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Aim/Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the extant research on data science education (DSE) to identify the existing gaps, opportunities, and challenges, and make recommendations for current and future DSE. Background There has been an increase in the number of data science programs especially because of the increased appreciation of data as a multidisciplinary strategic resource. This has resulted in a greater need for skills in data science to extract meaningful insights from data. However, the data science programs are not enough to meet the demand for data science skills. While there is growth in data science programs, they appear more as a rebranding of existing engineering, computer science, mathematics, and statistics programs. Methodology A scoping review was adopted for the period 2010-2021 using six scholarly multidisciplinary databases: Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the AIS Basket of eight journals. The study was narrowed down to 91 research articles and adopted a classification coding framework and correlation analysis for analysis. Contribution We theoretically contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the need to scale up data science through multidisciplinary pedagogies and disciplines as the demand grows. This paves the way for future research to understand which programs can provide current and future data scientists the skills and competencies relevant to societal needs. Findings The key results revealed the limited emphasis on DSE, especially in non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. In addition, the results identified the need to find a suitable pedagogy or a set of pedagogies because of the multidisciplinary nature of DSE. Further, there is currently no existing framework to guide the design and development of DSE at various education levels, leading to sometimes inadequate programs. The study also noted the importance of various stakeholders who can contribute towards DSE and thus create opportunities in the DSE ecosystem. Most of the research studies reviewed were case studies that presented more STEM programs as compared to non-STEM. Recommendations for Practitioners We recommend CRoss Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISPDM) as a framework to adopt collaborative pedagogies to teach data science. This research implies that it is important for academia, policymakers, and data science content developers to work closely with organizations to understand their needs. Recommendations for Researchers We recommend future research into programs that can provide current and future data scientists the skills and competencies relevant to societal needs and how interdisciplinarity within these programs can be integrated. Impact on Society Data science expertise is essential for tackling societal issues and generating beneficial effects. The main problem is that data is diverse and always changing, necessitating ongoing (up)skilling. Academic institutions must therefore stay current with new advances, changing data, and organizational requirements. Industry experts might share views based on their practical knowledge. The DSE ecosystem can be shaped by collaborating with numerous stakeholders and being aware of each stakeholder's function in order to advance data science internationally. Future Research The study found that there are a number of research opportunities that can be explored to improve the implementation of DSE, for instance, how can CRISPDM be integrated into collaborative pedagogies to provide a fully comprehensive data science curriculum?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose This paper investigates the gaps between industry and academia perceptions of information technology fields, such as computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering, and it identifies areas of asymmetry between curricula and industry expectations. The study mainly focuses on the skills required of IT professionals (graduated students) and on how higher education institutes equip students for industry. Background Higher education institutes have several IT-related departments. However, it is not clear whether these departments have sufficient content to equip students with industry-related skills. Rapid advances mean that some curriculum topics are redundant before the end of a standard two- or four-year degree programs. Balancing the technical/non-technical skills and adjusting the curricula to better prepare the students for industry is a constant demand for higher education institutions. Several studies have demonstrated that a generic curriculum is inadequate to address current IT industry needs. Methodology The study involved a comprehensive survey of IT professionals and compa- nies using a Web-based questionnaire sent directly to individual companies, academics, and employers. 64 universities and 38 companies in 24 countries were represented by the 209 participants, of whom 99 were IT professionals, 72 academics, and 38 employers. Contribution This paper is intended to guide academics in preparing dynamic curricula that can be easily adapted to current industry trends and technological developments, with content directly relevant to student's careers. In addition, the results may identify the skills that students need to secure employment and the courses that will provide skills in line with current industry trends. Findings The results indicate a lack of emphasis on personal and non-technical skills in undergraduate education compared to general computer science, software development, and coding courses. Employers' and software experts' responses emphasize that soft skills should not be ignored, and that, of these, analytical thinking and teamwork are the two most requested. Rather than a theoretical emphasis, courses should include hands-on projects. Rapid developments and innovations in information technologies demand that spiral and waterfall models are replaced with emerging software development models, such as Agile and Scrum development. Recommendations for Practitioners A multidisciplinary approach should be taken to the teaching of soft skills, such as communication, ethics, leadership, and customer relations. Establishing multiple learning tracks in IT education would equip students with specialized knowledge and skills in IT. An effective communication channel should be established between students and industry. It is also important to reduce the distance between academics and students and to provide an interactive environment for technical discussions. Enterprise level computing and Framework use provide job market advantages. Recommendations for Researchers Researchers and department heads, particularly those involved in curriculum design and accreditation, could use the results of this exemplary study to identify key topics for attention. Impact on Society Changes of various degrees are required in the current curricula in many higher education institutions to better meet student needs. Societies and technology are dynamic in nature, and information technology-related curricula in higher education institutions should be equally dynamic. Future Research Since technology (especially information technology) transforms and advances itself so rapidly, this study should be replicated t to investigate how these changes affect the gap between revised curricula and current industry expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victoria University will introduce a generic Science Degree in 2009. Students in the degree will share a common first year and then choose a specialization, for instance biotechnology, chemistry, computing, food science, or environmental science. This paper reflects on the need for the development of enabling information technology (IT) skills among first-year students in the Degree. Many students already use IT to communicate, collaborate, work, and learn. However, they need to learn how to use technology intelligently, creatively, and ethically to accomplish intellectual pursuits; in addition, they should develop these skills at the beginning of their course, so as to optimize their learning throughout their studies and maximize educational outcomes. How could these skills be developed in students of a generic science degree? Are IT skills generic, too? The paper discusses the growing need for the development of advanced IT skills in science students; it shows the disparity between current university practice and the expectations of the world at large; it examines the generic nature and transferability of advanced IT skills; and, it proposes explicit incorporation of these skills into the curriculum of a generic science degree, including suggestions for effective implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failed Information Technology (IT) projects are common in organisations, as IT solutions often do not meet the expectations of business clients. Business experts often have a negative perception of the people working in the IT function. There seems to be a proverbial "chicken-and-egg situation": the relationship between business and IT suffers because IT projects fail to solve the real business need and, on the other hand, many IT projects fail because of existing interpersonal relationship problems between business- and IT employees. Research was done to identify categories of issues in the business-IT interface and rank them in order of significance. The term "fusion" is used in this paper, to refer to the process by which the elements of the IT function and the rest of the business work together to achieve a common goal. This paper reports on the categories of issues and draws a conclusion of what would constitute fusion in the business-IT interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This positioning paper focuses on the selection of software for educational purposes and how the selection process may encourage usage. Computer Aided Software or Systems Engineering (CASE) tools provided an appropriate e software example for this study. The paper also seeks to examine if the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) such as CASE can aid the students' understanding of systems analysis and design techniques. Entity relationship modelling has been used as the primary technique. Focus groups comprising postgraduate and undergraduate students were used as the main data collection instrument supported by a pre and post assessment test. The findings provided a clear indication of which CASE tool the participants found easiest to use and which tool they were interested in using. It was further found that some tools have unique properties that may assist the user in their understanding. This paper also provides a valuable platform for defining future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the generic issues related to Community Informatics. Utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by human communities; Level of conceptual and hands-on skills of the community members for utilizing the ICTs; Ethical use of systems development methodologies.

