A light box is an apparatus designed to show the logical states of the User Port Pins of a PET microcomputer. Details of this aspect of computer studies are provided to introduce students to the possibilities of microprocessor control. Details of PET User Port interface and sample programs are included. (Author/JN)

A collection of interviews and an overview of the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) are presented. (MP)

Local area networks are common communication conduits allowing various terminals, computers, discs, printers, and other electronic devices to intercommunicate over short distances. Discusses the vocabulary of such networks including RS-232C point-to-point and IEEE-488 multidrop protocols; error detection; message packets; multiplexing; star, ring,…

Features of two versions of the BASIC programing language are compared with the features of the PASCAL programing language. The application chosen for comparison was a word processor. The conclusion was that PASCAL had the best language features, but BASIC had better systems capabilities. (MP)

Suggests that the proper use of computers in the classroom is not in the drill of computer-assisted instruction but as a tool for solving problems in various subjects. In this manner, students learn how computers work as well as learning in subject areas. (Author/IRT)

A glossary of approximately 100 of the most common computing terms. (SJL)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation and performance on college grades for courses taken in the same subject area as students' AP Exam(s). Students' first-year college subject area grade point averages (SGPAs) were examined in nine subject areas: mathematics, computer science,…

The aim of the study is to reveal the students' opinions about the use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant) in learning environment within the context of multimedia based applications. Through purposeful sampling, 17 undergraduate students attending the elective course of BTO 323 Character Design in Computer Environment in the Department of…

This report explores the first iteration of a teacher professional development courselet grounded in constructionist theory and activities. This online teacher professional development (oTPD) courselet provided opportunities for teachers to engage in just-in-time, ongoing TPD within a social networking site for educators. The topic of the oTPD was…

Universal design (UD), a concept that grew from the field of architecture, has recently emerged as a paradigm for designing instructional methods, curriculum, and assessments that are welcoming and accessible to students with a wide range of characteristics, including those related to race, ethnicity, native language, gender, age, and disability.…

The paper presents the facilities offered by the open learner model maintained in the web-based, adaptive, activity-oriented learning environment SCALE (Supporting Collaboration and Adaptation in a Learning Environment), in order to guide online students who become disengaged and support their reengagement. The open learner model (OLM_SCALE)…

This qualitative study explores how using Peer Learning Forums (PLF) in an online asynchronous computer programming course can be analyzed to derive information about Student Activity Focus (SAF) for adult Information Technology students. Three instruments are proposed to assist instructors classify questions posted by students on these forums,…

This paper presents both the design and the pilot formative evaluation study of a computer-based problem-solving environment (named LECGO: Learning Environment for programming using C using Geometrical Objects) for the learning of computer programming using C by beginners. In its design, constructivist and social learning theories were taken into…

This paper describes a model for computer programming outreach workshops aimed at second-level students (ages 15-16). Participants engage in a series of programming activities based on the Scratch visual programming language, and a very strong group-based pedagogy is followed. Participants are not required to have any prior programming experience.…

This article presents a methodology for developing learning objects for web-based courses using the IMS Learning Design (IMS LD) specification. We first investigated the IMS LD specification, determining how to use it with online courses and the student delivery model, and then applied this to a Unit of Learning (UOL) for online computer science…