waashk/acm huggingface dataset:
techniques for mass training in basic computer skills  the user service group within a university computing center faces a growing training challenge as computing becomes available to much larger numbers of students. in many institutions, larger class sizes for computer training are becoming a necessity. at washington state university (wsu), our class sizes have grown from a maximum of 12 students to a maximum of 250 students in four years. the larger classes require new and enhanced training techniques. this paper presents some techniques which have been successful at washington state university for classes up to 250 students. also presented are some speculations about the impact on training techniques of even larger classes (750 to 1000 students).  jim d. mitchell joshua yeidel
computer support for cooperative design (invited paper)  computer support for design as cooperative work is the subject of our discussion in the context of our research program on computer support in cooperative design and communication. we outline our theoretical perspective on design as cooperative work, and we exemplify our approach with reflections from a project on computer support for envisionment in design --- the aplex and its use. we see envisionment facilities as support for both experiments with and communication about the future use situation. as a background we sketch the historical roots of our program --- the scandinavian collective resource approach to design and use of computer artifacts, and make some critical reflections on the rationality of computer support for cooperative work.  susanne bodker pelle ehn joergen knudsen morten kyng kim madsen
centralized vs. diversified user services: a user's perspective  as a group of professionals who use computers in our work, we see decentralization of computer user services as a possibly inevitable trend of the 1980s. it may be that it is simply no longer possible for a single, monolithic university or organizational computing center to provide adequately all relevant user services to a highly diversified population of users. it is important, therefore, to address the issue of how best to strike a balance between centralized and decentralized user services. that is, what kinds of services would be optimally provided by centralized user service organizations, and what kinds would best be dealt with on a departmental or college-wide basis?  c. purvis
australian attitudes toward legal intervention into hacking  the australian public seems to have a characteristic response to computer crime. it is worth giving some anecdotal evidence to support this statement. during fieldwork [1-5], respondents were quizzed regarding their reasoning for their responses to the criminality of hacking. some results are given here in response to the social attitudes of australians towards reporting evidence of the enactment of computer crimes (see table 1). this is in support of thompson's [12, 13] and others' claims that relatively few computer crimes are, indeed, reported to the police in australia (see also [9]).  r. a. coldwell
stress management for the computing professional  the daily stress of the computing professional's life takes its toll. stress management is learning to identify and control the factors creating the stress, thereby releasing more energy for creative and productive work.  emphasis will be on: identifying and understanding situations and symptoms of stress on the job, and effective methods for managing stress.  participants will have the opportunity to pinpoint the sources of stress typical in their daily lives and to consider ways to use stress management to feel better, achieve greater concentration, and increase ability to maintain a high performance level.  sandra hollander
retaining is talents in the new millennium: effects of socialization on is professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment  this study examined the effects of six organizational socialization tactics on new information systems (is) professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment. data were collected from 187 newly hired is professionals. the results showed that the six socialization tactics affected new is professionals differently. investiture tactics affected directly all the variables studied except role ambiguity. serial tactics had a direct and positive effect on continuance commitment but a negative effect on intention to quit. both sequential and collective tactics had direct effects on role ambiguity. overall, the social aspects of the socialization process had the most significant effects on new is professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment. the results suggest that organizational socialization is an important strategy that needs to be considered in both is research and practice.  ruth c. king weidong xia
integrating simd into the undergraduate curriculum  assembly language instruction today, in our view, should include instruction in the newly important area of single-instruction, multiple-data (simd) instructions. such instructions are available on all major platforms, and they considerably speed up operations on arrays, particularly large arrays. this speedup is more pronounced with assembly language than with algebraic language programming, and thus provides another reason for undergraduate students to learn assembly language. we discuss the differences among approaches to simd on various platforms; then we describe our own experience with teaching this material.  w. d. maurer
