Computer Sciences Commons^™

Comparing The Use Of Tangible And Graphical Programming Languages For Informal Science Education, Michael S. Horn, Erin T. Solovey, R. Jordan Crouser, Robert J.K. Jacob

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Much of the work done in the field of tangible interaction has focused on creating tools for learning; however, in many cases, little evidence has been provided that tangible interfaces offer educational benefits compared to more conventional interaction techniques. In this paper, we present a study comparing the use of a tangible and a graphical interface as part of an interactive computer programming and robotics exhibit that we designed for the Boston Museum of Science. In this study, we have collected observations of 260 museum visitors and conducted interviews with 13 family groups. Our results show that visitors found the …

Development Of The Curriculum For The Introduction To Computer Science Course, Nancy Major

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This project proposes to reformat the curriculum for an Introduction to Computer Science course for high school students, currently taught as a one semester course. Several issues with the current course are addressed with recommendations for changes intended for the benefit of students at their school. In the past five years, enrollment in the school's Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science course has decreased from 50 students to 25 students despite no significant change in overall enrollment or student demographics. For the portion of those students enrolled in the course who have taken the Advanced Placement exam during the past four …

Design, Development, And Implementation Of A Wireless Local Area Network (Wlan): The Hartford Job Corps Academy Case Study, Tracey Kershner Cooley

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) offer flexibility, mobility, and scalability to educational institutions. Students are increasingly expecting anywhere, anytime access to online resources. Secondary school administrators, who serve a similar population as the National Job Corps Program (NJCP), realize that student success in the 21st century workplace depends upon the student's ability to use new and emerging technologies, including wireless technology. Computer access anytime and anywhere is crucial to the success of students today.

Wireless technology has been broadly deployed at educational institutions, such as the Hartford Job Corps Academy (HJCA), but little is known about how these networks are …

Administrative Support For Online Teaching Faculty, John David Meyer

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

When administrators make decisions about the infrastructure support needs of a current or planned online teaching program, these decisions are often based on external expert advice rather than on the advice of experienced ground level faculty who are living with the dynamic nature of the technology and support needed to develop and maintain an effective online teaching program. Online teaching faculty are the best source of advice and information on what works and what does not.

Faculty at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) were surveyed to find out what elements are important to the development of an effective online …

Animated Database Courseware: Using Animations To Extend Conceptual Understanding Of Database Concepts, Meg Murray, Mario Guimaraes

Faculty Articles

Teaching abstract concepts can be best supported with supplemental instructional materials such as software animations. Visualization and animations have been shown to increase student motivation and help students develop deeper understandings. Through an NSF funded CCLI grant, a set of animations to support the teaching of database concepts is being developed and made freely available. Current modules available cover areas such as database design, interactive SQL, stored procedures and triggers, transactions and database security. In this paper, we provide an overview of the Animated Database Courseware (ADbC) as well as provide examples of how this software might be utilized in …

Expanding The Database Curriculum, Meg Murray, Mario Guimaraes

Faculty Articles

As database concepts and technologies continue to evolve there exists a need to expand the topics included in database curricula. This is challenging given the restraints on the number of courses that can be included in a typical CS or IS program. While a set of commonly identified core concepts and principles exists, there is little consensus on what supplemental materials should be included in database courses. Through an NSF proof-of-concept grant, we designed and developed courseware incorporating the use of animations to deepen and enrich standard presentations of core database concepts and to complement database teachings as found in …

Learner-Centered Assignments In Computer Literacy, Martha E. Myers, Meg C. Murray, Mario Guimaraes, Debra B. Geist

Faculty Articles

Literacy is a concept that is understood to be the identifier of an educated populace. In today's world, literacy includes computer literacy, as well as language and quantitative literacy. This paper describes exercises developed to improve first year students' computer literacy through more learner-centered engagement. Exercises are designed to support learner-centered goals of independent and responsible learners, appropriate breadth and depth of content, teacher as facilitator, and assessment woven into learning. Exercise topics include purchase of a personal computer, basic logic via spreadsheets, an annotated bibliography built with electronic resources, and an integrated assignment customized by and for each student.

