The author describes an eight day program at forty-five minutes a day designed to introduce concepts of computer programming and simply describe how a computer operated. Detailed lesson plans are outlined. (MS)

Reports on the understanding and use of time-sharing computer instruction in four small institutions: Hood, St. Joseph, Mount St. Mary's and Mount St. Agnes Colleges. Instruction was provided by personnel of the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland. (AD)

The best teachers of computer science are computer specialists, but they need training in teaching methods. (SE)

Describes various instructional materials designed to teach computer programing. These materials (primarily for the Apple II microcomputer) include books, teaching packages, videotapes, audiocassette tapes, and computer media (including programs loaded from cassettes and disks). Information on classroom packages, writing software, and selecting an…

Presents test cases to adequately test the "triangle program" described in part 1 (appearing in volume 42 of this journal). Discusses test case design and design techniques, differentiating between testing (showing that errors present) and debugging (finding where/what errors are and correcting them). Suggests testing be incorporated into…

Some of the important concepts in recursive programing are detailed, along with how they can be used. Examples are provided to show how to program recursively in BASIC. (MP)

Describes a study that explored the parameter-related misconceptions of two college students in an introductory programming course. Explains how they were able to construct correctly functioning modular programs by making adjustments to formal parameter lists; discusses results within a constructivist framework; and suggests implications for…

Recent technological developments in interfaces, programing philosophy, and artificial intelligence may invite the participation of women programers, who find a concrete, intuitive, and informal style of programing more congenial than the hierarchical, rule-driven style heretofore pervasive in computer culture. (DM)

Discussion of the relationship between the academic computing community and the practitioner community focuses on the possible separation of software engineering as a distinct discipline from computer science. Relationships between the content of software engineering and the content of computing are examined, and implications for computer science…

Tips for training company Web site developers include the following: have a vision for the Web site, train the right people, choose the right software and instructors, train beyond site-building tools, and provide on-the-job assistance. (SK)

Describes initiatives taken by Australian universities to provide support and encouragement for female students in the computing discipline. (Author/MKR)

Investigated effects of cognitive learning style on academic performance in two university computer applications courses. Discusses use of the Gregorc Style Delineator to collect learning style information over a four-year period. Results indicated a significant effect of learning style on academic performance, and that sequential learners…

Computer science students need to learn how to write high-quality software. An important methodology for achieving quality is design-by-contract, in which code is developed together with its specification, which is given as class invariants and method pre- and postconditions. This paper describes practical experience in teaching design-by-contract…

This paper assesses the value of three learning style tests when used to examine the design of educational materials for teaching computer science at a distance. The paper presents three studies where three different learning styles were used to discriminate preference and performance in different contexts. The studies indicate that the Learning…

As algorithms have been seen to be hard to teach and learn, teachers have tried to look for help in algorithm animation. While the effect of algorithm animation on learning has been studied, but not reliably evidenced, this study tries to approach the problem from a different perspective. Sixty hours of assignment sessions in an introductory…