Presents a human-computer interaction (HCI) conceptions model designed to help in the understanding of the cognitive processes involved when college students learn to program computers. Examines syntactic and algorithmic HCI operational errors and reviews conceptions based on natural language reasoning, independent computer reasoning, and…

Describes two studies that assessed decision-making skills using common cognitive errors and evaluated the impact of computer-based role-playing exercises on the development of these skills. Results with high school students, undergraduates, and earth science professionals are discussed which indicate that well-designed computer-based laboratories…

Although students' misconceptions about the concept of chemical equilibrium has been the focus of numerous investigations, few have investigated students' systematic errors when solving equilibrium problems at the college level. Students (n=189) enrolled in the second semester of a first year chemistry course for science and engineering majors at…