Laboratory or Department? Exploration and Creation in Computer Science and Technology

In the very beginning, the Computer Laboratory of the University of Cambridge was founded to provide computing service for different disciplines across the university. As computer science developed as a discipline in its own right, boundaries necessarily arose between it and other disciplines, in a way that is now often detrimental to progress. Therefore, it is necessary to reinvigorate the relationship between computer science and other academic disciplines and celebrate exploration and creativ...     

A Comparison of Baccalaureate Programs in Information Technology with Baccalaureate Programs in Computer Science and Information Systems

Introduction A number of universities have recentlystarted to add baccalaureate programs inInformation Technology(IT)to their existingprograms in Computer Science(CS)and(Management)Information Systems(IS).Whilesome have welcomed this development,othersare less accommodating.The argument that ITbaccalaureate programs are not sufficiently distinctis most often heard from faculty in programs inComputer Science(CS)and(Management)Information Systems(IS).The argument isoften two-fold.First…     

Are digital natives a world-wide phenomenon? An investigation into South African first year students’ use and experience with technology

In 2001 Marc Prensky coined the phrase ‘digital natives’ to refer to the new generation of students who have grown up surrounded by technology. His companion papers spurred large amounts of research, debating changes that are required to curricula and pedagogical models to cater for the changes in the student population. This article reports on a study conducted in 2009 of more than 290 first year students at two South African universities. In this study, students were asked about their access to and use of technology. The results portrayed a heterogeneous student population, with varying levels of access to and use of most technologies. One of Prensky’s key features of a digital native is their excitement with Web 2.0 based technologies. Participants in this study however, appear not to use such technologies, and to not be interested in using them in their studies. One tool that students had high levels of access to (98.1%), and use of is the mobile phone. Out of all uses of technology surveyed, tasks involving the mobile phone were ranked in the top two positions. Also when asked to rank different uses of technology particularly for their studies, three of the top five uses relied on a mobile phone.     

What makes them happy and curious online? An empirical study on high school students’ Internet use from a self-determination theory perspective

From a self-determination theory perspective, this study tries to investigate how perceived autonomy support, perceived relatedness and competence affect high school students’ intrinsic motivations (enjoyment and curiosity) to use the Internet, and the related outcomes of the motivation. Surveys are distributed to seven junior and ten senior high schools in a prefectural-level city in central China. Existing instruments from previous research are adapted to measure the following constructs: teacher support, parental support, peer influence, Internet self-efficacy, enjoyment, curiosity, flow state and online exploratory behavior. Finally, 3475 valid responses are collected.