Status of introductory computer education in the Netherlands: results of a survey

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is conducting an international comparative study on educational computer use in more than 20 countries. This paper analyzes some of the Dutch results of the IEA survey on the use of computers in lower secondary schools. The findings show that at present computers are mainly used for introductory computer courses, but that the integration of computers into existing subjects is still limited. The main problems identified in the study are: insufficient availability of courseware and hardware, time constraints and a high need for teacher training

Beyond ECDL: basic and advanced IT skills for the new library professional

This paper reports on a new multimedia-centred ICT module, called Fundamentals of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) for Postgraduate Information and Library Studies students at the Graduate School of Informatics at Strathclyde University. It had radical aims (introducing novel ICT skill content in a progressive manner, encouraging deep learning and self-directed study) and used a weekly survey and a post-module survey to investigate its operation. Skills learnt were compared to skills required during student placement in libraries. Conclusions are drawn as to its success in matching the needs of future library professionals

APPLICATION OF CLOUD-BASED SPREADSHEETS TO ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK MODELLING

The article substantiates the necessity to develop methods of computer simulation of neural networks in the spreadsheet environment. The systematic review of their application to simulating artificial neural networks is performed. The authors distinguish basic approaches to solving the problem of network computer simulation training in the spreadsheet environment, joint application of spreadsheets and tools of neural network simulation, application of third-party add-ins to spreadsheets, development of macros using the embedded languages of spreadsheets; use of standard spreadsheet add-ins for non-linear optimization, creation of neural networks in the spreadsheet environment without add-ins and macros. It is shown that to acquire neural simulation competences in the spreadsheet environment, one should master the models based on the historical and genetic approach. The article considers ways of building neural network models in cloud-based spreadsheets, Google Sheets. The model is based on the problem of classifying multidimensional data provided in “The Use of Multiple Measurements in Taxonomic Problems” by R. A. Fisher. Edgar Anderson’s role in collecting and preparing the data in the 1920s–1930s is discussed as well as some peculiarities of data selection

Teaching Computer Literacy to Students in Colleges of Agriculture

Exact date of working paper unknown.The interest in computer literacy in colleges of agriculture has paralleled the development of micro computer technology. This highly accessible, relatively low cost technology seems to be particularly appropriate to the needs of typical agricultural businesses. Full appreciation of this technology, however, requires a basic understanding of the functions, abilities, and limitations of hardware and software and an ability to conceptualize problems for computer solution. These understandings and are considered to be important characteristics of computer literate individuals. Their attainment should be the primary objective of a college level computer literacy

Graphical querying of model-driven spreadsheets

This paper presents a graphical interface to query modeldriven spreadsheets, based on experience with previous work and empirical studies in querying systems, to simplify query construction for typical end-users with little to no knowledge of SQL. We briefly show our previous text based model-driven querying system. Afterwards, we detail our graphical model-driven querying interface, explaining each part of the interface and showing an example. To validate our work, we executed an empirical study, comparing our graphical querying approach to an alternative querying tool, which produced positive results.(undefined