Critical Thinking Traits Of Top-Tier Experts And Implications For Computer Science Education, Dean Bushey

All Dissertations

A documented shortage of technical leadership and top-tier performers in
computer science jeopardizes the technological edge, security, and economic well-being of the nation. The 2005 President's Information and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) Report on competitiveness in computational sciences highlights the major impact of science, technology, and innovation in keeping America competitive in the global marketplace. It stresses the fact that the supply of science, technology, and engineering experts is at the core
of America's technological edge, national competitiveness and security. However, recent data shows that both undergraduate and postgraduate production of computer scientists is falling.

Past research on expert performance …

Enabling P2p Cooperative Wms Proxy Caching And Prefetching In An Educational Environment, Jeffrey A. Bergamini, Michael Haungs

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Given the great demand and promise for educational use of GIS, real time access to massive remote geospatial datasets for pedagogical purposes would be immensely useful to educators and students. However, such access has remained elusive. In other work, we have demonstrated that a P2P distributed system of client-side proxies can address the challenges posed by the interactive, multiplicative, and exploratory nature of classroom GIS, and we described this system at a high level. In this paper, we present the details of several novel techniques that enable P2P cooperative caching and prefetching of OGC WMS data in an educational lab …

Risks And Responsibilities In Establishing A Wireless Network For An Educational Institution, Leigh Knights, Matt Fonceca, Georgina Mack, Andrew Woodward

Australian Information Security Management Conference

A wireless network solution is generally implemented when the bounds of walls of buildings and the constraints of wires need to be broken. Wireless technologies provide the potential for freedom of mobility which is undoubtedly a convenience for organisations in today’s market. The security of a wireless network is crucial for data integrity, especially when the data is not secured by the insulation of wires. While data is being transferred across a wireless network, it is vulnerable. There is no room for error, neglect or ignorance from an organisation, as a breech of data integrity can be devastating for both …

Don't Be A Phish: Steps In User Education, Stefan Robila, James W. Ragucci

Department of Computer Science Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Phishing, e-mails sent out by hackers to lure unsuspecting victims into giving up confidential information, has been the cause of countless security breaches and has experienced in the last year an increase in frequency and diversity. While regular phishing attacks are easily thwarted, designing the attack to include user context information could potentially increase the user's vulnerability. To prevent this, phishing education needs to be considered. In this paper we provide an overview of phishing education, focusing on context aware attacks and introduce a new strategy for educating users by combining phishing IQ tests and class discussions. The technique encompasses …

Serious Gordon Using Serious Games To Teach Food Safety In The Kitchen, Brian Mac Namee, Pauline Rooney, Patrick Lindstrom, Andrew Ritchie, Frances Boylan, Greg Burke

Papers, presentations and other resources

This paper will describe the development of Serious Gordon, an interactive digital game developed to tech the basics of kitchen food safety to workers in industries dealing with food. The motivations driving the development of the game will be described as will the development process itself. An initial evaluation of the game, from both a technical and pedagogical point of view, will be presented as will conclusions on the viability of using a commercial game engine for the purpose of developing educational games.

Journey To The Center Of The Core: Computers And The Internet In The Core Curriculum, Jorge Pérez, Meg C. Murray

Faculty Articles

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 …

Studying The Performance Of A Firewall In Network Courses, José M. Garrido

Faculty Articles

This paper presents a simple simulation model of a firewall to derive several performance metrics and briefly argues on the importance and value of modeling and simulation in courses that study various aspects of perimeter defense in network security.

The simulation model mentioned previously is part of an effort by faculty of our department to develop a multi-disciplinary repository of computational models that includes object-oriented discrete-event simulation models. One of the goals of this repository is to build resources that help educate students of computer science, software engineering, and information technology, in modeling and information security.

This and other network …

Values Of Mobile Technology In Education, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Keng Siau, H. Sheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mobile technology shows promise in supporting and improving education and its delivery. Coupled with the use of mobile devices and software/hardware solutions that make it possible to access educational content, students can be exposed to new educational experience. Applications of mobile technology in education can provide many benefits including greater flexibility, more available education resources, as well as greater convenience, accessibility and responsiveness. As a new phenomenon that will be widely used and adopted in the years to come, the values of mobile technology in education should be better understood and researched. This research outlines our empirical study to examine …

An Interactive Learning Environment For A Dynamic Educational Digital Library, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng, Eng-Kai Suen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

GeogDL is a digital library of geography examination resources designed to assist students in preparing for a national geography examination in Singapore. We describe an interactive learning environment built into GeogDL that consists of four major components. The practice and review module allows students to attempt individual examination questions, the mock exam provides a simulation of the actual geography examination, the trends analysis tool provides an overview of the types of questions asked in previous examinations, while the contributions module allows students and teachers to create and share knowledge within the digital library.

