtain a better understanding of the conditions and trends in undergraduate education in the United States in seven critical areas: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geosciences,…

The Computer Academy at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo) is a series of intensive, one-credit-hour workshops to assist professionals in increasing their level of computer competence. At the time they were initiated, in 1985, the workshops targeted elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators, were offered on Apple IIe…

This study described teaching methods in use in computer studies classes, explored the reasons for their use, and explored perceptions of effectiveness. Four main research methods were used: semistructured interviews; observation of teaching; perusal of course documents; and informal collection of information by talking to students and tutors. One…

A pioneer program in computer graphics was implemented at Parkland College (Illinois) to meet the demand for specialized technicians to visualize data generated on high performance computers. In summer 1989, 23 students were accepted into the pilot program. Courses included C programming, calculus and analytic geometry, computer graphics, and…

Computer learners often develop explanations of events they observe during training. Recent work on generalization suggests that explanations may be valuable in permitting learners to develop generalizations from one or a few examples. This study explores the idea by describing four generalization paradigms in which explanations play a part:…

With the purpose of addressing the area of language choice in computer programming, this paper specifically addresses the use of BASIC as a language for secondary level students. Perspectives are offered on: (1) the role of computers in science education; (2) the differences in quality and intent of PASCAL and BASIC; (3) the role of a…

This report organizes findings of an exploration of changing job skills in Virginia which combined the points of view of various analysts with information provided by employers. Part One contains some background material: a brief history of occupations in Virginia, a description of recent trends, an explanation of the mechanisms that bring about…

Developed as a planning guide for the Computer Literacy Curriculum, a junior high course required by the Texas State Board of Education, this document presents objectives, student activities, and suggested resources that can be used for a full year or semester course. A list of computer literacy learning objectives interprets the essential…

The institutions of the United States (and the developed world in general) are currently in a state of crisis. This is particularly true for educational institutions. As society shifts from an industrial era to a post-industrial, information era, the dominant world view is changing from one of segmentation and stasis to one that is holistic,…

In this paper the theory that human thinking proceeds according to the computer model, or symbol manipulation, is reviewed and challenged. The research used as subjects five highly rated tournament chess players who "thought aloud" during a chess game to provide tape recorded protocols of decisions made while playing. These protocols…

This paper discusses the overall design of the PIXIE Intelligent Tutoring System, and more specifically a series of recent enhancements. The original system has been implemented to involve three separate phases: the offline, or model generation phase; the online, or tutoring, phase; and the analysis phase. The offline phase, which is completed…

This report covers the activities of 1985 high school graduates of the Los Angeles Unified School District one year after graduating. The questionnaires, administered via the mail, surveyed graduates concerning their educational pursuits, employment endeavors, and opinions regarding their educational experience. Approximately 33% of the 9,299…

A study examined the computer and information technology (CIT) training provided in 61 training schemes in 10 regions throughout the United Kingdom under the auspices of the Youth Training Scheme. Of the 52 programs for which data on the time spent on CIT were available, 12 offered 5 days or less of off-the-job training with little other…