To: Dr. Guler
From: Mija Isip
Subject: Proposal for Binary Bit Conversion Instructional manual
Date: September 21, 2015
Problem:
Computer Science has become more and more important to society due to the impact
technology has placed upon our everyday lives. Technology is responsible changing the world.
Important occupations such as banking systems, hospitals, politics, and even entertainment, all
rely on the inclusion of software and technology. Because computers are so globally depended
on, it is imperative that we educate citizens at a young age. Offering an instructional manual
that can be both understood and appeal towards elementary educated students concerning
binary bit conversion will create a great introduction for computer science. There are several
different problems to consider.
1. Computer Science courses are hardly even mentioned before college. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics claim that by 2020, an increase of 1 million computer science-related
jobs will be of access to graduated students.
2. Research shows that K-12 level students aren't taught basic computer science skills
because “schools don't think the demand from parents and students is there.”
3. According to Google and Gallup's data gathered from surveys, nine out of ten parents
believe that computer science would present as a helpful resource. Although the
principals and superintendents were found to view computer science as “not a top
priority.”
Purpose:
The objective of this instructional manual is to provide younger students an easy and early
introduction to an imperative subject concerning computer science. Students will be able to
quickly convert between binary, decimal, and hexadecimal bits quickly. Students interested in
pursuing computer science as a career will inherit the ability to convert binary bits at a young
age. This instruction manual will serve its purpose, but will also create a great introduction to
computer science for future generations.
Topics to Investigate:
- Determine the mathematical skill level that each elementary educated student has
already achieved.
- Survey students and parents interested in the learnings of computer science/binary bit
conversion. This survey will offer a good indication of how popular/resourceful this
instructional manual will be towards its audience.
- Allow sample users (elementary educated students) to read over non-published version
of the instructional manual so that the effectiveness of the manual can be judged.
- Gathering information/feedback from younger students in terms of helpful
tricks/visuals that would aide in the ease of their learning.
- Create a manual in which will both strike the user's attention and serve as an organized
guide to teaching binary conversion. Will color/visuals/arrows strike motivation?
- Deciphering a balance between appealing towards elementary education students
(applying very kid-like text, coloring, and format) vs. creating a manual that will both
appeal (but less slightly) towards elementary educated students, as well serving as a
reference for college computer science majors.
Audience:
The primary audience for this instructional manual will be elementary students ranging from
grade K-12. This will depend of the minor's mathematical capabilities. This will serve as both an
instructional manual towards binary bit conversion but also as a source of interest on minors
interested in pursuing computer science as an occupation. The secondary audience will be
college students and minors who have already held previous knowledge concerning binary bit
conversion. This manual will serve as a reference guide since there will be tricks and shortcuts
that they can benefit from.
Methods:
Computer science is a subject that generally falls under the stereotype as difficult and
confusing. To successfully teach and spark a sense of inspiration/interest in users, this guide will
need to follow specific and organized steps. First, it's imperative to gather surveys and data so
that the guide will contain knowledge in terms of interest, creative/successful methods of
teaching, so that the instructional manual will be easy to understand. We will gather knowledge
from both peers, professors, and reliable on line sources to compile the most knowledgeable
and eye-appealing instructional manual. This non-published manual will then be tested out to
sample to both K-12 students and college CMSC majors. This will offer the best possible
feedback in regards to the effectiveness the manual has to offer. Third, we will then ask for
another survey that includes questions about the fluidity of the instructional manual, the eyeappeal, and the easy-hard scale that user's faced when following through the manual. Finally,
once all the feedback and data has been received, the manual will be adjusted to best fit and
satisfy the target users.
Qualifications and Feasibility:
I'm fully aware of the difficulty that computer science majors must go through. Although I
believe because technology and software are so vastly used throughout the globe; that it is
imperative we offer some type of ease stepping stone for our younger generation to be able to
have access to. Binary bit conversion is both an interesting concept that CMSC has to offer and
it also serves as a new way to teach mathematics. I understand that K-12 is a large range to tech
one topic in a single instructional manual, but this manual serves as a beginner guide for any
age group to use. From the research that I've done, it’s evident that in order to teach one's self
binary bit conversion through the web, it's either difficult to understand or there is already a
generator to do the work for you. Because computers are so important yet merely just metal
that we build ourselves, it's imperative that the younger generation understand where and how
computers work. This manual will serve as an easy to learn binary bit conversion tool, but it will
also be useful for college CMSC students seeking a few helpful tips and reminders.
Resources:
The resources to investigate include
- CMSC professors offer knowledge and teaching methods
-On-line articles that will help appeal towards the inclusion of this instructional manual
-CMSC colleagues that may have feedback to offer
-College course CMSC textbooks
Work Schedule:
Task:
Time
Date
Gathering present information and data
5 Days
Sept. 26
Instructional Manual Design
5 Days
Oct. 1
Successive rate test
3 Days
Oct. 4
Revision based on test results
3 Days
Oct. 7
Final editing and repeat of testing
5 Days
Oct. 12
Preparing for proposal presentation
6 Days
Oct. 19
Call to Action:
Computer Science has rapidly solidified and improved our everyday lives. Readers must
understand that because technology and software have managed to dominate our sense of
storage and organization, it's imperative for our younger generations to be informed and that
we provide an easy to understand instructional manual that pertaining to the basics of
computer science. Some important facts to remember upon deciding the existence of this
manual:
- Most electronics heavily rely on binary numbers
- Binary bits are also commonly used for electrical engineering (gates
are popularly used because they are easily implemented.
- Computer storage (numbers, letters, data, etc.) are all stored and converted into
binary bits, allowing the computer to understand the actions and commands desired by
users.
Citation:
1. Ziv, Stav. “Deciphering the Code: Why America's Kids Need to Learn Computer Science.” News
Week. N/A, 14 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2015
2. “Why Are Computers so Important?” Why Are Computers so Important? N/A. Web. 21 Sept.
2015.