Graduate School Of Computer And Information Sciences--Master Of Science Degree Programs 2004-2005, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Move To Component Based Architectures: Introducing Microsoft's .Net Platform Into The College Classroom, Meg C. Murray

Faculty Articles

A transformation has been occurring in the architectural model for computer-based application intense software systems. This new model, software-as-a-service, will have a profound impact on the design and development of software for many years to come and as such college level computing curriculums will need to incorporate the concepts and methodologies associated with this new architecture. The platform is built upon a view of interrelated, distributed peer-level software modules and components that work in tandem to achieve specified functional goals. From Microsoft's viewpoint, migration to the new platform requires a radical shift in the software development lifecycle. It is becoming …

Toward A Comprehensive Supplement For Language Courses, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Stephen P. Carl

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Graduate School Of Computer And Information Sciences-Doctoral Degree Programs 2003-2005, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Master Of Science Degree Programs 2003-2005, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Graduate School Of Computer And Information Sciences 2003, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

G-Portal : A Map-Based Digital Library For Distributed Geospatial And Georeferenced Resources, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As the World Wide Web evolves into an immense information network, it is tempting to build new digital library services and expand existing digital library services to make use of web content. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of G-Portal, a web portal that aims to provide digital library services over geospatial and georeferenced content found on the World Wide Web. G-Portal adopts a map-based user interface to visualize and manipulate the distributed geospatial and georeferenced content. Annotation capabilities are supported, allowing users to contribute geospatial and georeferenced objects as well as their associated metadata. The other …

An Evolving Approach To Learning In Problem Solving And Program Development : The Distributed Learning Model, Idania Espinosa

Theses

Technological advances are paving the way for improvements in many sectors of society. The US education system needs to undergo a transformation of existing pedagogical methods to maximize utilization of new technologies. Traditional education has primarily been teacher driven, lectured-based in one location. Advances in technology are challenging existing paradigms by developing tools and educational environments that reach diverse learning styles and surpass the boundaries of current teaching methods.

Distributed learning is an emerging paradigm today that has promise to contribute significantly to learning and improve overall academic success. This research first explores various systems that provide different modes of …

Visual Iconic Object-Oriented Programming To Advance Computer Science Education And Novice Programming, Nancy Silva Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Learning how to program a computer is difficult for most people. Computer programming is a cognitively challenging, time consuming, labor intensive, and frustrating endeavor. Years of formal study and training are required to learn a programming language's world of algorithms and data structures. Instructions are coded in advance before the computer demonstrates the desired behavior. Seeing all the programming steps and instruction code is complicated. There exists a tremendous gap between the representations the human brain uses when thinking about a problem and the representations used in programming a computer. Often people are much better at dealing with specific, concrete …

Examining The Reflective Outcomes Of Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Communication On Inservice Teacher Development, Mark Hawkes, Alexander Romiszowski

Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - All Scholarship

This study explored the professional development experiences of 28 practicing teachers in 10 Chicago suburban schools involved in a two-year technology supported Problem-Based Learning curriculum development effort. Asynchronous computer-mediated communications (CMC) were featured as teacher communication tools of the project. The computer-mediated discourse produced by the teachers was compared with the discourse produced by teachers in face-to-face meetings. Research methods including discourse analysis and archival data analysis were applied to determine the nature of the teacher discourse and its reflective content. The results show that while the computer-mediated teacher dialogue was less interactive, it was significantly more reflective (t=4.14, p=.001) …

Graduate School Of Computer And Information Sciences--Master Of Science Degree Programs 2001-2003, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Student Rights And Responsibilities, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Master Of Science Degree Programs, 2000-2001, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Master Of Science In Computing Technology In Education 1996, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.