We studied students' conceptions of correctness and their influence on students' correctness-related practices by examining how 159 students had analyzed the correctness of error-free and erroneous algorithms and by interviewing seven students regarding their work. We found that students conceptualized program correctness as the sum of the…

With the growing popularity of computers and the Internet, most teachers are taking advantage of Internet functions to assist in both teaching and student learning. However, students only login to the assisted learning system once or twice a week on average to surf for relevant references, participate in discussions, or hand in assignments, even…

Presents the design and implementation of a reliable multipeer protocol (RMPP), which is written in Java and is suitable for applications in the area of distributed virtual environments (DVEs). Discusses motivation, protocol classification, design goals and the error recovery algorithm and lists implementation issues. Presents two possible…

Based on a computer-science course, this article outlines an alternative ordering of programming concepts that aims to develop a reuse habit before other styles of programming are developed. Although the discussion is based on transition from Modula-2 to C++, the issues raised apply to transition from any procedural to any object-oriented…

Many engineering schools include computer programming as part of a first-year course taught to large engineering classes. This approach is effective in rationalizing resources and improving the cost-effectiveness of course delivery. In addition, it can lead to wholesale improvements in teaching and learning. However, class sizes and the variety of…

The decisions rural elementary school principals make related to special education programming at their building sites are influenced by a variety of factors. This study employed a qualitative research methodology to investigate the perspectives of four rural elementary school principals concerning the decision-making processes they use as they…

A continuing challenge to the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum is the time-effective incorporation and use of computer-based tools throughout the educational program. Computing skills in academia and industry require some proficiency in programming and effective use of software packages for solving 1) single-model, single-algorithm…

Courses in Computer Architecture and Organization are regularly included in Computer Engineering curricula. These courses are usually organized in such a way that students obtain not only a purely theoretical experience, but also a practical understanding of the topics lectured. This practical work is usually done in a laboratory using simulators…

We propose an extension of the Teaching Machine project, called Quiz Generator, that allows instructors to produce assessment quizzes in the field of algorithm and data structures quite easily. This extension makes use of visualization techniques and is based on new features of the Teaching Machine that allow third-party visualizers to be added as…

The article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" in last Summer's "Atlantic Monthly," raised a number of provocative, and indeed worrisome, questions about computer usage and cognitive development. For instance, persons with considerable experience of reading for the sake of pleasure report that, after a couple of years using computers a great deal, they…

Distance and blended collaborative learning settings are usually characterized by different "social structures" defined in terms of groups' number, dimension, and composition; these structures are variable and can change within the same activity. This variability poses additional complexity to instructional designers, when they are…

The need for professional programmers in embedded applications has become critical for industry growth. This need has increased the popularity of embedded software design courses, which are resource-intensive and space-limited in traditional real lab-based instruction. To overcome geographic and time barriers in enhancing practical skills that…

Objectives: This study used content analysis to explore how much and what type of advertising is present in television programming aimed at toddlers and preschool-aged children and what methods of persuasion are being used to sell products and to promote brands to the youngest viewers. Methods: Four randomly selected, 4-hour blocks (9 AM to 1 PM)…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to determine institutional commitment to sustainability by examining Natural Resource Extension program inputs, activities, and participation. Design/methodology/approach: A document analysis of Natural Resource Extension planning and reporting documents was conducted to provide contextual and historical…

Reading content of the Web is increasingly popular. When students read the same material, each student has a unique comprehension of the text and requires individual support from appropriate references. Most references in typical web learning systems are unorganized. Students are often required to disrupt their reading to locate references. This…