This article describes an introductory computational thinking (CT) lesson that was implemented into five educational technology classes at a large university in the southern United States. A total of 88 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the lesson. The project was the result of a collaboration between education faculty and a…

The popular press is rife with examples of how students in the United States and around the globe are learning to program, make, and tinker. The Hour of Code, maker-education, and similar efforts are advocating that more students be exposed to principles found within computer science. We propose an expansion beyond simply teaching computational…

From 2004-2007, the University of Memphis carried out the NSF-funded Tri-P-LETS (Three P Learning Environment for Teachers and Students) project to improve local high-school computer science curricula. The project reached a total of 58 classrooms in eleven high schools emphasizing problem solving skills, programming concepts as opposed to syntax,…

The advancement of computer technology used for research is creating the need to change the way classes are taught in higher education. "Bringing Research Tools into the Classroom" has become a major focus of the work of the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology (OEIT) for the Dean of Undergraduate Education (DUE) at the…

Computational precision is sometimes given short shrift in a first programming course. Treating this topic requires discussing integer and floating-point number representations and inaccuracies that may result from their use. An example of a moderately simple programming problem from elementary statistics was examined. It forced students to…

Nondeterminism is an essential concept in mathematics and one of the important concepts in computer science. It is also among the most abstract ones. Thus, many students find it difficult to cope with. In this article, we describe some didactic considerations, which guided the development of a "Computational Models" course for high school…

Discusses artificial intelligence, its definitions, and potential applications. Provides listings of Logo and BASIC versions for programs along with REM statements needed to make modifications for use with Apple computers. (RT)

Surveys the present status of science instructional software in the United States. Describes project efforts at the University of Pittsburgh on the development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Explains the major components and provides microworld examples of ITS. Includes the software evaluation instrument and summarizes the evaluation…

Presents an approach for the improvement of teacher performance through in-service programs related to computer science education. Identifies what teachers need to know about computers and offers a model for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of in-service programs for teacher computer literacy. (ML)

Points out the benefits of students using LOGO with problems dealing with vectors and matrices. Provides examples of performing linear algebraic computations in LOGO. (ML)

Suggests the use of computer simulation of continuous systems as a problem solving approach to computer languages. Outlines the procedures that the system dynamics approach employs in computer simulations. Explains the advantages of the special purpose language, DYNAMO. (ML)

Provides examples from elementary mathematics principles which illustrate some of the advantages of an interactive mouse-driven animation. Explains the effectiveness of this approach with exercises dealing with a plane of waves and quadratic formulas. (ML)

Explains the integrated approach implemented by James Madison University, Virginia, in enhancing computer literacy. Reviews the changes in the mathematics courses and provides topical listings and outlines of the courses that emphasize computer applications. (ML)

Discusses the features and advantages of the computer language PROLOG, and explains the approach taken in teaching it as a first computer language. Includes an example of the use of PROLOG in programming a science lesson on elements for junior high students. (ML)

Describes the approach used in a doctoral seminar on designing instructional software for problem solving in mathematics. Explains how a five stage software development model was followed for producing materials. Includes student evaluations of the course. (ML)