Podcasting is just one of a suite of new tools that are taking the Internet and its users to new heights. Podcasting involves the creation of digital audio files and the distribution of those files in a way that makes it easy for visitors to listen to them wherever and whenever it is convenient. In schools, podcasts have been quick to take root.…

Student retention in Computer Science is becoming a serious concern among Educators in many colleges and universities. Most institutions currently face a significant drop in enrollment in Computer Science. A number of different tools and strategies have emerged to address this problem (e.g., BlueJ, Karel Robot, etc.). Although these tools help to…

Less than one half of one percent of all processors manufactured today end up in computers. The rest are embedded in other devices such as automobiles, airplanes, trains, satellites, and nearly every modern electronic device. Developing software for embedded systems requires a greater knowledge of hardware than developing for a typical desktop…

After becoming a podcasting convert, the author talked with other students at colleges and universities across North America about their iPod and MP3 use, their familiarity with podcasting, and how they see podcasting as part of the classroom. As more and more colleges and universities jump on board the podcasting bandwagon, it's vital that…

The report describes improved algorithms within a computer program for identifying spelling and word order errors in student responses. A "markup analysis" compares a student's response string to an author-specified model string and generates a graphical error markup that indicates spelling, capitalization, and accent errors, extra or…

Central State University (Ohio), under a contract with Nichols Research Corporation, has developed a World Wide web based workshop on high performance computing entitled "IBN SP2 Parallel Programming Workshop." The research is part of the DoD (Department of Defense) High Performance Computing Modernization Program. The research…

ToonTalk is an animated interactive world inside of which one can construct a very large range of computer programs. These programs are not constructed by typing text or arranging icons, but by taking actions in this world. Robots can be trained, birds can be given messages to deliver, and so on. This paper describes the design and preliminary…

Constructing a data model for a problem area requires identifying and formulating some symbolic representation of the concepts involved, their characteristics, and the relationships between them. Taking a socio-cultural perspective on learning, analysis of classroom dialog is used to identify cognitive challenges met by novice students of data…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been progressing over the past 5 years toward the institution of Direct Broadcast Satellite Radio (DBS-R) which would institute a new type of radio service. The FCC refers to the service as Satellite DARS (Digital Audio Radio Service), and it would provide reliable, high-fidelity satellite-delivered…

This paper discusses the use of ontologies and their applications to assessment. An ontology provides a shared and common understanding of a domain that can be communicated among people and computational systems. The ontology captures one or more experts' conceptual representation of a domain expressed in terms of concepts and the relationships…

This paper is an initial examination of prime time television's response to the events of September 11, 2001. Based on a review of the 2001-2002 television season's prime time programs, the study identifies 15 programs (out of 65 that ran the entire season) that incorporated September 11th elements. Themes of these programs are discussed as are…

Schools in two New York State counties are creating Web home pages with little money or technical expertise. Approaches to Web page construction include using commercially developed software (like Pagemaker or Claris Works); trying out downloaded shareware programs; using an online service (America Online, Prodigy, or Compuserve); and programming…

Developed a method based on 0-1 linear programming to stratify an item pool optimally for use in alpha-stratified adaptive testing. Applied the method to a previous item pool from the computerized adaptive test of the Graduate Record Examinations. Results show the new method performs well in practical situations. (SLD)

Presents a method for augmenting a Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) document repository with database functionality. Introduces an implementation method for a complex-object modeling technique, and describes interface techniques tailored for text databases and concepts for a Structured Document Database Management System (SDDBMS)…

Discusses how to translate your data from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to other formats. Explores key features and concepts of tools that address this problem and relates the problem to the Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL) standard. Also investigates translation problems and the roles of SGML and DSSSL in…