recommendations for changes in advanced placement computer science (panel session)  in 1981 the apcs development committee recommended the use of pascal in an ap course whose first exam was given in 1984. this decision was controversial; basic was in widespread use and serious consideration was given to a language- neutral exam and course. in 1985 an ad-hoc committee made recommendations on changing the exam format, essentially creating two courses that correspond roughly to cs1 and cs2. in 1995 an ad-hoc committee was convened to make recommendations on how best to incorporate c++ into the ap course and exam. the decision to adopt c++, made in 1994, was decidedly controversial. the ad- hoc committee made recommendations on a subset of c++ and on classes similar to those in the standard library, but which were safe for novice programmers to use.  owen astrachan robert cartwight rich kick cay horstmann fran trees gail chapman david gries henry walkers ursula wolz
computer science curricula for high schools (a panel discussion)  this panel consists of discussions of current efforts underway to design and test textbooks, lesson plans and teaching strategies for the teaching of computer science in high schools. most high school curriculum development concerning computing has been directed toward the teaching of traditional subjects (physics, chemistry, math) with computers.  the panelists will have just finished a site visit with hscs, the national science foundation high school computer science project at the university of tennessee. they will offer a critical look at its promises and problems compared to other approaches to teaching high school computing, such as the logo project, and the use of basic.  michael moshell
curriculum and teaching delivery change in an international context poland and its education system have been undergoing radical and fast change since 1989 as the country "westernises". the pressures on he in some ways mirror those of western europe (growing classes, industrial and commercial demands), but the starting point is quite different. attempting to meet these challenges, a tempus phare [2] project has brought together 6 western universities and the technical university of lodz in a 3 year programme to redesign programmes and delivery across the faculty of technical physics, computer science and applied mathematics. a progress report on this attempt at major change management is presented. bogdan zoltowski roger boyle john davy
identifying the gaps between education and training  this paper discusses some of the issues concerning education in the academic environment and training in the industrial work environment. recent college graduates, "new-hires", must realize as they enter the workforce, that even though they have completed four year degree programs, they are beginning at an entry-level position. they will need job specific training to make them productive software engineers from their employer's perspective.  the aspects of distinguishing between education and training are discussed along with an understanding of how college prepares graduates for employment in the computer industry; specifically, the field of military software development as developed at texas instruments.  freeman l. moore james t. streib
software documentation and readability: a proposed process improvement the paper is based on the premise that the productivity and quality of software development and maintenance, particularly in large and long term projects, is related to software readability. software readability depends on such things as coding conventions and system overview documentation. existing mechanisms to ensure readability --- for example, peer reviews --- are not sufficient. the paper proposes that software organizations or projects institute a readability/documentation group, similar to a test or usability group. this group would be composed of programmers and would produce overview documentation and ensure code and documentation readability. the features and functions of this group are described. its benefits and possible objections to it are discussed. nuzhat j. haneef
hybrid learning - a safe route into web-based open and distance learning for the computer science teacher  the hybrid learner is located on a continuum between the traditional student attending face to face classes in a university and the distance learner who may never visit the institution, except perhaps to graduate. modern methods of web-based open and distance learning make hybrid learning attractive and accessible to students.  computer science students in particular make very good hybrid students because the content of the computer science curriculum has a strong practical element that is conducive to independent learning methods, and because they have a familiarity with the tools used in hybrid learning.  suggestions are given on how a teacher may develop web-based open and distance learning (web-odl) for hybrid learners.  john rosbottom
microcomputers are personal...  the effects of microcomputers on our personal lives are pervasive. we wear microcomputers on our wrists as watches. we use dedicated microcomputers in appliances as diverse as microwave ovens, televisions, phone answering machines and sphygmomanometers. we buy ourselves and our children various microcomputer implemented games and educational toys.  we actually use microcomputers explicitly in our personal computers: for personal data bases, word processors, tools of education, sources of recreation, communicators, and so on. the character of our technological civilization is changing significantly due to the abilities of these "printed computers" constructed on silicon chips.  carl t. helmers
self-instructional modules: their development and use by user services  user services organizations are charged with educating large numbers of users, with staffs that are often too small to meet ever-increasing demands. two extremes in methods of educating users can be observed: 1) traditional short courses which are typically lectures and demonstrations; and 2) sophisticated audio/visual techniques or computer-aided instruction (cai). a middle ground can be found for those user services groups who are frustrated by the time and effort involved in teaching short courses, but who do not have the money, staff, or inclination to develop cai programs or videotapes. one such alternative is a series of written self-instructional modules, each of which includes discussion of basic computing concepts and "hands- on" practice using computer equipment. the modules have at least three applications: 1) they can supplement or replace lecture/demonstration- type short courses; 2) they can be distributed to faculty members who in turn can use them to teach computing concepts in academic classes; and 3) subsets of the module series can be packaged as user's guides for particular groups of users (e.g. pss users, fortran programmers), with the hope that such materials would help reduce the load on consultants.  dianne m. smock
