Previous research has found that programming assignments can produce strong emotional reactions i... more Previous research has found that programming assignments can produce strong emotional reactions in introductory programming students. These emotional reactions often have to do with the frustration of dealing with difficulties and how hard it can be to overcome problems. Not only are these emotional reactions powerful in and of themselves, they have also been shown to induce students to make self-efficacy judgments, which can in turn cause adaptive or maladaptive behaviors, depending on the valence of the judgment. These results have been found in previous qualitative research in programming, however, to date no one has done a larger scale quantitative examination of emotional reactions in introductory programming students. Furthermore, no one has tried to connect these emotional reactions systematically to student learning outcomes. Therefore, this study reports on the pilot use of a basic emotional reactions survey with a large class of undergraduate introductory programming students. Preliminary results are presented on how these emotional reactions affect students' course outcomes over the short and longer term.
Abstract: This study explored the performance of 75 seventh-grade students with and without disab... more Abstract: This study explored the performance of 75 seventh-grade students with and without disabilities, educated in inclusive mathematics classes, on open-ended, problem-solving mathematics assessments. In the study, approximately half of the students used a graphing calculator on the first assessment and not on the second assessment (n= 35; 46.7%), whereas the other half used it on the second assessment and not on the first (n= 40; 53.3%). The results indicate that all students did better when using a graphing calculator, ...
The objective of the work reported in this paper is to test 4 main hypotheses:(1) interactive vir... more The objective of the work reported in this paper is to test 4 main hypotheses:(1) interactive virtual environments (IVE) support and enhance students' creativity in synthetic biology;(2) the level of immersion of an IVE affects students' creativity in synthetic biology and a higher degree of immersion promotes higher creativity in synthetic biology;(3) students creativity in synthetic biology can be measured; and (4) immersive IVE are measurably more effective than current teaching methods for increasing creativity in ...
The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires tr... more The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires training a large number of new K-12 teachers. The current e orts to increase the number of CS teachers have predominantly focused on training teachers from other content areas. In order to support these beginning CS teachers, we need to better understand their experiences and challenges encountered in the classroom. This study investigated U.S. CS teachers’ perspectives on the demands of teaching computer science and support needed to ensure quality teaching. Results suggested that teachers face a number of challenges, including isolation, lack of adequate computer science background, and limited professional development resources.
The initiatives to introduce Computer Science as a manda- tory subject in K-12 in the U.S. (CSFor... more The initiatives to introduce Computer Science as a manda- tory subject in K-12 in the U.S. (CSForAll), the U.K. (CAS), or Australia mean that thousands of new teachers will need to be trained both through inservice professional develop- ment and preservice teacher preparation. In order to exam- ine the success of these efforts to train new computer science teachers requires computer science education researchers to evaluate the development of knowledge to teach computer science, i.e. pedagogical content knowledge. To date, we know little about how computer science pedagogical content knowledge looks like and how to assess it. This paper re- ports results from a qualitative analysis of computer science teachers’ responses to teaching vignettes about students’ un- derstanding of programming constructs. The responses were evaluated using qualitative text analysis and commonalities are presented. In future research, the teachers’ knowledge related to programming errors will be investigated on the ba- sis of a survey developed from the answers of the presented study.
Previous research in computer science education has demonstrated the importance of motivation for... more Previous research in computer science education has demonstrated the importance of motivation for success in introductory programming. Theoretical constructs from self-regulated learning theory (SRL), which integrates several different types of metacognitive processes, as well as motivational constructs, have proved to be important predictors of success in most academic disciplines. These individual components of self-regulated learning (e.g., self-efficacy, metacognitive strategies) interact in complex ways to influence students' affec-tive states and behaviors, which in turn influence learning outcomes. These elements have been previously examined individually in novice programmers, but we do not have a comprehensive understanding of how SRL constructs interact to influence learning to program. This paper reports on a study that examined the interaction of self-efficacy, intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations, and metacognitive strategies and their impact on student performance in a CS1 course. We also report on significant gender differences in the relationships between SRL constructs and learning outcomes. We found that student performance had the expected motivational and SRL precursors, but the interactions between these constructs revealed some unexpected relationships. Furthermore, we found that females' self-efficacy had a different connection to programming performance than that of their male peers. Further research on success in introductory programming should take account of the unique and complex relationship between SRL and student success, as well as gender differences in these relationships that are specific to CS.
