A new classification system for computing education papers is presented and applied to every computing education paper published between January 2004 and January 2007 at the two premier computing education conferences in Australia and New Zealand. We find that while simple reports outnumber other types of paper, a healthy proportion of papers…

This paper builds on previous research into teachers' conceptions of learning and teaching with an investigation of information technology academics. Using a phenomenographic approach to build a model of IT academics experiences and practice of teaching, we aimed to identify any specific issues that academics in the IT discipline face and to…

Based on their quantitative and qualitative investigations, the authors conclude that pair programming as a strategy for teaching student teachers could be made more effective through the incorporation of principles associated with cooperative learning. They substantiate this claim by referring to a literature study about the advantages and…

Three different approaches to teaching introductory programming are reviewed: the incremental approach, the sub-language approach, and the mini-language approach. The paper analyzes all three approaches, providing a brief history of each and describing an example of a programming environment supporting this approach. In the incremental approach,…

In the hope that a general exchange of information on computer courses for humanists will be of help to persons contemplating or already teaching such, and in the hope of encouraging a continued growth in the universities offering these courses, article surveyed that field. (Author/RK)

This paper discusses five points related to developmental research on children learning to do Logo programming: (1) systematic developmental research documenting what children are learning as they learn to program is necessary; (2) Logo is cognitively complex beyond its early steps and difficult to learn without instructional guidance; (3) the…

Persistent conceptual bugs exist in how novices, from primary school to college age, program and understand programs. These bugs are not specific to a given programming language but appear to be language-independent. The three different classes of bugs are: (1) parallelism, the assumption that different lines in a program can be active at the same…

Designed for use by computer programming teachers, this booklet presents the concepts of structured programming and provides examples of how to implement this methodology, which provides a systematic way of organizing programs so that even large and complex programs are easier to understand and modify than unstructured programs. After a brief…

This pilot study tested the hypothesis that the logical thinking skills of middle-grades students are enhanced by teaching them computer programming using the BASIC programming language. A quasi-experimental design was used with 36 students randomly selected and assigned to one of two treatment groups: 18 students received no instruction in…

This computer literacy project, which was carried out with a group of fifth grade students, was designed to provide them with an enjoyable experience in learning about the computer through such activities as interactive programs, games, discussions, interviews, and field trips. Course content covered the history of computers, computer components,…

At the University of Illinois at Urbana, a computer based curriculum called Automated Computer Science Education System (ACSES) has been developed to supplement instruction in introductory computer science courses or to assist individuals interested in acquiring a foundation in computer science through independent study. The system, which uses…

On the basis of the experience gained in a Title III project called Computer Instruction NETWORK, the author presents some guidelines for the planning and implementation of a course at the high school level dealing with computers. The guide lists the first steps to be taken in setting up such a program, describes a teacher training program, and…

The digital computer can perform many functions in the junior college, from instruction through administrative operations and community service. Planning the computer center for institution-wide service requires particular attention to feasibility, organizational structure, staffing, physical planning, and financial implications. Depending on the…

This handbook is for the student with little or no previous experience with computer utilization for data processing. Sample problems to be run on the computer are included. It gives: (1) an overview of the sequence of steps from obtaining data to receiving computer output, (2) a guide to common computer packages, (3) an illustration of the use of…