Changes to degree programs in Information Systems are often attributed to quickly-evolving technology and the subsequent changing needs of the employers who hire IS graduates. In this paper, we explore other social and economic factors that were the inspiration for curriculum changes by assigning them to one of four eras in the IS timeline. Using…

This paper describes James Madison University's undergraduate major in Computer Information Systems as an example of a high-quality Information Systems (IS) program and discusses our planned evolution in the context of the rapid changes of technological, business, and social factors. We have determined what we consider to be five essential…

Undergraduate research opportunities have expanded from elite universities in the United States to universities and institutions of all ranks and sizes. Research studies have shown positive outcomes in regards to the research experience for undergraduates (REU), such as enhanced research skills and competencies. However, with the widespread…

This paper presents an approach to the initial programming learning using the four components instructional model and the Alice software. The quasi-experimental design was developed with two groups of students that attended two schools with very different socioeconomic status and school retention levels. The differences obtained in the mean of the…

The present study reports an attempt to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of integrating teaching MOOC platform into traditional learning system to teach a face-to-face course. It investigated students' opinions of Sharurah College of Science and Arts about the benefits and challenges based on their learning experiences in a hybrid learning…

Background and Context: The use of block-based programming environments is purported to be a good way to gently introduce novice computer programmers to computer programming. A small, but growing body of research examines the differences between block-based and text-based programming environments. Objective: Thus, the purpose of this study was to…

Decades of research on engagement, retention, and under-representation in STEM conclude that a better understanding of learner development as a long-term, social process is needed. Social identity theory is increasingly used to understand the interplay between individual development and social structure. The present report summarises findings from…

This paper reports the findings of a study done to determine if increasing the number of exams in a course had an effect on student grades. Some studies have found that more frequent exams positively influence scores while other studies have found more frequent exams do not make a difference in student achievement. This study examines the impact…

International changes in policy and curricula (notably recent developments in England) have led to a focus on the role of computing education in the early years. As interest in the potential of computing education has increased, there has been a proliferation of programming tools designed for young children. While these changes are broadly to be…

The case study presented in this paper describes the pedagogical aspects and experience gathered while using an e-learning tool named IPA-PBL. Its main purpose is to provide additional motivation for adopting theoretical principles and procedures in a computer networks course. In the proposed model, the sequencing of activities of the learning…

Understanding the students' programming misconceptions is critical in that it identifies the reasons why students make errors in programming and allows instructors to design instructions accordingly. This study investigated the mental models of programming concepts held by pre-service teachers who were novice programmers. In an introductory…

This article presents two case studies aimed at exploring the use of self-explanations in the context of computational science and engineering (CSE) education. The self-explanations were elicited as students' in-code comments of a set of worked-examples, and the cases involved two different approaches to CSE education: glass box and black box. The…

Given growing interest in computing fields, as well as a longstanding gender gap in computer science, this study used nationwide survey data on college students during 4 decades to: (a) document trends in aspirations to major in computer science among undergraduate women and men; (b) explore the characteristics of women and men who choose to major…

Drawing on the experiences of a novel collaborative project between sociologists and computer scientists, this paper identifies a set of challenges for fieldwork that are generated by this "wild interdisciplinarity. Public Access Wi-Fi Service" was a project funded by an 'in-the-wild' research programme, involving the study of digital…

The Purdue Polytechnic Institute was created two years ago from the former College of Technology. This was more than a name change; it represented a transformation which will have an impact not only the curriculum, but on learning, and teaching methods. Students need technical skills but they must also be able to collaborate, be problem solvers,…