Mastering the metaphor: empowering the young child for independent computer use

This paper explores the potential for using metaphors to enable two and three year old children to interact independently with a computer earlier than is traditionally accepted. They need appropriate cognitive skills, the development of which is dependent on the provision of suitable activities; they need adequately developed physical skills to interact with the hardware and necessary knowledge of expected behaviours for interaction. The authors argue that such expectations can be conveyed via the use of metaphors and will employ a purpose-built multimedia product Television Metaphor (TVM) as an example in order to support their discussion. As the TVM software has hitherto demonstrated, age appropriate metaphors using source domains familiar to young children can guide children in the requisite interactions for independent computer use. TVM was created to contextualise theoretical discussions into interface design and to synthesise the ensuing analysis into an applied form.

A gendered view of computer professionals: preliminary results of a survey

The under-representation of women in the computing profession in many parts the western world has received our attention through numerous publications, the noticeable low representation of women at computer science conferences and in the lecture halls. Over the past two decades, the situation had become worse. Please refer to the other articles in this special issue for detailed statistics, a discussion of factors that contribute to the low participation rate by women, and for suggestions on how to reverse the current trend.This paper seeks to add to the dialogue by presenting preliminary findings from a research project conducted in four countries. The aim of this research was to gain an insight into the perceptions future computer professionals hold on the category of employment loosely defined under the term of "a computer professional." One goal was to get insight into whether or not there is a difference between female and male students regarding their view of computer professionals. Other goals were to determine if there was any difference between female and male students in different parts of the world, as well as who or what most influences the students to undertake their courses in computing.The team of researchers gave an extensive questionnaire to undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of computing degree programs. The students enrolled in these programs at Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, the University of East London, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Ithaca College located in Ithaca, New York. This article reports on the analysis of the results from the questionnaire. It discusses the gender differences in the responses from the students in these countries to try to get a worldwide perspective. At this time, it does not yet report on the similarities and differences between the groups of participants from each of the four countries. Instead, it investigates whether there are gendered differences in the views of this rather broad sample of student population of future computer professionals.

Computer mediated simulation learning opportunities

Market approaches have effected both the health care and higher education sectors in Australia. As a result of changes to funding the nursing profession has had to develop strategies in an effort to continue to provide adequate under-graduate nursing education. Specifically, new education challenges have occurred due to the shortage of experienced clinical nursing staff and reduced supply of clinical placements for undergraduate students. In light of the market forces we discuss computers as providers of simulation learning opportunities and a viable means of responding to the constraints and improving undergraduate nurse education.

Introductory computer programming as a means for extending spatial and temporal understanding

Should computer programming be taught within schools of architecture?

Incorporating even low-level computer programming within architectural education curricula is a matter of debate but we have found it useful to do so for two reasons: as an introduction or at least a consolidation of the realm of descriptive geometry and in providing an environment for experimenting in morphological time-based change.

Mathematics and descriptive geometry formed a significant proportion of architectural education until the end of the 19th century. This proportion has declined in contemporary curricula, possibly at some cost for despite major advances in automated manufacture, Cartesian measurement is still the principal ‘language’ with which to describe building for construction purposes. When computer programming is used as a platform for instruction in logic and spatial representation, the waning interest in mathematics as a basis for spatial description can be readdressed using a left-field approach. Students gain insights into topology, Cartesian space and morphology through programmatic form finding, as opposed to through direct manipulation.

In this context, it matters to the architect-programmer how the program operates more than what it does. This paper describes an assignment where students are given a figurative conceptual space comprising the three Cartesian axes with a cube at its centre. Six Phileban solids mark the Cartesian axial limits to the space. Any point in this space represents a hybrid of one, two or three transformations from the central cube towards the various Phileban solids. Students are asked to predict the topological and morphological outcomes of the operations. Through programming, they become aware of morphogenesis and hybridisation. Here we articulate the hypothesis above and report on the outcome from a student group, whose work reveals wider learning opportunities for architecture students in computer programming than conventionally assumed.

RTS and RPGs : New literacies and multiplayer computer games

Technopopular culture such as computer games immerses young people in highly complex and engaging worlds, worlds in which literacy and communicative practices are significantly reconfigured and extended by the contexts in which they occur. This paper reports on a study exploring the textual engagement, pleasures and literacies entailed in playing on line computer games amongst a group of young people aged 15-16. It explores the ways in which these young people read and utilised intersections between traditional print-based text, visual images, symbols, sound, interactivity and other elements to play and make sense of a range of Real Time Strategy and Role Playing Computer Games; the place of games and gaming amongst other text-based leisure activities in their lives; and issues of interpretation, representation and response entailed in playing with real or virtual partners in cyberspace.

Computer-mediated education : the relationship between computer access, tutorial attendance and student grades

One of the problems faced by Australian academics in the 21st century is to facilitate learning with a changing profile of students, in bigger and bigger classes. As educators at tertiary institutions, our environment is undergoing major changes as increasingly business and commerce programs are offering courses either partially (Web enabled) or totally (Web exclusive) online. This study has developed an important model allowing the prediction of students' overall results and indicates that a student's final grade is dependant, in part, on accessing the study materials and study tools available to them via WebCT and attending face-to-face tutorials.