Persistence is the term used in computer science to describe a capability to store data structures in non-volatile storage such as a file system or a relational database (Wikipedia, 2003). There is a growing need to simplify the interactions among separate systems and to build complex software systems that are made out of components with well-defined services. At the base-level of such complex systems lies a persistence framework -- a set of classes tailored to save, retrieve, update and delete objects to and from their persistence stores, such as databases and flat files. This paper presents the design, and implementation of the transparent persistence framework called PersistF. Design patterns (Gamma, Helm, Johnson, & Vlissides, 1995) have been widely accepted in the software engineering community as the recommended approach to developing software. Part of the research effort of this work included the application of well-known design patterns in order to build the framework. We present how consistent application of design patterns allowed us to build a fully working persistence framework. In order to support development of modern complex applications, some recent application development environments for different programming languages are built in with some kind of persistence framework. To use these frameworks in target applications, the developer often must go through a steep learning curve as each framework is specific in some way, but namely in respect of configuring the framework's runtime engine with enough information about the domain application. This configuration is often time consuming and error prone. Most of the existing frameworks require complicated configuration steps that are imposed onto the developer. Our aim with this work was to present a framework that will not require such complicated configuration steps and would provide its service to the target application with virtually no configuration of the framework's handling of domain classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the need for and contents of a course in forensic Information Systems and Computer Science at UCT. In order to do this, the reader is introduced to computer crime and shown how the forensic process of identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing, and documenting computer data supposedly used in crimes committed using computers is helping in investigating and solving these types of crime. An actual forensic approach known as the End-to-End Digital Investigation is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roles of variables, which describe stereotypic usages of variables, can be exploited to facilitate teaching introductory programming. This paper describes the evaluation of visual metaphors for roles used in a role-based program animator. The evaluation is based on several criteria: properties of the images, metaphor recognition and grading, and effects on learning. The study demonstrates that as a whole the role metaphors facilitate learning. The results also identify ideas for further elaboration of the individual metaphors. Furthermore, the study suggests that the evaluation of animated metaphors may require special measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the idea of organization transformation appropriate to the advent of information technologies (IT). Specifically, we describe a traceable framework of transformation, which accommodates the shift of information system (IS) support from automating to informating to knowledging. The paper intends to clarify the context of IT/IS-based organization transformation through the contextualization of IS support and its relation to organizational design. This is done by elaborating the design issue of IS support that help structure and facilitate knowledge interconnectivity, through the exposition of the social processes in which, in a specific organizational context, a particular group of people can conceptualize their world and hence the purposeful action they wish to undertake. That provides the basis for ascertaining what information support is needed by those who undertake that action. Only then does it become appropriate to ask how modern IT can help to provide that support. We conclude by reiterating the challenge of designing IS's as meaning attribution systems in which people select certain resources out of the mass potentially available and get them processed by means of IT, to make them meaningful in order to support their purposeful actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationships between jazz and the development of information systems. Similarities are drawn between music in general and information systems development methodologies and jazz is taken as a specific focus. The idea of music as an information system in its own right is outlined. As systems development methodologies move from formal approaches towards more ad hoc forms, the lessons that can be learned from jazz, such as improvisation and shared meaning, may become increasingly useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of an engineer's time in the software industry is spent working with other programmers. Agile methods of software development like eXtreme Programming strongly rely upon practices like daily meetings and pair programming. Hence, the need to learn the skill of working collaboratively is of primary importance for software developers. During computing education, this may be particularly important for the stronger students as they may be the ones who least desire to work with other programmers. Further, programmers need to develop the ability to comprehend the programs developed by others and, also, to write programs that can be easily comprehended by other programmers. Increasing dependence on large amounts of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) makes this even more crucial. Until a decade ago, one weakness in the typical undergraduate experience was the failure to train students to work with other programmers -- in fact it was often considered a form of cheating. Over time, researchers have the need to find a way to allow students to work together within clearly defined boundaries that would be an acceptable practice. A traditional form of pair programming based on the driver-navigator model has been successful in many introductory computer science courses. Its success is noticeable in better performance in computer science assignments, increased team work in and outside class, enhanced learning, and decreased frustration (Cliburn, 2003; Domino, Collins, & Hevner, 2007; McDowell, Werner, Bullock, & Fernald, 2002; Nagappan et al., 2003;Sfetsos, Stamelos, Angelis, & Deligiannis, 2009; Thomas, Ratcliffe, & Robertson, 2003; VanDeGrift, 2004; Williams & Kessler, 2003; Williams, Yang, Wiebe, Ferzli, & Miller, 2002). However, pair programming has its weaknesses too (Bevan, Werner, & McDowell, 2002, Cliburn, 2003; VanDeGrift, 2004). Most of the experiments have the shortcoming of not having been able to create a convincing need for collaboration. Such a situation results in students sitting together, sharing a machine, but not actually collaborating with each other The objective of this paper is to propose a new framework for implementing pair programming in the classroom. Our model of collaborative pair programming is based on Dillenbourg's set of four conditions to set up an active collaborative context. We have transformed the traditional form of pair first work independently and then work on a combined task that brings together their individual tasks. The framework has been experimented within a real classroom environment for the course 'Introduction to Computer Programming' offered to first year engineering students. All the inexperienced programmers were allowed to form pairs, while all the experienced students worked as solo programmers. This was done primarily to compare the performance of experienced versus inexperienced programmers at the end of the course. This comparison helped identify if such an implementation of collaborative pair programming proved advantageous for students. The experiment was well monitored and regulated by four instructors and teaching assistants at any given time. Observations throughout the five months of the course and results from various examinations and feedback mechanisms showed that such a framework for collaborative pair programming enhanced problem solving skills, improved quality of work, and increased trust and teamwork. Final examination results for inexperienced programmers showed a marked increase in their performance when compared to results of experienced programmers. In conclusion, the new framework proved successful by helping inexperienced programmers perform at par with their experienced peers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With universities having difficulty attracting students to study information technology (IT), the scores needed for entry into IT degrees have dropped markedly. IT schools are thus having to cope by adjusting their introductory courses to ensure that students will still learn what is expected but without negatively impacting on pass rates. This paper considers short objective tests, designed by other researchers, to examine whether students who have passed an introductory course have achieved an understanding of fundamental concepts in programming. The Dehnadi test, which was originally designed to be taken before a programming course to predict who would be successful, proved to be useful in showing that many students who had passed an introductory programming course had little or no understanding of fundamental concepts. The test was useful if the number of correct responses was considered. Implications of students passing an introductory course but being unable to respond correctly on a multiple choice test of the most fundamental concepts of programming are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There exists a wealth of computing education literature devoted to interventions designed to overcome novices' difficulties in learning to write computer programs. However, various studies have shown that the majority of students at the end of a semester of instruction are still unable to write a simple computer program, despite the best efforts of their teachers (Lister et al., 2004; McCracken et al., 2001; Soloway, Bonar, & Ehrlich, 1983). In an effort to address this problem, a workshop titled Building Research in Australasian Computing Education (BRACE) was convened in 2004. BRACE brought together academics interested in learning and applying the techniques and methodologies of action research to the problem of poor student code-writing performance. At this workshop, and at those that