Title of article :
Using complex IT in specific domains: developing and assessing a course for nonmajors
Author/Authors :
Kock، نويسنده , , N.; Aiken، نويسنده , , R.; Sandas، نويسنده , , C.، نويسنده ,
Issue Information :
روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 2002
Abstract :
Recent growth in the use of complex, domain-specific
information technology (IT) applications by professionals
in a number of non-IT disciplines, such as anthropology, chemistry,
and sociology, has led to a demand for second-level IT
courses that teach students who are not computer science majors
how IT can be used to solve complex problems in specific
professional domains. The authors provide and assess a solution
to this problem by developing and evaluating a course in
which complex IT concepts and tools are taught from the perspective
of different disciplines. The course presents IT concepts
through case studies of complex and specialized IT systems that
are used to solve problems in well-defined domains. In this
paper, the underlying ideas and design of this course are described.
A pilot implementation of the course, with case studies
in anthropology, sociology, and chemistry, is analyzed, and its
impact on a variety of student perceptions about IT is discussed.
The anthropology case uses a geographic information
system with simulation capabilities to examine the expansion of
tropical forest farmers and the accompanying deforestation in
Central Panama. The sociology case uses advanced features of
Microsoft Excel to examine and evaluate possible explanations
for the shifts in occupational distribution that have occurred
in the United States between 1980 and 1990. The chemistry
case uses a molecular modeling system to examine methods
for correlating measured physical properties of simple organic
molecules with their structures.
Keywords :
Computer Science , action research , information technology education , lifelong learning. , fluency ininformation technology (IT)
Journal title :
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION
Journal title :
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION