The study reported in this paper examined the computer competencies of 193 undergraduate students at East Carolina University (North Carolina). A 10-item questionnaire inquired about previous computer courses in both high school and college. About 50 percent of the students had taken a computer course or had worked with computers at home or on the…

A study was conducted to explore the way that gender bias operates with 9- and 10-year-olds, and to propose ways in which gender equality and cooperation may be promoted through classroom interventions. Groupwork with computers was the curriculum area selected for study because computers are a symbol not just of technological progress, but of male…

Industry's needs for students with high technology skills are increasing. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts project increases between 1980 and 1990 of 58% in the demand for computer professionals, 28% for engineers, and 24% for engineering technicians, compared with an increase of 17% for all workers. Industrial expansion and replacement of…

A general outline of the topics that might be covered in a computers and computing course for high school students is provided. Topics are listed in the order in which they should be taught, and the relative amount of time to be spent on each topic is suggested. Seven units are included in the course outline: (1) general introduction, (2) using…

The purpose of this report is to describe the development and current techniques used by the authors in teaching students elementary computer technology and the data analysis process, emphasizing how social science teachers can teach it. (Author/ND)

In this paper, prepared for a European conference on mathematics education, the author examines three types of computer use in undergraduate and high school classrooms: Using the computer as an instructional tool for student development of algorithms, teaching about the computer itself, and use of computer-assisted instruction. (SD)

The organizational scheme of the 1984 Alberta Computer Literacy Curriculum and its appropriateness in relation to stated purposes, philosophy, rationale, and goals are examined in this paper, using the junior high school curriculum for illustration. Several conclusions are drawn: (1) the curriculum is well organized; (2) its basic organizational…

This article describes a preservice teacher-training curriculum in computer technology, "OPEN," currently being implemented at the University of Akron, and the program's successful results. A survey, preservice teacher course evaluations, and curriculum research contributed to the development and implementation of the OPEN computer program for…

Seven graduate students in a seminar on classroom computing received instruction in LOGO programming. Programming protocols were collected periodically and examined for errors and misconceptions; in-depth interviews were conducted in order to understand specific misconceptions better. As novice students transit from instruction to experience in…

This paper describes Macintosh features which can be used in writing interactive programs. A program written in Microsoft BASIC (version 2.0 interpreter) is described which is used to produce plots of electric field produced by two-dimensional arrangements of point charges. It demonstrates the use of pull-down menus, windows on the screen, the…

Results are presented from a faculty development project conducted at Reading Area Community College (RACC) to examine and organize the college's software holdings; prescribe support software for mathematics courses; create a computer literacy unit for the Foundations of Mathematics course; and view and describe RACC's mathematics videotapes. The…

China will suffer into the future from a shortage of computer professionals. With 75% of her population engaged in agriculture, she has only about 100,000 computer professionals, which is less than can be found within a healthy radius of Stanford University. There are 97 "key universities," but only 10 or 15 stand at the top as the…

This report describes the development of a Drexel University electrical and computer engineering course on digital filter design that used interactive computing and graphics, and was one of three courses in a senior-level sequence on digital signal processing (DSP). Interactive and digital analysis/design routines and the interconnection of these…

Books on the general background of computer use and on the programming of computers are reviewed. In a second section, newsletters and journals concerned with computers and computer education are described. (DT)

The findings, recommendations, and conclusions of a policy-oriented, multi-disciplinary study of copyright in computer-readable works are reported. The foundations of copyright are examined for basic principles, and the theory of public goods is applied to develop the rationale for copyright protection. The judicial history of copyright in the…