followed, participants agreed to use end-of-semester assessments to try to pinpoint the key steps and difficulties beginners faced in learning introductory programming. Subsequently the group, which has come to be known as the BRACElet project, has continued to meet twice a year in an effort to better understanding of how students learn and grasp various programming concepts. Over the past five years, the BRACElet project has fostered a multi-institutional community of practice amongst academics who teach novice computer programming. For participants, the BRACElet project provides the benefits of external moderation, quality assurance, and benchmarking of examinations. At a BRACElet meeting, attendees decide upon a small common set of question types for use within their own local examinations; it is the subsequent analysis and discussion of locally collected data from various institutions that comprises the BRACElet project's iterative series of action research. By examining across institutions common difficulties students may have on various question types, such as reading, tracing, and coding, the BRACElet project attempts to build theory on how learners acquire programming knowledge. In 2008, academics from Victoria University joined the BRACElet group. After modifying our end of semester examination to contain the BRACElet core question types, the examination was run and data was collected across the cohort of 32 students. The analysis treated student performance on code writing questions as the dependent variable and looked at the relationship between code writing questions and non-code writing questions. Overall, our study found that the combination of tracing and explaining questions, more so than each skill independently correlates highly to code writing skills supporting the BRACElet notion of a hierarchical development of skills in learning to program. In 2008, academics from Victoria University joined the BRACElet group. After modifying our end of semester examination to contain the BRACElet core question types, the examination was run and data was collected across the cohort of 32 students. The analysis treated student performance on code writing questions as the dependent variable and looked at the relationship between code writing questions and non-code writing questions. Overall, our study found that the combination of tracing and explaining questions, more so than each skill independently correlates highly to code writing skills supporting the BRACElet notion of a hierarchical development of skills in learning to program. From Australasian beginnings, the BRACElet project has continued to attract new collaborators to become a large multi-national, multi-institutional research community that has published over 20 papers, with 28 academics as authors, from 20 tertiary institutions across 7 countries. By joining the BRACElet collective, we have been nurtured in making informed decisions about our own assessment practices and our local research has made a small contribution to the dialogue about understanding how novices learn to program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Methodological reviews have been used successfully to identify research trends and improve research practice in a variety of academic fields. Although there have been three methodological reviews of the emerging field of computer science education research, they lacked reliability or generalizability. Therefore, because of the capacity for a methodological review to improve practice in computer science education and because the previous methodological reviews were lacking, a large scale, reliable, and generalizable methodological review of the recent research on computer science education is reported here. Our overall research question, which has nine subquestions, involved the methodological properties of research reported in articles in major computer science education research forums from the years 2000-2005. The purpose of this methodological review is to provide a methodologically rigorous basis on which to make recommendations for the improvement of computer science education research and to promote informed dialogue about its practice. A proportional stratified random sample of 352 articles was taken from a population of 1306 computer science education articles published from 2000 to 2005. The 352 articles were coded in terms of their general characteristics, report elements, research methodology, research design, independent, dependent, and mediating/moderating variables examined, and statistical practices. A second rater coded a reliability sub-sample of 53 articles. Based on the results of this review, recommendations for improving computer science education research are given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Phenomenology and hermeneutics have long been promoted as sources of inspiration for better information system (IS) design. Practical approaches to applying these philosophical ideas have been awaited for just as long. This paper offers a review of one practitioner's experience in devising a theoretical and methodological 'toolkit' via which these disciplines' principles have been applied in actual IS design practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical look at the likely demise of Computer Science (CS) as a discipline, in the light of various mishaps that academics in Universities have met with due to trial and error. We trace the issues of the past and present and, identify the reasons why computer science as a discipline in many Universities has not moved with time -- in particular why it is not kept up with the pace required by the field. The loss of computer science is also well-reflected in the huge downturn in CS student enrolment across the Anglo-Saxon world. The paper also details some steps on how to change the ways and means of CS academics. We record that some of the arguments and recommendations presented in this paper can be controversial and may not necessarily relate to scenarios that exist in other countries. Further, some of the assertions made are without comprehensive statistical data, as we could not gather them, besides gathering anecdotal evidences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last twenty years has seen the development of demand for a new type of computing professional, which has resulted in the emergence of the academic discipline of Information Technology (IT). Numerous colleges and universities across the country and abroad have responded by developing programs without the advantage of an existing model for guidance. Efforts to define a model curriculum for IT began at the first Conference on Information Technology curriculum (CITC-1) in December 2001, which included representatives from 15 IT programs at four-year universities across the United States. Membership in SIGITE (Special Interest Group Information Technology Education) has grown to over 400 representing many of the four-year IT programs in the United States and abroad and some of the two-year IT programs in the United States. Continued development of the curriculum and subsequent funding by the Education Board of ACM enabled the completion of a first draft of the model curriculum for IT establishing program outcomes and a body of knowledge defining the discipline. This paper presents an overview of the process followed and the results achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a Finnish study of four different academic disciplines, Ylijoki (2000) found that in Computer Science there was a disparity between the conceptions held by undergraduate students and staff about their discipline; students viewed it as being far more pragmatic and results focused than did their instructors. Not surprisingly, here at our Australian university where the undergraduate Computer Science program emphasizes programming and problem solving skills, the authors had noticed a similar inconsistency between staff and student beliefs. This paper reports on an effort to realign these conceptions and broaden student experience using an assessment task. Centered on solutions to the popular 'Sudoku' puzzle (Sudoku, 2005), the task was designed and introduced into an Intelligent Systems course, a final year elective of a Computer Science degree. The goal was to expose students to some of the 'pure' rather than applied aspects of the Computer Science discipline (Becher & Trowler, 2001), by using assessment to encourage experimental learning (Kolb & Fry, 1975). The assessment specification instructed students to design and conduct several 'in silica' Computer Science experiments to solve and/or create Sudoku puzzles. Importantly, students were asked to keep a Research Diary documenting their thoughts, attempts, backtracking and progresses as they attempted the assignment. Most unique from a student's perspective was that 'failure' to solve the given problem by experimentation was a viable option; their efforts would be rewarded given they conducted themselves 'scientifically' in their attempt. The inclusion of a Research Diary as part of the assessment proved beneficial to both students and staff, particularly as the Diaries focused students on the doing, rather than on the results achieved. For staff, these journals allowed the privilege of seeing what students were thinking and doing as they engaged in the problem. An early analysis of Diary entries shows evidences of students 'thinking scientifically', that is, understanding and thinking about the problem before formalizing an approach to a solution. In addition, Diary entries also show evidences of students 'behaving scientifically' as they reported conducting experiments and analyzing their results, before concluding about their experiences. For students, regardless of whether they able to complete the task, the Research Diaries were valuable testaments to their efforts and experimentations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Providing adequate computing lab support for Management Information Systems (MIS) and Computer Science (CS) programs is a perennial challenge for most academic institutions in the US and abroad. Factors, such as lack of physical space, budgetary constraints, conflicting needs of different courses, and rapid obsolescence of computing technology, precipitate this challenge. While introductory computing courses can be adequately supported through general labs, advanced computing courses typically require dedicated labs. Normally, however, even a dedicated lab must simultaneously support multiple courses with diverse support requirements. Consequently, in designing dedicated computing labs, versatility and flexibility of the lab must be the prime consideration. Drawing on the insights gained from developing