We report on responses to a series of four questions designed to identify pre-existing abilities related to debugging and troubleshooting experiences of novice students before they begin programming instruction. The focus of these questions include general troubleshooting, bug location, exploring unfamiliar environments, and describing students'…

This qualitative research examines the cognitive processes embedded in self-explanations of automobile and motorcycle service technicians performing troubleshooting tasks and solving technical problems. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve service technicians who have obtained the designation of "master technician" or equivalent within…

Troubleshooting a corrupted Windows operating system (OS) is a must-learn experience for computer technology students. To teach OS troubleshooting, the simplest approach involves introducing the available tools followed by the "how-to's." But how does a teacher teach his or her students to apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios and help them…

Workers who become adept at using computer software are often asked for help by coworkers. To use their time more efficiently, they should be prepared as effective on-the-spot trainers who might teach a group how to solve a common problem. (SK)

In two automotive air-conditioning classes, an experimental group (n=12) conducted laboratory activities structured by cognitive apprenticeship principles; 14 controls attended lectures. Cognitive apprenticeship was significantly more effective in increasing information acquisition, troubleshooting knowledge, and diagnostic skills. (SK)

Nineteen Air Force technicians completed four mental model measures: laddering, component-readiness ratings task, diagramming task, and think-aloud and verbal troubleshooting. All but the think-aloud technique predicted troubleshooting performance. Laddering and ratings were independently predictive, suggesting that they capture different aspects…

This article represents the second part of a series in this journal called "How to Perform a Security Audit." It continues the conversation on setting up a process for identifying security-related concerns and implementation safeguards. It continues the conversation from the perspective of system monitoring. This article discusses how to use a…

The purpose of this online study was to create a ranking of essential core competencies and technologies required by AET (audio engineering technology) programs 10 years in the future. The study was designed to facilitate curriculum development and improvement in the rapidly expanding number of small to medium sized audio engineering technology…

Debugging is often difficult and frustrating for novices. Yet because students typically debug outside the classroom and often in isolation, instructors rarely have the opportunity to closely observe students while they debug. This paper describes the details of an exploratory study of the debugging skills and behaviors of contemporary novice Java…

Internet error messages can be attributed to three types of problems: server problems, connection problems, or user errors. Examines the causes and remedies for common error messages. (PEN)

Engineers and technicians completed a knowledge inventory and performed an electronics troubleshooting activity in three context groups (repair, design, production). Results showed general lack of troubleshooting preparation in all groups; common troubleshooting processes among experts; and deemphasis of theoretical knowledge among production and…

When 975 respiratory therapists evaluated their critical thinking behaviors, they rated themselves highest in prioritizing, troubleshooting, and communicating and lowest in anticipating. Age and education level did not influence ratings; experience in respiratory care and gender affected ratings in troubleshooting, decision making, and…

A study with students enrolled at an urban technical college compared learning of HTML coding across three Web-based program versions. One group received examples providing factual information about the source code (Facts group). A second group was presented with a step-by-step description of the source code (Procedures group). The third group was…

This paper reviews the literature related to the learning and teaching of debugging computer programs. Debugging is an important skill that continues to be both difficult for novice programmers to learn and challenging for computer science educators to teach. These challenges persist despite a wealth of important research on the subject dating…

In the domain of electrical circuits troubleshooting, a full factorial experiment investigated the hypotheses that (a) studying worked examples would lead to better transfer performance than solving conventional problems, with less investment of time and mental effort during training and test, and (b) adding process information to worked examples…