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The "Computer Science, Academia and Industry" extracurricular program has been operating at the Davidson Institute of Science Education for the past few years. The program, designed especially for high-school students majoring in computer science (CS), aims to bridge the gap between schools and the "real world" of computing and provides students with the opportunity to meet with leading computing experts from academia and industry. The program includes a preliminary stage of enrichment meetings and an advanced stage in which students develop software projects. A long-term formative evaluation of the program has been conducted regarding students΄ attitudes towards the "different-from-school" style of learning, and their performance in developing projects. This paper describes a specific study aimed at determining how students΄ self-appreciation and their initial expectations affect their readiness and aspiration to complete a long-term comprehensive project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructional design has a significant influence on the construction of knowledge, especially for novices. Specifically, the way the instruction of algorithmic problem solving is designed has a significant effect on the development of the student΄s capabilities to analyze and solve problems. We present a pedagogical approach regarding teaching algorithmic problem solving, which is based on the assimilation of a new concept by demonstrating its different facets through a variety of relevant examples. The approach aims to support multi-facet problem comprehension, as well as to enhance the student΄s ability to utilize algorithmic ideas in different contexts. The approach was introduced to computer science teachers through a workshop activity aimed at discussing the topic of evaluating the complexity level of problems and their challenging characteristics. We think that an activity of this kind is beneficial for raising teachers΄ awareness of the way they select problems in order to develop students΄ problem-solving skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last two years the "Computer Science, Academia and Industry" enrichment program has been conducted at the Davidson Institute of Science Education. The extra-curricular program was especially designed for high-school students who major in computer science (CS) or software engineering (SE). The program blends formal and informal learning and provides students with the opportunity to meet with leading representatives of the CS/SE communities of practice. One main goal of the program is to bridge the gap between the school and "real world" of computing that is related to content, learning style, and professional norms. We believe that exposure to the state-of-the-art academic and industrial research and development, to advanced technologies and methodologies, and to professional norms, will establish a different culture of learning, and will provide the students with an entry point into the computing community of practice. Moreover, it is imperative that academia and the high-tech industry will take an active part in educating potential newcomers and will contribute to making the computing professional domain more attractive, especially in the context of the recent high-tech crises. In the paper we describe the extra-curricular program, and discuss implement-tation aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of computing is relatively young compared with other mature sciences, but it has been rapidly developing since its recognition as a stand-alone discipline. The dynamics of the field has led to its inadequate external image and posed challenges in educating newcomers. As a result, educators have been deliberating how to portray the field to others in a compelling way, and how to make computer science studies more appealing to prospective students. One main challenge for educators is to bridge the gap between school and the "real world" of computing. In this paper I discuss two major aspects of the existing gap that relate to (a) the perception of what computing is about, and (b) the educational milieu. I conclude with a description of computing programs, especially designed for high school, which have been in operation in Israel. The aim of the programs is to expose young students to scientific knowledge and the fundamentals of computing, and to motivate them to achieve expertise in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade a new computer science curriculum has been taught in Israeli high schools. The curriculum introduces CS concepts and problem-solving methods and combines both theoretical and practical issues. The Logic Programming elective module of the curriculum was designed to introduce to students a second programming paradigm. In this paper we describe how we used evolving boxes, when teaching abstract data types (ADTs), to introduce the interweaving declarative and procedural aspects of logic programming. The following types of evolving boxes were used: (a) black boxes that could be used transparently, (b) white boxes that could be modified to suit specific needs, and (c) grey boxes that reveal parts of their internal workings. We conducted a study aimed at assessing students' use of ADTs. The findings indicated that the students demonstrated an integrative knowledge of ADT boxes as programming tools, and employed unique autonomous problem-solving strategies when using ADTs in programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]