How do you dynamically customize the programming language available in a context within an existing system, without changing the underlying system? This dissertation introduces a language design approach that addresses this problem. The basic idea is to structure programs as systems of multiple interacting levels of abstraction, where all of the…

A number of educational researchers have developed pedagogical approaches that involve the teacher in discovering and helping to correct misconceptions that students bring to their study of their subject matter. During the last decade, several computer systems have been developed to support teaching and learning using this kind of approach. A…

Low retention rates in third-level computing courses, despite continuing research into new and improved computer teaching methods, present a worrying concern. For some computing students learning programming is intimidating, giving rise to lack of confidence and anxiety. The noncognitive domain of anxiety with regard to learning computer…

At schools special learning and programming environments are often used in the field of algorithms. Particularly with regard to computer science lessons in secondary education, they are supposed to help novices to learn the basics of programming. In several parts of Germany (e.g., Bavaria) these fundamentals are taught as early as in the seventh…

This paper describes a one-credit laboratory course for freshmen majoring in electrical and computer engineering (ECE). The course is motivational in nature and exposes the students to a wide range of areas of electrical and computer engineering. The authors believe it is important to give freshmen a broad perspective of what ECE is all about, and…

With the growing importance of interactive multimedia in our society, it is increasingly essential to equip students with knowledge of and skills in multimedia production. However, as the traditional lecture based instruction on this emerging subject area is not effective for students in achieving the expected learning outcomes, a seven stage game…

Mobile learning or m-learning, a relatively new concept, has attracted the interest of educators, researchers, and companies developing learning systems and instructional materials. This study investigated the use of integrating use of mobile technologies, data services, and multimedia messaging systems to increase students' use of mobile…

This research explored the influence of a Web-based portfolio assessment system on students' performances. The methodological procedure adopted was to have the experimental group use the system, with the control group using conventional assessment. The study subjects were junior high school students of two computer classes. The experimental…

As an alternative to dominant cognitive-constructivist approaches to educational technology, this article makes the case for what has been termed a discursive, or postcognitive, psychological research paradigm. It does so by adapting discursive psychological analyses of conversational activity to the study of educational technology use. It applies…

If students cannot express themselves in the language of the assessor, and if the assessor is not familiar with the cultural constraints within which students operate, it is difficult for the assessor to collect evidence of adequate performance. This article describes the assessment of three digital artefacts where the assessor strove to…

The early development of computers and computer technology is traced, and the relationship of the computer and mathematics is discussed. (SD)

Paper reports on some efforts to provide computer science training for potential teachers in the secondary schools. (Author)

The effect of different communicating modes to computers on students' attitudes toward programing was studied. In a computer-related course, 13 students used batch processing mode to solve problems on the computer, while 12 other students used conversational mode to solve the same problems. It was found that those students accessing the computer…

This paper details the broad categories of professionals in Computer Sciences and Technology; discusses the required competence in each skill category, suggests ways and means of imparting these types of skill and discusses the part that the U.N. may play in ensuring the transfer of these skills from Developed-to Developing-countries. It then…

This report is the result of a study, funded by the National Science Foundation, of a group constituted as the COSINE Task Force on Undergraduate Education in Computer Engineering in 1969. The group was formed in response to the growing demand for education in computer engineering and the limited opportunities for study in this area. Computer…