The research reported here investigates variation in first year university students' early experiences of learning to program, with a particular focus on revealing differences in how they go about learning to program. A phenomenographic research approach was used to reveal variation in how the act of learning to program may be constituted amongst…

The topic of random numbers is investigated in such a way as to illustrate links between mathematics, physics and computer science. First, the generation of random numbers by a classical computer using the linear congruential generator and logistic map is considered. It is noted that these procedures yield only pseudo-random numbers since…

Computer literacy has evolved from writing simple BASIC programs to using desktop productivity applications. The shift from mainframe to personal computer brought about the need to rethink computer literacy courses to introduce basic skills and familiarity using desktop productivity applications. While these skills remain important, the recent…

Project-based learning has been suggested as an appropriate pedagogy to prepare students in information systems for the realities of the business world. Web-based resources have been used to support such pedagogy with mixed results. The paper argues that the design of web-based learning support to cater to different learning styles may give…

A 1993 study compared trends in the structure of qualifications for occupations related to the installation, management, and maintenance of computer networks in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Staff involved in networks required specialized new skills related to feasibility and design, installation,…

This course curriculum is intended for use by community college instructors and administrators in implementing a data communications networking course. A student course syllabus provides this information: credit hours, catalog description, prerequisites, required text, instructional process, objectives, student evaluation, and class schedule. A…

This manual is the first of three manuals for teaching repair skills to entry-level microcomputer service technicians. Although it focuses on basic computer repair skills, it also highlights the people skills needed by service providers. The manual contains 11 units. Each instructional unit includes some or all of these basic components:…

These student materials--study guides, handouts (some are manuals), a workbook, and programmed texts--for a secondary-postsecondary-level course for communications computer programmer are one of a number of military-developed curriculum packages selected for adaptation to vocational instruction and curriculum development in a civilian setting. A…

A class project in a systems programing course at the University of Michigan sought to produce a system realistic enough to warrant production use, the underlying assumption being that the reality of the project would motivate students and provide them with valuable experience. Eighteen experienced students in the Computerized Registration…

More and more secondary schools are becoming interested in introducing their students to computers and computer concepts. A central problem for such schools, however, is obtaining reliable computer service with capacity for all the students who are interested, but at a cost the school can afford. Although many schools use commercial or small-scale…

Reports on performance aspects of educators' person-environment congruence as defined by Holland's occupational classification system. Concludes that the majority were of the Social, Conventional, or Enterprising types and oriented toward non-classroom use of computer literacy developed in the course. (RT)

This work presents innovative cybernetics (feedback) techniques based on Bayesian statistics for drawing questions from an Item Bank towards personalized multi-student improvement. A novel software tool, namely "Module for Adaptive Assessment of Students" (or, "MAAS" for short), implements the proposed (feedback) techniques. In conclusion, a pilot…

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has developed and implemented an innovative, multidisciplinary undergraduate curriculum in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics (MBB). The objective of the MBB program is to give students a hands-on facility with molecular biology theories and laboratory techniques, an…

Active learning is considered by many academics as an important and effective learning strategy. Assessment is integrated in learning as a tool for learning, but traditional assessment methods often encourage surface learning (passive learning) rather than deep learning (active learning). Peer assessment is a method of motivating students,…

This paper was written to evaluate an undergraduate course, Internet Applications in Education, given at Computer Education and Instructional Technologies department at Middle East Technical University in Turkey. In this paper, the researcher analyzes underlying design rationalities of this course from the viewpoint of Constructivism. After…