a dedicated lab, the authors present a model for developing a versatile, flexible lab to support computer network courses. The proposed model entails a modular design approach which offers ease of management, configuration and upgrading of the lab by decoupling the lab functions into layers. The layered design divides the lab into four management layers: (1) wiring layer, (2) networking layer, (3) server systems layer, and (4) support procedures layer. Each layer offers a versatile and configurable design and serves as a foundation for the next higher layer. Wiring layer minimizes the wire configuration efforts and enhances wiring flexibility by utilizing patch panels at the computer desks and the racks housing networking devices, and sufficient underground wiring between desks and racks. The underground wiring allows for network, telephone and serial cable connections as needed. Network layer builds LANs, subnets and internets with minimal configuration effort through a careful arrangement of network hubs, switches, routers, and firewalls. The network layer distinguishes between permanent networks needed in the lab, called pre-configured networks, and the networks that are assembled and disassembled by the students, called configurable networks. The network address allocation schemes for different types of network experiments are also discussed. Server systems layer covers two categories of servers: pre-configured servers and configurable servers. Pre-configured servers, such as DNS and file servers, are production servers that support network experiments. Configurable servers are hardware platforms that can be configured as needed according to experimental needs. The last layer, procedural layer, provides policies, guidelines and operational procedures that are needed for proper utilization of the lab space and the equipment. The paper also illustrates the application of the proposed model through the design and configuration of the computing lab for network courses underlying this case study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Computer science is becoming increasingly important in our society. Meta skills, such as problem solving and logical and algorithmic thinking, are emphasized in every field, not only in the natural sciences. Still, largely due to gaps in tuition, common misunderstandings exist about the true nature of computer science. These are especially problematic for high school students, who need to have a realistic view of what studying computer science would be like in order to make advised decisions about their future careers. The principal objective of Finnish high schools is to prepare young students for further studies and life in general; it can therefore be seen as something of a paradox that these schools are not obliged to provide their students with tuition in computer science. In this paper we describe the project DASK (DAtakunskap i SKolan, Computer Science in Schools), which aims at introducing computer science to Swedish-speaking high school students by providing university level computer science courses on the web. The purpose is to give a realistic view of computer sciecomputence, at the same time removing any potential misunderstandings about its true nature. The DASK-curriculum includes web-based versions of the five basic courses taught at the university with no trade-offs in either contents or difficulty level. The main focus is on student activity, emphasizing the importance of continuous work throughout the courses. We have formulated the ActiWe (Active on the Web) principle, a main guideline applied when designing, developing and giving the courses. Instructors at the university are responsible for the courses in most ways (acting as the course lecturer, maintaining the material, checking assignments, giving feedback etc.), but each high school has a contact teacher who supports the students locally. DASK was initiated in 2002, and has been popular from the very beginning; feedback from both students and teachers has been positive. In a recently conducted survey (January 2005), many of the teachers stated that their schools would not be able to provide any computer science-related courses on their own, thus indicating a definite need for the DASK-courses. In addition, the high number of participants registering for the first course each year implies that there is a genuine interest for computer science among high school students. Our experience shows that the greatest challenges for both students and university instructors are time-related: in most schools, the DASK-courses are not given time in the schedule and are thus not part of the actual tuition; this leads to already stressful periods becoming even more burdensome for the students. Giving the DASK-courses has also proved to be time-consuming for the university instructors; much time and effort has to be invested in maintaining the material, but particularly in giving individual feedback for assignments to all students on a weekly basis. A future challenge is thus to improve the time management of both students and instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have suggested that up to 50% of the effort in development of information systems is devoted to user interface development (Douglas, Tremaine, Leventhal, Wills, & Manaris, 2002; Myers & Rosson, 1992). Yet little study has been performed on the inclusion of important interface and human-computer interaction topics into a current information technology related curriculum. Particularly the IS (Information Systems) discipline has shown little interest in identifying and clarifying those topics and techniques that should be included in its curriculum. This paper reviews the literature in all areas of computing and information systems and sciences to determine importance of human-computer interaction and define interface topics that are generally regarded as most important for technology students. A review of classic, pedagogical and current HCI (human-computer interaction) literature is performed in this work. Within the broad category of HCI two major subcategories emerge - People and Process. Within these subcategories, twelve specific topic areas are identified. The topics are Interface Requirements, Interface and GUI (Graphical User Interface) Design, Interface Analysis, Assessment and Evaluation, Design Psychology, Human Behavior and Abilities, Implementation, Collaboration, Communications, and Teamwork, Costs/Benefits, Testing, Prototyping, and Disability. Each of these areas is vitally important to the future system designer. This study next reviews specific hands-on assignments to explore the topics identified. The computer science curriculum as proposed by the "Joint IEEE Computer Society/ACM Task Force" includes many of these important areas. The Information Systems Model curriculum only makes passing reference to HCI and Interface Design. The author currently teaches a junior level course in Organization and Design of Information Systems: User and System Principles. For the most part, this is a course in interface design and human-computer interaction. The author has incorporated the twelve key concepts in both lecture materials as well as specific hands-on activities. The activities include HCI Gone Wild which challenges the students to prepare a fanciful, out-of-the-box interface to a common product or application. Sound exercise considers new uses and inclusion of an underutilized human sense. Expert elicitation explores the challenges of requirements analysis. User interface forces students to develop prototypes with disability issues in mind. Evaluation requires development of high level assessment, testing and communication skills so essential in interface design. The positive student evaluations of both the exercises and the course suggest that the materials and assignments are stimulating high interest and appreciation for the complexities of designing with the user in mind. Further course improvements that will be incorporated as a result of multiple semester feedback include more focus on subtleties of new technologies such as wireless, portals, and web services as well as inclusion of game design to even more actively engage students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching future knowledge engineers, the necessary skills for designing and implementing intelligent software solutions required by business, industry and research today, is a very tall order. These skills are not easily taught in traditional undergraduate computer science lectures; nor are the practical experiences easily reinforced in laboratory sessions. In an attempt to address this issue, a software development project, designed to take students through a complete process of knowledge engineering, was introduced in an undergraduate Intelligent Systems subject. In this project, students were required to act as domain experts, knowledge engineers, programmers, end users and project manager in the production of a game-playing expert system. The paper describes the project, its objectives and development, as well as some of the benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to define IT curriculum and accreditation standards began at the first Conference on Information Technology Curriculum (CITC-1) in December 2001, which included representatives from 15 Information Technology (IT) programs at four-year schools in the United States, and representatives from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Since this conference, this work has been ongoing at CITC-2 (April 2002), CITC-3 (September 2002), and CITC-4 (October 2003), and through committee work which has progressed between these conferences. The three main thrusts of this work have been to define standards for accreditation of IT programs, to define a model curriculum for IT programs, and to distinguish IT programs from the most closely-related academic programs, such as Information Systems and Computer Science. Membership in SIGITE (Special Interest Group on Information Technology Education) of the ACM is now over 300 members and represents most 4-year IT programs and several 2-year IT programs in the United States; the outcome of these three main thrusts should therefore be of wide interest to all those in related programs or at institutions considering forming a similar program. This paper gives some of the details of the results of the work on these three thrusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IS professional is a person endowed with certain professional skills and attributes usually formally obtained through an education process. The IS professional may also have formal skills in peripheral, non technical areas that may too be obtained through a