an improved introduction to computing emphasizing the development of algorithms and using the apple macintosh pascal  many colleges and universities offer an introductory computer science course based on a specific programming language. the department of computer science at the university of kansas has recently created a new environment in order to better teach such topics as problem solving, algorithmic design, elementary programming techniques, and elementary computer techniques. this paper will discuss the transition from a time-sharing environment to a modern microcomputer laboratory. it will also discuss the pedagogic techniques used in the new environment. it is hoped that others will benefit from our experiences.  william g. bulgren earl j. schweppe tim thurman
an historical review of iterative methods  *the preparation of this paper was supported in part by the national science foundation through grant dcr - 8518722, by the department of energy through grant a505-81er10954, and the u.s. air force office of scientific research and development through grant af-85-0052. the u.s. government retains a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so for u.s. government purposes.  d. m. young
remote teaching (panel discussion): technology and experience  the demand for computer science education on the college campus is rapidly increasing. this is due to the ever expanding market for computer expertise in industry, government, and academia. the growth in the need for off-campus computer science instruction is also phenomenal. professionals in areas other than computer science---engineering, business, etc.---need to acquire computing skills. computer scientists need to continually keep pace with the rapidly evolving computer technology. this training must be available at sites remote from the college campus. in the era of overall decreasing college enrollments, computer science educators are being requested to service this off-campus market.  traditional forms of providing education to this market include faculty or student travel, remote campuses, live video, and audio teleconferencing systems. each has either high cost, an ineffectiveness, and/or inconvenience factors. it is the purpose of this panel to explore the electronic remote education. the particular systems to be discussed are the "electronic blackboard," controlled scan tv, computer teleconferencing and computer-based color-graphics technologies. the first two systems are in use and the latter two are proposed. ted lewis will describe experience with the electronic blackboard and stuart meyer will describe the use of the controlled scan tv. ron clarke and william hankley will describe the proposed usage of the computer teleconferencing and color graphics, respectively, in the remote classroom. each of these panelists will briefly describe the particular system and address the areas of teaching technique and effectiveness within the specific technology.  following the formal presentations, there will be an open discussion of the issues presented. for those people who cannot attend the panel discussion, a very short bibliography on electronic education and teleconferencing is included.  virg wallentine william hankley ted lewis stuart meyer ron clark
the effect of rapid it change on the demand for training  information technology is rapidly changing. this increases the complexity of it management. research has yet to explain the it management problems due to such change. the current study developed a survey instrument about such problems based on experiences described in structured interviews with 16 it professionals. the instrument was mailed to a nationwide sample of 1,000 it professionals. two hundred forty-six provided useable data. the research identified five of problems of rapid it change, namely _vendor competitiveness_, _poor quality_, _incompatibility_, _management confusion_, and _training demands_. it confirmed a model suggesting that increased _vendor competitiveness_ leads to _poor quality_, _incompatibility_, and _management confusion_, and that these increase _training demands_. the research also offers suggestions for future investigation of the problems and a potential instrument with which to conduct it.  john skip bernamati albert l. lederer
providing learning alternatives  what is the best method for providing training to our users? is it workshops, hands-on, tutorials, handouts, or perhaps computer based training?  these are some of the questions we must ask ourselves every time we need to develop training material for a new program, service, or announcement. in many cases, the audience addressed is so varied, it is very difficult to target a document or training to a specific segment of our users. we have those who have never used a computer before, to those who have used computers extensively; and all want only the relevant information to meet their needs. matters are now even more difficult, because individuals may have microcomputer experience, mainframe, experience, or both. in addition, a user with experience on one type of computer, but not the other, who needs to transfer information, will probably not know important information.  another phenomenon that occurs frequently, is that the person who comes to ask the questions, is not the one who generated the data or program. instead, they have been given the task of making it work without any background knowledge.  in actual fact, it seems there is no one "best" way of training. we need to pool all of our knowledge of training, computers, life experiences, problem solving techniques, and anything else that might be helpful to provide us with alternatives.  jerry martin
