A paradigm shift! The Internet, the Web, browsers, Java and the future of computer science education

Abstract

Ready or not, here it comes! A paradigm shift with profound implications for computer science education is underway. The shift is away from a relatively static, localized paradigm of teaching and learning towards an interactive, dynamic, and non-localized paradigm. The new paradigm is not totally unfamiliar. Various institutions have for some time been exploring educational activities based on interactive software, sometimes coupled with two-way interactive video for distance learning. These efforts, though, have largely been based on technologies that were not universally available in educational settings (e.g., Sun workstations) and sometimes expensive to acquire, thus limiting their widespread acceptance by others. Furthermore, even when the technology was fairly common (e.g., PCs with Windows 95) we have noted from long experience that the mere burden added onto the backs of busy instructors of downloading, installing (which never seems to go without some hitch), and learning one more new system has hindered the widespread adoption of many otherwise very fine educational software packages. But all of this has now changed, and rather abruptly at that. Downloading and installing software is no longer much of an issue, and even the local computer platform is of little importance. In short, due to the Web and its related technologies it is now possible for virtually any institution, large or small, to embrace the new paradigm with minimal effort and cost. Indeed, given the momentum of the Web, the paradigm shift may be thrust upon us before we are ready to engage the clutch! Numerous technologies are converging to effect this paradigm shift: " the Internet, with its global computer interconnections; " the World Wide Web, providing easy access to information virtually anywhere; " browsers, such as Netscape and Internet Explorer, that allow nearly transparent access to the Web; " HTML, which makes the development of universal, multimedia "hypertextbooks" and other documents possible; " Java and the Java Virtual Machine, which provide an environment for the development of platform independent, interactive educational software that can be delivered via the Web through standard browsers; " powerful notebook computers that can easily be carried to a classroom and connected to the Internet (or, if an Internet connection is not available, a hard disk or CD image of the relevant information) for use in a lecture; " small, eminently portable computer projection systems that, too, can be transported to arbitrary classrooms and connected to a computer for display of computer output, allowing nearly any classroom to be adapted to the new paradigm; and " improved interactive two-way video systems, providing for distance learning and remote student participation from properly equipped lecture halls. Without question, the most influential of these technologies on the paradigm shift are the Web and the Java virtual machine. The elimination of platform dependence as a hurdle to producing good educational software systems that can be widely used without hassle is indeed a major achievement of profound import. We thus refer to the new paradigm as the Web paradigm. There are many different facets to the paradigm shift that could be discussed, some possibly controversial. In the confines of this paper, however, we limit ourselves to the discussion of some of the implications of the Web paradigm on computing education. We should clearly state that our aim is not to discuss future computer science curricula. Instead, our focus is on the teaching and learning environment that will result from the Web paradigm and---by implication---the profound influence it will have on any new curriculum models. In the Web paradigm, instructors will tend away from a traditional lecture style towards the role of a facilitator, and students will become more active in exploratory learning. Any discussion of the Web paradigm that did not include some exciting, dynamic examples would certainly not be very satisfying. Thus, the accompanying talk will be liberally sprinkled with projected demonstrations of the major concepts using relatively inexpensive technology available today (and sure to be more accessible and affordable tomorrow). So, unfasten your mindbelts and enjoy the ride!