formal education process. This is typical now in the education of IS students who are aspiring IS professional. In addition they come with a range of soft skills that may be attitudinal and influenced by life and work experiences. This paper suggests that these skills, attributes and work environment do not sit in isolation from each other, but interact in an as yet unmeasured way. How this happens with students studying towards an IS qualification is discussed here and a structural model is developed to explain the interactions. The value of this research is that a picture is presented that shows the interactions between these important elements in a quantitative way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To succeed in the global marketplace, companies must reposition themselves to tap the sources of sustainable growth. After failing to connect information technology investments with business performance, successful senior managers today know that 'effective use of information' does not equal merely a new IT solution. Instead, business performance can only be improved with an excellence at using information proactively, sensing and processing information appropriately, and deploying IT for management support. The knowledge workers, on whom every company depends since the success depends on how fast they utilize proper information, should be the focus of information use in organizations. The paper presents three information capabilities that form information orientation, a high-level idea of senior managers, which embraces expectations of the business community regarding business-information systems professionals. Based on that presentation, a framework of topics for MScIS/MBA educational programs is developed. Findings can serve as a guideline when building, revising and endorsing contemporary and relevant curricula for mentioned programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The career paths of students are influenced and shaped by the subject choices that are made in the final years of secondary schooling. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study that identified the key factors influencing the decision of rural / regional Australian students to choose or not choose to study Information Processing and Technology. The findings revealed that career oriented, extrinsic factors play an important role in motivating the selection of I.P.T. at school and, by implication, information technology at university. There are few apparent gender differences but there is limited evidence to suggest that males may be more influenced by extrinsic motivators and females by intrinsic motivators. Although the factors used in the study were initially identified largely via informal processes, they all appear to influence the decision to take I.P.T. The focus on career-related factors and the instrumentality of taking I.P.T. could explain the drop-off in students taking the subject. This has potentially significant implications as regards the future supply of good information technology professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how a set of 'mandated' generic graduate attributes were incorporated, by a retrofit, into an IS undergraduate degree program. The current challenge is to implement these attributes completely by matching them to course objectives, by explicitly including and assessing them, and by refining teaching and learning strategies to be cognisant of them. Other considerations identified are the extent to which these attributes actually suit the needs of IT/business graduates (including those contemplating postgraduate study), employers of IS graduates, and professional bodies. Attributes not addressed in the generic set are also considered as are attributes students possess prior to beginning degree studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era of increased accountability in assessing student learning outcomes, greater emphasis has been focused on factors that influence student learning. In this paper we examine the impact of instructional methods and information technology on student learning styles, all critical factors affecting student learning. A research framework that suggests the relationship of instructional processes and information technology to learning styles is proposed. Using the framework, pre-and post-tests based on the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scales were used to assess changes in student learning styles over the course of a semester in three college-level courses. Through specific instructional intervention coupled with collaborative projects and the use of course-management software, the results of the assessments showed a significant increase in students' Collaborative, Participant, and Independent learning styles over the course of the semester. Implications for practice and additional research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third year systems development group project forms an essential part of the Information Systems major at the University of Cape Town. The field of Information Technology / Information Systems requires the maintenance or development of large information systems which often involves complex tasks. As effective teams are at the core of high performance organizations exposure to teamwork is important in the preparation of students for the real world environment. To ensure high quality products and limit high failure rates of projects, teams should be carefully selected. This paper explores existing team selection approaches and discusses the mechanisms put in place in the systems development group project with the emphasis on self-selected teams as a sound base for team formation. It further reports on the incorporation of the criteria defining effectiveness and effective teams into the course to prepare individual members for the rigours of industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computers, digitalization and the Internet have transformed modern society. Commerce, education, communication and socialization will never be the same. Surprisingly, many universities do not require a computing course in the core curriculum. Critical information technology (IT) competencies are often taken for granted, to the detriment of students who lack computing and Internet skills. This paper describes an initiative undertaken by a computer science and information systems department to assess and remediate IT skills needed by all university students, regardless of major. The project is evolving along several dimensions: identification of discipline-independent IT competencies, assessment of IT skills among current and incoming students, and curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the Information Technology Model Curriculum. The Association for Computing Machinery has published the earliest computing curriculum for computer science in 1968. Human Computer Interaction and Information Management are among the knowledge areas contained in a IT baccalaureate program.

Focuses on the insights and lessons learnt surrounding the spread of misinformation resulting from a hoax electronic mail sent in South Africa. Investigation of the perceived divergence of the ethical and legal perspectives; Use of case studies in teaching computer ethics; Investigation of the cyber-tracks of the disseminated e-mail message.

One of the greatest concerns for many employers recruiting beginning information systems (IS) professionals is not the new recruit's inadequacies in discipline skills or knowledge, but their general lack of the skills required to work effectively within a collaborative team in a changing workplace environment. It is the responsibility of education institutions to prepare beginning IS professionals for this change in how work is done and the change in the workplace for which they are to be employed. The research reported here examined what industry purports to want and what the literature says they need. Findings from the research identified a number of skills, attitudes and knowledge required for a team member to be effective on a collaborative work effort in the IS profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A historical account is presented of the evolution of a new postgraduate level university course dealing with the psychology of computer programming. An outline of the course is presented and its objectives are discussed, as well as possible reasons for its premature demise and initiatives that could be undertaken to resurrect the format in a new guise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose Our research goal was to examine the factors that motivate women to enroll in Computer Science (CS) courses in order to better understand the small number of women in the field of CS. Background This work is in line with the growing interest in better understanding the problem of the underrepresentation of women in the field of CS. Methodology We focused on a college that differs in its high numbers of female CS students. The student population there consists mostly of religious Jews; some of them are Haredi, who, because of their unique lifestyle, are expected to be the breadwinners in their family. Following group interviews with 18 students, a questionnaire was administered to all the female students and 449 of them responded. We analyzed it statistically. We compared the responses of the Haredi and non-Haredi students. Contribution The main contribution of this work lies in the idea that studying the factors underlying women's presence in a CS program in unique communities and cultures, where women are equally represented in the field, might shed light on the nature of this phenomenon, especially whether it is universal or confined to the surrounding culture. Findings There were significant differences between the Haredi and non-Haredi women regarding the importance they attributed to different factors. Haredi women resemble, regarding some social and economic variables, women in developing countries, but differ in others. The non-Haredi women are more akin to Western women, yet they did not completely overlap. Both groups value their family and career as the most important factors in their lives. These factors unify women in the West and in developing countries, though with different outcomes. In the West, it deters women from studying CS, whereas in Israel and in Malaysia, other factors can overcome this barrier. Both groups attributed low importance to the masculine image of CS, found important in the West. Hence, our findings support the hypothesis that women's participation in the field of CS is culturally dependent. Recommendations for Practitioners It is important to learn about the culture within which women operate in