This issue of JIER addresses some important educational issues. The teaching tip tackles a new way to help novice programmers understand algorithms. There are two articles on database issues: one on data mining and the other using templates to develop a better understanding of concepts. Database, mayarguably be the most important course in the Informatics curriculum. Manypublishers bundle educational software with their text books and use this as a selling point. A study measuring learning performance between two groups, one using the software for software productivity tool and the other not using the software, found that the group USING the software scored lower on the final exam than the group not using the software. Of course this should be repeated, but what an interesting finding, In Ireland, three universities collaborated to create a Masters in Technology. They continue to manage the program jointly. Much has been speculated about introducing Project Management into the Informatics curriculum. At Georgia State University, a project management course focusing on Information Technology was redesigned as a core course. Howimportant is this course for our graduates and at what level? And ofcourse, there is some distance learning involving case studies on-line. While more research is necessary, some important issues were raised, in particular, how does the quality of discussions on-line compare to traditional discussions.
What a range of important curriculum topics. This variety of issues demonstrates the diversity of Informatics education and research. There will be a special issue on assessment this year, a topic with practical implications as we start looking at AACSB accreditation.
Thanks to the authors, the reviewers and the associate editors. The associate editors are always available for consultation and for emergencies-thanks.
Mary J. GrangerReturn to the Table of Contents