computer language usage in cs1: survey results the reid report [reid 94] is a list of more than 400 schools throughout the world and the language they are using in their first computer science course (commonly referred to as acm's cs1). it is a voluntary report updated regularly. its list of schools is not exhaustive or complete. based on this report, 139 colleges and universities within the united states who are not using pascal were surveyed. the intent of the survey was threefold: to find out why these schools are using their choice of language in their cs1 course, how the instructors at these schools feel about their current language as it compares to pascal in the way it aids in the teaching of introductory programming skills, and which language these instructors feel is the best one to use in a cs1 course.the results of this survey, conducted in february 1995, are summarized below. suzanne pawlan levy
teaching workshops to college faculty, staff, and administrators  helping users become self-sufficient is one of the primary functions of academic computing in a college or university computer center. one-on-one consulting, the teaching of literacy courses and workshops, along with the distribution of documentation and newsletters, are some of the methods employed to help the user attain this self-sufficiency.  i have worked in academic computing at temple university in philadelphia, trinity university in san antonio, cuyahoga community college in cleveland, and montgomery college in rockville, maryland. at these institutions, most of the aforementioned methods of helping the user attain self-sufficiency have met with little success. manuals and newsletters are distributed for free, or for a small amount of money, to faculty, staff, and administrators. even though users eagerly accept the written material, they rarely read it as can easily be inferred by the questions they later ask. consulting is made available, but there aren't enough staff members to handle all of the needs for one-on-one consulting. the success of computer literacy courses often depends on work done outside the scheduled class time. at one institution where i taught literacy classes, the courses generated tremendous initial enthusiasm but that enthusiasm waned once the term got under way.  of all of the methods i have used to help the users become self- sufficient, workshops have been the most successful. this success can be measured by the types of questions workshop participants later do or do not ask relating to the topic that was taught.  in this paper, i will draw upon my experiences in academic computing at the four institutions at which i have worked. at these colleges and universities, workshops have typically been two-hour sessions for groups of ten to twenty people. i will examine some of the reasons for the success of workshops, the evolution of the techniques i have used, and the rules-of-thumb i have developed for giving successful workshops.  susan j. bahr
computer center consulting on personal computers: a changing role for a large computer center  a large computer center in an academic setting generally supplies much of its computer services in terms of some large timesharing facility. in recent years the availability, power, and performance of minicomputers and microcomputers have made distributive systems more attractive than a single mainframe facility. as personal computers become more important at rensselaer polytechnic institute (rpi), the consulting role of the center is changing. this paper discusses some of our experiences with this changing role.  geof goldbogen jon finke richard a. park
software engineering throughout a traditional computer science curriculum  as software engineering (se) is becoming increasingly important as a discipline for computing professionals, so is it becoming an increasing emphasis in undergraduate computing education. the curricular revisions described here represent an attempt to incorporate se principles throughout an undergraduate curriculum in computer science (cs). the emphasis here, however, is not one of wholesale overhaul into a se program, possibly to the detriment of other strengths in the previous curriculum. rather this is a non-radical augmentation and change of focus in certain aspects of a strong, but somewhat traditional cs curriculum.
software process management: lessons learned from history  regarding history, george santayana once said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  i have always been dissatisfied with that statement. it is too negative. history has positive experiences too. they are the ones we would like both to remember and to repeat.  the three papers in this session are strong examples of positive early experiences in large-scale software engineering. the papers are:  h.d. benington, "production of large computer programs," proceedings, onr symposium, june 1956.  w.a. hosier, "pitfalls and safeguards in real-time digital systems with emphasis on programming," ire transactions on engineering management, june, 1961.  w.w. royce, "managing the development of large software systems: concepts and techniques," proceedings, wescon, august 1970.  given the short lifespan of the software field, they can certainly be called "historic." indeed, since many people date the software engineering field from the nato garmisch conference in 1968, two of them can even be called "prehistoric." they are certainly sufficiently old that most people in the software engineering field have not been aware of them. the intent of this session is to remedy this situation by reprinting them in the conference proceedings, and by having the authors (or, in one case, hosier's colleague j.p. haverty) discuss both the lessons from their papers which are still equally valid today, and the new insights and developments which have happened in the interim.  b. w. boehm