order to attract more women to CS. Recommendations for Researchers Future work is required to examine other loci where women are underrepresented in CS, as well as how the insights obtained in this study can be utilized to decrease women's underrepresentation in other loci. Impact on Society Women's underrepresentation in CS is an important topic for both economic and social justice reasons. It raises questions regarding fairness and equality. In the CS field the gender pay gaps are smaller than in other professional areas. Thus, resolving the underrepresentation of women in CS will serve as a means to decrease the social gender gap in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose The primary objective of this research is to build an enhanced framework for Applied and Computational Math. This framework allows a variety of applied math concepts to be organized into a meaningful whole. Background The framework can help students grasp new mathematical applications by comparing them to a common reference model. Methodology In this research, we measure the most frequent words used in a sample of Math and Computer Science books. We combine these words with those obtained in an earlier study, from which we constructed our original Computational Math scale. Contribution The enhanced framework improves the Computational Math scale by integrating selected concepts from the field of Data Science. Findings The resulting enhanced framework better explains how abstract mathematical models and algorithms are tied to real world applications and computer implementations. Future Research We want to empirically test our enhanced Applied and Computational Math framework in a classroom setting. Our goal is to measure how effective the use of this framework is in improving students' understanding of newly introduced Math concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The under representation of women and minorities in undergraduate computer science and information systems programs is a pervasive and persistent problem in the United States. Needed is a better understanding of the background and psychosocial factors that attract, or repel, minority students from computing disciplines. An examination of these factors is the focus of this multimethodological study that has been conducted over three phases with three separate populations. During phase 1, a survey was administered to students, who were non computer science or information systems majors, enrolled in computer applications courses at both a public and a private Historically Black Universities located in Maryland. The purpose was to examine whether a correlation existed between institutional type and access, education, counseling, and exposure to computing and/or information systems. Analysis of the data found that the participating students came to college with little information about computer science (CS) and information systems (IS) as fields of study. However, a significant disparity was found when institutional type was considered. According to the findings the students attending the private minority-serving institution reported greater access to technology, skill levels, and computing studies prior to entering college. In the second phase of the study, a satisfaction survey was administered, to students majoring in computer science at the public Historically Black University. The purpose was to examine the pre-college preparedness of minority students and whether differences would exist between the responses of the male and female participants. The respondents reported that they did not come to college with the adequate programming skills and/or prior training to succeed as a CS major, with females found to be less prepared than males. In the third phase of the study, a focus group was held with CS students in order to consider changes that would increase the enrollment and retention of underrepresented students. The participants suggested that the addition of bridge programs, increased scholarship opportunities, and greater academic support would increase the enrollment, success, and retention of underrepresented students in CS and IS majors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The expansion of digital technologies and the rapid changes they undergo through time face users with new cognitive, social, and ergonomic challenges that they need to master in order to perform effectively. In recent years, following empirical reports on performance differences between different age-groups, there is a debate in the research literature concerning the nature of these differences: whether they reflect age-related cognitive abilities of the users, or that they are related to the usability and experience of users with the technologies. This study attempts to establish whether changes in digital literacy, through a period of five years, are age-dependent or the result of experience with technology. The study is based on empirical findings from two independent studies of Eshet-Alkalai & Amichai-Hamburger (2004), which investigated digital literacy skills among different age groups, and of Eshet-Alkalai and Chajut (2009), which investigated changes over time in these digital literacy skills among the same participants five years later. In order to distinguish between the age-related and the experience-related factors, the present study reports on findings from control groups of a similar age and demographic background, which were tested with tasks similar to Eshet-Alkalai & Chajut (2009). Results show two major patterns of change over time: (1) closing the gap between younger and older participants in tasks that emphasize experience and technical control (photo-visual and branching tasks); (2) widening the gap between younger and older participants in tasks that emphasize creativity and critical thinking (reproduction and information tasks). Based on the results from the control groups, we suggest that experience with technology, and not age-dependent cognitive development, accounts for the observed life-long changes in digital literacy skills. Results, especially the sharp decrease in information skills, suggest that the ability to find information or use digital environments does not guarantee an educated or smart use of digital environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since 2001, there has been a dramatic decline in Information Technology and Computer Science student enrolments worldwide. As a consequence, many institutions have evaluated their offerings and revamped their programs to include units designed to capture students' interests and increase subsequent enrolment. Likewise, at Victoria University the trend of declining student numbers warranted examination of the existing computing programs and their viability; extensive reviews recommended that all existing undergraduate computing programs should be replaced by a single, new, three-year offering in network and systems computing. The decision was supported by extensive market research and evidence of a strong market demand and future needs for networking and systems specialists in Australia. In designing this new degree program, it was necessary to identify the needs of various stakeholders, such as students, academics, the university, industry, and the professional body. Surveys of recent graduates and industry partners, reinforced by professional accreditation demands, indicated the need for a program to include up-to-date technical competencies and the development of work-readiness skills in students. Aware of University requirements, academics undertook considerable discussion with their peers and thorough research of similar programs elsewhere in preparation for the development of the curriculum in network and systems computing. The resultant program structure is a divergence from the traditional computer science offering of our Faculty. It is innovative in its incorporation of industry-based certifications to allow students to gain relevant practical, hands-on work-related experience. The program consists of instruction in core competencies in networks and communications, supported by the teaching of skills in computer systems, programming, and database systems. Each of these proficiencies is further consolidated by professional development studies. The new program aligns with the University's strategic directions and satisfies professional body accreditation and it is expected to meet student expectations and fulfill a market need for graduates skilled in systems administration with networking expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a virtual memory system using demand paging, the page fault rate of a process varies with the number of memory frames allocated to the process. When an increase in the number of frames allocated leads to an increase in the number of page faults, Belady's anomaly is said to occur. In this study we used computer simulation to examine four conditions that affect the incidence of Belady's anomaly: (1) page replacement algorithm (FIFO vs. Random Page), (2) process size, (3) reference string length, and (4) memory frames allocated to the process. We found that over a wide range of process sizes and reference string lengths, Belady's anomaly occurred for up to 58.6% of the (random) reference strings under FIFO, and up to 100% of the reference strings for Random Page. Under conditions where anomalies occur most often, the average frame allocation level was around 75% of the process size for FIFO, but just over 50% of the process size for Random Page. Throughout the study, Belady's anomaly occurred so frequently that it no longer seems anomalous. This is especially true for the Random Page algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service-Oriented Computing (SOC) is a new computing paradigm that has been adopted by major computer companies as well as government agencies such as the Department of Defense for mission-critical applications. SOC is being used for developing Web and electronic business applications, as well as robotics, gaming, and scientific applications. Yet, SOC education is lagging. In spite of significant progresses in SOC technology and applications, SOC education has not been taught in introductory classes, even if it is technologically feasible. Most of the existing SOC courses are either graduate seminars or senior-level courses at various universities. On the other hand, SOC is component-based and introduces a high-level of abstraction, which makes it possible to teach computing within an application domain, such as robotics. In other words, the SOC learning process focuses more on the application logic rather than the syntax of programming languages, potentially making computer education entertaining. The Computer Science & Engineering Department and the College of Education at Arizona State University, in cooperation with the Scottsdale Unified School District and Coronado High School, pioneered the first SOC course for high schools (grades 9 through 12) in the Spring and Fall of 2007. The course was also offered in summers 2006, 2007, and 2008 to high school students and teachers. This course is designed so that even high school students without any computing training can learn the latest software technologies in an entertaining manner. Specifically, this course uses a visual programming environment so students can design their software visually. Thus, they can learn control constructs but do not need to focus on the details of programming language syntax. Furthermore, once the software is designed, a visual 3-D simulator can give students instantaneous feedback. Finally, the software designed can be downloaded into LEGO robots for robotic competition. Most students who took the course rated the course "very well" or "pretty well" and some indicated that they are interested enough to contemplate pursuing computer science as their career. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

