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Abstract
The object of this project was to demystify computer science for ordinary
computer users. An instructional multimedia program was designed to convey this
information. Issues affecting the design of this multimedia program are
discussed; these include instructional design, cognitive theory, and other
approaches to computer science instruction. Screen shots and descriptions of
the software are included in this document. The areas covered by this program
are often omitted in discussions of computer literacy; few people are willing
to tackle the subject of how computers work now that such knowledge is not a
pre-requisite for using a computer. The program covered the following points:
1. Digitized pictures are made up of tiny pixels. 2. Digital (binary) encoding
is used to represent pixels. 3. Computer programs are needed by the computer to
interpret user input (e.g. drawing with the mouse). 4. Hardware can only handle
a program's requests at a very simple level. The interaction of hardware and
software could be seen in the simple model of computer processing presented.
Game-like activities were included to help build user understanding of these
concepts. The software was tested by users in two different environments: a
science museum (The Exploratorium in San Francisco) and a middle school (The
Mill Valley Middle School in Marin County, California). User feedback is
examined and analyzed in this paper.
Copyright © 1996 by Lisa H. Weinberg