Peer Review

Introduction to Computing

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Reviewed:: Oct 15, 2017 by Computer Science

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This course was developed as a result of the Georgia Affordable Learning Inititiative Textbook Transformation Grant. The team worked to find Open Educational Resources (OERs) to use instead of expensive textbooks. The result is to have free resources instead of a textbook for CSCI 1100.

This course is intended for non-computer science majors. It provides an overview of selected major areas of current computing technology, organization and use. Topics surveyed include the history of computing, data representation and storage, hardware and software organization, communications, networking, and Internet technologies, and ethical and social issues.

Type of Material:

Online Course

Recommended Uses:

It can be used for self study but best for classroom use (e.g. Supplemental notes for an introductory course on computing)

Technical Requirements:

Web browser with Javascript enabled. Site otherwise shows only the message, "This site requires JavaScript," and refers to a legacy site but unable to locate that course at that site.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Target Student Population:

This course is intended for non-computer science majors.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Supplemental information and resources. For example, the introduction of "Repeater" includes "Network repeaters regenerate incoming electrical, wireless or optical signals." Students new to computing will probably need greater explanation.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Easy to browse once and grasp basic concepts in one sitting.

The body of this "book" are reprinted lecture slides.

Concerns:

The lecture slides do not stand on their own.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Points clearly illustrated and can be used directly for presentation.

Useful source material for instructors

Concerns:

Incomplete and inadequate as stand-alone resource

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

- Easy to understand.

- No-cost, accessible via web browser with Javascript.

Concerns:

Material may not be accessible. Web accessibility checkers fail to retrieve site information. Neither lynx nor elinks browsers render content.

Other Issues and Comments:: Material may not be accessible. Web accessibility checkers fail to retrieve site information. Neither lynx nor elinks browsers render content.
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