(This work represents an update to research published at the 2006 Informing Science and Information Technology Education Conference. De Villiers, M.R. (2006). Multi-Method Evaluations: Case Studies of an Interactive Tutorial and Practice System. Available at http://proceedings.informingscience.org/InSITE2006/ProcDeVi225.pdf) The teaching and learning of a complex section in Theoretical Computer Science 1 in a distance-education context at the University of South Africa (UNISA) has been enhanced by a supplementary e-learning application called Relations, which interactively teaches mathematical skills in a cognitive domain. It has tutorial and practice functionality in a classic computer-aided instruction (CAI) style and offers considerable learner control. A participative action research approach was used to design, develop, evaluate, and refine the application over a longitudinal period. In this process the application was formatively and summatively evaluated by different methods -- questionnaire surveys, interviews, heuristic evaluation and a post-test. This article explains the purpose, structure, and operation of Relations and notes how the various evaluation methods resulted in iterative refinements to its functionality, learning content, and usability. The findings lead to reflection. Conventional computer-aided instruction and learning (CAI/L) has a role to play in the milieu of e-learning. CAI can present efficient instruction, motivate and engage learners, challenge them with meaningful exercises, and can support effective learning. The students requested more such tutorial and practice environments. Relations' greatest strength is its excellent diagnostic feedback, attested to by learners and expert evaluators alike. Courseware authoring systems have powerful facilities that can be used to judge the learner-input and provide appropriate, detailed, tailor-made feedback. This can be done in web-based learning (WBL) too, using specialized web-programming languages, but it is more complex. A further obstacle to the use of WBL at UNISA is that many UNISA students still lack broadband Internet access. The designer and developers of Relations used technology, not for its own sake, but rather to motivate and to illustrate concepts in ways that enhance cognition. Technology should be the medium and not the message. The blue-water recreational theme was well received by the majority of learners and expert evaluators, who acknowledged its role in providing brief interludes of diversion and relaxation in a demanding cognitive domain. The concepts of usability and interaction design from the discipline of human computer interaction (HCI) are receiving increasing attention in the development of commercial and corporate software. It is equally important to produce usable applications in educational contexts where the users are not professionals in the workplace, but learners who must first be able to use and interact with a system before they can even commence learning. Many learners approach e-learning after exposure to commercial software. As far as possible, learning applications should use operations and keypresses that support the HCI principles of predictability and consistency with familiar systems. In certain respects Relations falls short in this respect, but it was found to be easy to learn and use. It adheres to the fundamental principle of internal consistency, where a system's own internal operations are characterized by predictability and visibility. This study offers lessons for new CAI environments. The teaching approaches in Relations present multi-perspectives on a concept and multiple representations of content. These methods were successful and could be supplemented by multi-modal presentations in contexts where they would add value.… [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The diversity and interdisciplinarity of computer science and the multiplicity of its uses in other sciences make it hard to define computer science and to prescribe how computer science should be carried out. The diversity of computer science also causes friction between computer scientists from different branches. Computer science curricula, as they stand, have been criticized for being unable to offer computer scientists proper methodological training or a deep understanding of different research traditions. At the Department of Computer Science and Statistics at the University of Joensuu we decided to include in our curriculum a course that offers our students an awareness of epistemological and methodological issues in computer science, and we wanted to design the course to be meaningful for practicing computer scientists. In this article the needs and aims of our course on the philosophy of computer science are discussed, and the structure and arrangements--the whys, whats, and hows--of that course are explained. The course, which is given entirely on-line, was designed for advanced graduate or postgraduate computer science students from two Finnish universities: the University of Joensuu and the University of Kuopio. The course has four relatively broad themes, and all those themes are tied to the students' everyday work or their own research topics. I have prepared course readings about each of those four themes. The course readings describe, in a compact and simple form, the cruces of the topics that are discussed in the course. The electronic version of the course readings includes hyperlinks to a large number of articles that are available on-line. The course readings are publicly available on the course home page, and they are licensed under the creative commons license. The first theme in the course is centered around a fundamental question--What is computer science? Students are introduced to the disciplinary history of computer science, to a number of characterizations of computer science made by the pioneers of the discipline, and to some methodological and epistemological viewpoints on computer science. The second theme is centered around the question--What is science? Students are introduced to, for instance, the concepts of pure and applied science, "hard" and "soft" sciences, the aims of science, the scientific method, scientific reasoning, the formation of scientific concepts and theories, and the Science Wars. The third theme concerns the division of computer science into its theoretical, engineering, and empirical traditions. The lecture notes introduce the students to descriptions of computer science that emphasize the mathematical tradition over other traditions and to descriptions that emphasize engineering or empirical traditions. The fourth theme is the philosophy of science. Throughout the course terminology of the philosophy of science is used, and the students are introduced to a number of central issues in the philosophy of science, to some of the most notable schools in the philosophy of science, and to some critical views of science. This course is aimed at providing a broad understanding of the different traditions of computer science, of the methodological differences between the branches of computer science, of the strengths and limitations of the different traditions in computer science, and of how the philosophy of science can be of help to computer scientists. In the course, critical reading and well-argumented writing are encouraged. The students learn that there are many problems that do not have clear-cut answers; they learn that there are many open problems where multiple incompatible, yet credible viewpoints can be defended. The students also learn to articulate their own positions, to defend those positions, to comment and criticize other positions, and to reflect and rethink their positions according to criticism. The students also get the chance to think about the intellectual foundations of their own work and their own research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Improving learning effectiveness has always been a constant challenge in software education and training. One of the primary tasks educators face is to motivate learners to perform to their best abilities. Using computer games is one means to encourage learners to learn (Klawe, 1994). When games are used in general education, they could enhance self-esteem for the learners, reduce training time and instructor load, provide more opportunities for practice and enhance knowledge acquisition (Brownfield & Vik, 1983; Ricci, 1994). Moreover, researchers have noted many benefits of using computer games in IT education as well. For instance, it has been shown that a game-based environment is more enjoyable to the users than a traditional environment in IT training (Venkatesh, 1999). In this study, we focused on one game: IBM Robocode. We examined the characteristics of Robocode and the Robocode community. We addressed the following research questions: (1) How did the Robocode game influence the participant's learning outcomes? Did the participant's programming skills and knowledge improve after playing the Robocode game? (2) Was the Robocode game enjoyable to participants with different ages, education and skill levels? (3) What did the participants like the most about the Robocode game? (4) What were the factors that influence the participant's motivation? (5) What activities of the game were more enjoyable? To answer these questions, we conducted a survey of Robocode participants. Our sample was randomly drawn from the online forum of the Robocode community. We sent out a total of 500 surveys and generated 83 valid