Animations and Interactive Material for Improving the Effectiveness of Learning the Fundamentals of Computer Science

Due to the rapid proliferation of the World Wide Web (WWW) in recent years, many educators are now seeking to improve the effectiveness of their instruction by providing interactive, web-based course material to their students. The purpose of this thesis is to document a set of eight online learning modules created to improve the effectiveness of learning the fundamentals of Computer Science. The modules are as follows:

• Algorithms - Definition and specification of algorithms, with a comparison and analysis of several sorting algorithms as examples. • Artificial Intelligence - Overview of current applications in this discipline. • Data Structures - Explanation of basic data structures, including an introduction to computer memory and pointers, and a comparison of logical and physical representations of commonly used data structures. • Machine Architecture - Explanation of data storage, gates and circuits, and the central processing unit. • Number Systems - Discussion of number representation and arithmetic in number systems other than the decimal number system, with a focus on binary numbers and binary arithmetic. • Operating Systems - Explanation of the purpose of operating systems and the major components that make up an operating system. • Programming Languages - Explanation of the fundamental concepts in procedural programming languages. • Software Engineering - Introduction to software life cycle models and an overview of the procedural and object-oriented paradigms.

Each module consists of a set of lessons and review questions written in HyperText Markup Language (HTML). Embedded in these pages are various interactive components implemented as Flash animations or Java applets. The modules currently reside on the Computer Science courseware server of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and can be viewed at the following WWW site: http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/