This article reports on an experiment undertaken in order to evaluate the effect of a program visualization tool for helping students to better understand the dynamics of object-oriented programs. The concrete tool used was BlueJ's debugger and object inspector. The study was done as a control-group experiment in an introductory programming…

If you have worked with computers for any length of time, you have undoubtedly heard the warnings and the recommendations. Data stored on PCs can disappear in a nanosecond. You need to back up any crucial data you cannot risk losing. Ideally, you should store at least one set of crucial back-up data off-site in case of a fire, flood or other…

Embedded systems are increasingly pervasive, and the creation of reliable controlling software offers unique challenges. Embedded software must interact directly with hardware, it must respond to events in a time-critical fashion, and it typically employs concurrency to meet response time requirements. This paper describes an innovative course…

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…

Examines the potential impact of computer system shutdowns as a result of the millennium date change and explores one school district's solution. Suggestions are offered to help districts deal with the "millennium bug" including a Web resource site to receive updates. (GR)

Workers who become adept at using computer software are often asked for help by coworkers. To use their time more efficiently, they should be prepared as effective on-the-spot trainers who might teach a group how to solve a common problem. (SK)

This article represents the second part of a series in this journal called "How to Perform a Security Audit." It continues the conversation on setting up a process for identifying security-related concerns and implementation safeguards. It continues the conversation from the perspective of system monitoring. This article discusses how to use a…

We report on responses to a series of four questions designed to identify pre-existing abilities related to debugging and troubleshooting experiences of novice students before they begin programming instruction. The focus of these questions include general troubleshooting, bug location, exploring unfamiliar environments, and describing students'…

Troubleshooting a corrupted Windows operating system (OS) is a must-learn experience for computer technology students. To teach OS troubleshooting, the simplest approach involves introducing the available tools followed by the "how-to's." But how does a teacher teach his or her students to apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios and help them…

Debugging is often difficult and frustrating for novices. Yet because students typically debug outside the classroom and often in isolation, instructors rarely have the opportunity to closely observe students while they debug. This paper describes the details of an exploratory study of the debugging skills and behaviors of contemporary novice Java…

This guide was started in 1986 as an effort to pull together a collection of several computer guides that had been written over the previous several years to assist schools in making simple computer repairs. The first of six sections contains general tips and hints, including sections on tool requirements, strobe disk speed adjustment, static…

This guide provides instructions for preventive maintenance and for making minor technical adjustments on microcomputers. General hints are provided for all microcomputers concerning static electricity reduction; use of dust covers; heat, magnetic fields, and floppy disks; and the use of halogen fire extinguishers. These are followed by…

This paper reviews the literature related to the learning and teaching of debugging computer programs. Debugging is an important skill that continues to be both difficult for novice programmers to learn and challenging for computer science educators to teach. These challenges persist despite a wealth of important research on the subject dating…

Which high-tech products give you the most grief? Surprisingly, more people singled out TiVo and replay digital recording systems than personal computers, according to a recent survey by Best Buy. Nine percent of people said they found these TV devices difficult to use. The same percentage found PDAs (personal digital assistants) difficult. Only 2…

This document discusses how students and schools can benefit from exchanging computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) files over the Internet, explains how files are exchanged, and examines the problem of selected hardware/software incompatibility. Key terms associated with information search services are defined, and several…