responses. Regarding the effectiveness in learning new programming skills using Robocode, we found that about 80% of the participants' programming skills increased after playing Robocode. We also found that Robocode was enjoyable not only to younger participants but also to older--and often more experienced--participants. Our results also showed that participants in various education levels and expertise levels all enjoyed Robocode. Examining the motivation for the learners to participate in the game, we found that to have fun (an intrinsic motivator) was the most common reason. Another important factor, also an intrinsic motivator, was the opportunity to learn new programming skills. Extrinsic motivators, such as "to win the game", "to win the prize in the contest" and "to gain peer recognition", proved to be far less significant. Furthermore, we examined the factors that made Robocode fun. Among the factors listed, "to be able to solve problems on my own" was chosen most frequently. "To be able to be creative" was identified as the second most important factor. Both factors are most closely related to the autonomy category of intrinsic motivation. "To be able to put skills in use" and "to be able to learn new skills" were also selected as important factors. Both factors could be classified as competence motivators. Our results are consistent with the previous theories on motivation that the more autonomy and competence the learner has, the more fun the learning process. We also found that the Robocode participants enjoyed some activities of the game more than other activities. Among the Robocode activities, discovering algorithms was chosen as the most enjoyable. Designing the architecture was highly enjoyable as well. On the other hand, writing the code and testing and debugging were less enjoyable. Our research could provide a better understanding of how to incorporate Robocode and similar games in software programming education. The results from our study could be valuable not only to practitioners, but also to researchers examining the methods to improve software education and training. Instructors hoping to improve learning outcomes could leverage a programming game such as Robocode as an education and training tool to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes. It might also be interesting to broaden the scope and utilize Robocode or similar games in higher-level courses, or even graduate courses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The problems encountered by students in first year computer programming units are a common concern in many universities including Victoria University. A fundamental component of a computer science curriculum, computer programming is a mandatory unit in a computing course. It is also one of the most feared and hated units by many novice computing students who, having failed or performed poorly in a programming unit, often drop out from a course. This article discusses some of the difficulties experienced by first year programming students, and reviews some of the initiatives undertaken to counter the problems. The article also reports on the first stage of a current research project at Victoria University that aims to develop a balanced approach to teaching first year programming units; its goal is to 'befriend' computer programming to help promote success among new programming students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented growth, development and implementation of information technology (IT) driven by e-commerce and other technological advances have resulted in an increased demand of technology skilled workers (Reichgelt, Zhang, & Price, 2002; United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005). In response to degree-dependent employment requirements, academic institutions have fallen prey to the laws of supply and demand. The increased interest in obtaining IT-related positions has prompted students to enroll in IT-related degree programs. The government has supported universities interested in developing such programs by providing grants to build schools and colleges of information sciences and technology (IST). Furthermore, as IST programs grow by leaps and bounds, universities and accreditation organizations have been working to develop guidelines by which to monitor and maintain academic standards. This study identifies national standards for IST baccalaureate programs in the United States. A survey containing 138 IST standard criteria grouped in 15 categories was sent to 50 individuals affiliated with five IST-related accrediting bodies in the United States: the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (2006); the American Library Association (ALA) (2003); American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) (2002); the Business Accreditation Committee (BAC) (2002); and the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) (2001), who served as a panel of experts in the area of IST to identify a theoretical framework for IST degree programs. The results of the survey revealed that all respondents agreed with the IST program standards outlined in this study. The IST standards categories outlined in this study may be utilized by any academic organization interested in developing, implementing, evaluating, or improving their IST degree program. Future studies could be conducted to identify degree requirements for virtual or online IST degree programs, graduate degree programs, and/or continuing education IST programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Budgetary constraints are almost a constant challenge confronted by academia. In the case of small colleges and universities, these constraints become even more pronounced when these institutions enhance their programs to meet the needs of their constituents. While in some cases program enhancement might simply be accomplished by hiring new faculty members; in others, it might require additional resources. This is especially true for computer science or management information systems programs; the changes or enhancements in these programs also mean additional computing lab support. However, budgetary constraints, lack of physical space to house the labs, conflicting needs of different courses, and rapid obsolescence of technology only exacerbate this dilemma. Needless to say, overcoming these challenges requires some pragmatic thinking and approaches. Based on their own experiences in dealing with these same challenges, the authors suggest the following guidelines for configuring computing labs that are cost-effective, flexible and versatile: * Categorize computinbudgg courses, based on their computing support requirement, into groups such as general computing, advanced computing, and special projects courses. * As far as possible, support general computing courses through open/general labs and, thereby, minimize the demand for dedicated/special computing labs. * The advanced computing courses will likely require dedicated labs, due to unique software and/or hardware requirements. For most institutions, creating a dedicated lab for every course is infeasible. Consequently, design a lab that can support multiple courses by use of removable hard drives and flexible lab configurations. * If the physical space is not available to house a dedicated computer lab, a classroom may be networked into an isolated laptop-computing lab. To further enhance the flexibility of this lab, it may be connected to the institution's computing networks through wireless network configuration. * For special projects, develop a dedicated computing lab with highly flexible configuration and infrastructure to accommodate the unique computing requirements of different projects. Furthermore, this lab should mimic the network and organizational configuration of a typical organization to impart real-life flavor to special projects. * With proper supervision, policies and procedures, student personnel may be employed to maintain and manage specialized labs. This will help contain personnel costs and at the same time furnish valuable experience to the student personnel. These guidelines should help small U.S., as well as international, institutions that are planning or are in the process of configuring computing labs to support their computer science and management information systems programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the role of modeling in connecting current data and knowledge with predictions of future events and environmental states. Requirements for environmental modeling; Advancement in the use and communication of environmental modeling; Identification of the areas for shared components in the general information technology field.

There continues to be a severe under-representation of African Americans in the fields of information technology (IT) and computer science. The author contends that this is attributable, at least in part, to inappropriate assumptions about the nature of thinking, knowing, teaching and learning. He contends that attention given to these assumptions can improve learning environments, not only for African American students, but also for students of all ethnicities who experience difficulty in the existing school culture. This article is the case study of a project that selected 15 African American students experiencing some type of academic difficulty. These students were selected not only because of their academic challenges, but also because they exhibited an intrinsic interest in computer technology. The students were placed in two single-sex groups for instruction in Web development. While the ostensible objective was to introduce the students to the cognitive tasks involved in Web development, the underlying objective was to teach students who appeared unmotivated in the mainstream school context to engage cognitively in a relatively sophisticated domain. The learning environment used to do this was "socio-cultural" in nature, in that not only were the students exposed to the factual material and vocabulary needed for the domain (that is, from an objectivist perspective), and not only were the students allowed to work with this material in a way relevant to them as individuals (that is, from a constructivist perspective), but they were also allowed to help define the language of the classroom via peer learning and discussion. Such an environment was selected because of its potential to address the possibility of the learning environment being a "poor fit" for these students. Even though the contact hours were limited, it appeared that the girls quickly mastered the tasks and concepts required - and were able to articulate these concepts - while the boys... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]