Learning computing with respect to the context of its use has been linked in previous reports to student motivation in introductory Computer Science (CS) courses. In this report, we consider the role of context in a second course. We present a case study of a CS2 data structures class that uses a media computation context. In this course, students…

The need for colleges to graduate students who understand computer security is growing. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership of the FBI; the National White Collar Crime Center; and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, in the Department of Justice, reported more than 90,000 crimes in 2007, with reported financial losses of almost…

While delivering the Intelligent Systems course, an elective course in the Master of Business Information Technology program at RMIT University, it was felt that there was a learning issue as students' learning seemed to be superficial. This perception was based on the questions students asked in class and the mechanical attitude they adopted…

Educators have been using the Towers of Hanoi problem for many years as an example of a problem that has a very elegant recursive solution. However, the elegance and conciseness of this solution can make it difficult for students to understand the amount of computer time required in the execution of this solution. And, like many recursive computer…

This qualitative study explores how using Peer Learning Forums (PLF) in an online asynchronous computer programming course can be analyzed to derive information about Student Activity Focus (SAF) for adult Information Technology students. Three instruments are proposed to assist instructors classify questions posted by students on these forums,…

Targeted email attacks to enable computer network exploitation have become more prevalent, more insidious, and more widely documented in recent years. Beyond nuisance spam or phishing designed to trick users into revealing personal information, targeted malicious email (TME) facilitates computer network exploitation and the gathering of sensitive…

This paper presents both the design and the pilot formative evaluation study of a computer-based problem-solving environment (named LECGO: Learning Environment for programming using C using Geometrical Objects) for the learning of computer programming using C by beginners. In its design, constructivist and social learning theories were taken into…

This paper describes a model for computer programming outreach workshops aimed at second-level students (ages 15-16). Participants engage in a series of programming activities based on the Scratch visual programming language, and a very strong group-based pedagogy is followed. Participants are not required to have any prior programming experience.…

This issue is devoted to the curriculum guidelines from the Liberal Arts Computer Science Consortium. These guidelines provide a coherent and important model for computing education within a liberal arts context, giving primacy to critical reason, rigorous methods, and student engagement in the research process. In this regard, they are at the…

Embedded systems are increasingly pervasive, and the creation of reliable controlling software offers unique challenges. Embedded software must interact directly with hardware, it must respond to events in a time-critical fashion, and it typically employs concurrency to meet response time requirements. This paper describes an innovative course…

Non-determinism is one of the most important, yet abstract, recurring concepts of Computer Science. It plays an important role in Computer Science areas such as formal language theory, computability theory, distributed computing, and operating systems. We conducted a series of studies on the perception of non-determinism. In the current research,…

In addition to the input/output record format, the program flowchart, the program listing, and the program test output, eight documentation items are suggested in order that they may serve as a base from which to start teaching program documentation. (Author/AG)

GRADES OR AGES: No mention. SUBJECT MATTER: Computer programing. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into seven chapters, each of which is in outline form with numerous diagrams and charts. It is mimeographed and looseleaf-bound with a paper cover. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES: No objectives are mentioned. Each of the seven…

Describes an instrument created to measure the general level of computer literacy of high school students and to obtain baseline data on student awareness of computer concepts. (Author/IRT)

The use of overhead transparencies can enhance the whole-to-parts method of teaching computer concepts.