Adaptation and Implementation of Curriculum for a High School Special Education Computer Science Class

• Main Author: Johnson, Jacqueline S
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.1996
• Subjects: Computer Literacy; Computer Science Education; Computer Software; Computer Uses in Education; Curriculum Development; Curriculum Guides; Data Processing; High Schools; Instructional Effectiveness; Instructional Materials; Keyboarding (Data Entry); Learning Disabilities; Pretests Posttests; Required Courses; Special Classes; Special Education; Spreadsheets; Word Processing

A curriculum was developed to address the needs of a high school special education computer science class. Class members included both resource-room learning disabled and the more severely learning disabled, and the project aimed to help them fulfill the school district requirement of the completion of a one-semester computer class prior to graduation. The project objectives were to develop a curriculum for the course which received 90% acceptance by a committee of administrators and teachers, and to improve both student computer literacy skills and computer application skills by 50%. The curriculum was developed based on research of existing curriculums and available materials at the site, such as text, computers, and software. It included keyboarding, word processing, database, and spreadsheet skills. The curriculum was implemented using auditory and visual modes with paper/pencil and hands-on activities, with review and reinforcement activities. All objectives were met for the target group. Appendices include a needs assessment survey, an interview and rating scale form for the staff, computer literacy and applications pretests and posttests, a sample study guide and outline, and the developed curriculum. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/SWC)