The primary objective of this study was to determine the degree to which academic motivation predicted the executive help-seeking, instrumental help-seeking, perceived benefits of help-seeking, and avoidance of help-seeking of high school students enrolled in computer science (n = 314). Task goals were positively associated with instrumental…

The TeachScheme! Project aims to reform three aspects of introductory programming courses in secondary schools. First, we use a design method that asks students to develop programs in a stepwise fashion such that each step produces a well-specified intermediate product. Second, we use an entire series of sublanguages, not just one. Each element of…

In this paper, we investigate the question of what assessment tools are being used in practice by United States computing programs and what the faculty doing the assessment think of the tools they use. After presenting some background with regard to the design, implementation, and use of assessment, with particular attention to assessment tools,…

A novel approach to improving instruction in an introductory computing course for freshmen non-computer-science majors is to couple it with a logic course as part of a Learning Community. Research has shown that effective Learning Communities can lead to higher academic achievement, better retention rates, diminished faculty isolation, and…

This paper examines the impact the use of the Java programming language has had on the way our students learn to program and the success they achieve. The importance of a properly constructed first course in programming cannot be overstated. A course well experienced will leave students with good programming habits, the ability to learn on their…

In this paper, we explore how students used two resources, the in-class lecture and the online newsgroup, to write computer programs. By focusing on the questions students asked in each setting, we compare these two learning environments. Questions students asked during lecture typically related to the material the instructor was presenting. In…

This study explores the complicated nature of the interface as a mediational tool for inexperienced writers as they composed hypertext documents. Because technology can become so quickly and inextricably connected to people's everyday lives, it is essential to explore the effects on these technologies before they become invisible. Because…

Despite the digital saturation of today's youth across demographic groups, students of color and females remain severely underrepresented in computer science. Reporting on a sequential mixed methods study, this article explores the ways that high school computer science teachers can act as change agents to broaden the participation in computing…

With support from the Higher Education Enhancement Project Fund (HEEPF), the Faculty of Science at Helwan University (Egypt) has constructed a number of online courses in support of the graduate diploma in computer sciences programme. All courses in the diploma have a web presence, and the course offerings are now moving towards a much more…

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…

"Object-Oriented Programming" subject is included in the ACM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs in Computer Science as well as in Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science. In a few research studies learning problems and difficulties have been recorded, and therefore, specific pedagogical guidelines and…

Some of the elements instructional designers must consider when designing screens for computer based instruction (CBI) include legibility, readability, and particularly font size. The purpose of this study was to determine which size font is most effective for CBI. Participants were 163 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an…

The HyperGLOB project introduced university-level graphic design students to interactive multimedia. This technology involves using the personal computer to display and manipulate a variety of electronic media simultaneously (combining elements of text and speech, music and sound, still images, motion video, and animated graphics) and allows…

This paper describes a college math and computer science educator's experience integrating multimedia materials in classroom instruction. It serves as a "tutorial" for non-computer science educators considering adding multimedia presentations to their instruction. The paper covers: the time commitment for developing and integrating multimedia…

New electronic technologies provide powerful tools for managing and processing the rapidly increasing amounts of information available for learning; teachers, however, have often been slow in integrating computers into the curriculum. This study addresses the question of how prospective teachers construct affective and cognitive models about…