The problem of the lack of rigor in CS education research has frequently been discussed and exami... more The problem of the lack of rigor in CS education research has frequently been discussed and examined. Previous reviews of the literature have examined rigor on both theoretical and methodological dimensions, among others. These reviews have also looked at differences in indicators of rigor between conference proceedings and journal publications. However, to date there is no comprehensive review that has examined the intersection of methodological and theoretical quality. This paper reports results from a literature review in which we analyzed both the use of theory and methodological rigor of four years of CS education research from the Computer Science Education (CSE) journal and the proceedings of the International Computing Education Research (ICER) conference. The goal was to provide an updated and expanded picture of the methodological quality and use of theory in the most rigorous CS education publications, as well as to compare between conference proceedings and journal publications on these dimensions. Our focus was on research that draws upon learning theory from education, psychology and other disciplines outside CS education. The results of our review show a different picture than earlier reviews. Focus on empirical results in conference proceedings articles has surpassed that of journal publications, and empirical studies are significantly more likely to make use of theory from outside CS education. Overall, our analysis shows a significant increase in the proportion of articles drawing on theory from outside CS education, compared to earlier literature reviews, whereas indicators of methodolog-ical quality show no such change.
The recent focus on computational thinking as a key 21st century skill for all students has led t... more The recent focus on computational thinking as a key 21st century skill for all students has led to a number of curriculum initiatives to embed it in K-12 classrooms. In this paper, we discuss the key computational thinking constructs, including algorithms, abstraction, and automation. We further discuss how these ideas are related to current educational reforms , such as Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and provide specific means that would allow teachers to embed these ideas in their K-12 classrooms, including recommendations for instructional technologists and professional development experts for infusing computational thinking into other subjects. In conclusion, we suggest that computational thinking ideas outlined in this paper are key to moving students from merely being technology-literate to using computational tools to solve problems.
Previous research has suggested that cognitive tests, including instruments seeking to measure pr... more Previous research has suggested that cognitive tests, including instruments seeking to measure problem solving, are significant predictors of students' programming performance. This paper seeks to expand upon this previous research by using a more theoretically grounded approach to measuring problem solving as a means of predicting performance in an introductory undergraduate programming course. Programming course performance has typically been measured by overall course grades; however, in this paper we used a more fine-grained approach to measuring student programming performance. Specifically, we utilized different types of course assignments (projects and tests) to measure programming outcomes. Results from this study indicate that problem solving ability significantly correlates with performance on programming assignments, but does not correlate with performance on multiple-choice exams.
Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems an... more Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems and formu- lating solutions that can be automated. In an increasingly information-based society, CT is becoming an essential skill for everyone. To ensure that students develop this ability at the K-12 level, it is important to provide teachers with an adequate knowledge about CT and how to incorporate it into their teaching. This article describes a study on designing and introducing computational thinking modules and assessing their impact on preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts, as well as their attitude towards com- puting. Results demonstrate that introducing computational thinking into education courses can effectively influence preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts.
Virtual worlds present tremendous advantages to cyberlearning. For example, in virtual worlds use... more Virtual worlds present tremendous advantages to cyberlearning. For example, in virtual worlds users can socialize with others, build objects and share them, customize parts of the world and hold lectures, do experiments, or share data. However, virtual worlds pose a wide range of security, privacy, and safety concerns. This may lead educators to become (or not) apprehensive of the virtual worlds in using and adapting them as learning technologies. This study examined how edu- cators perceive risks and uncertainties in virtual worlds. We also investigated how educators’ level of use of virtual worlds influences their risk perception level. Our results indicate a divergence between risk perception and reality in the virtual worlds. We use the seminal risk perception model developed by Fischhoff and his colleagues, and our revision to this model to explain these results. Finally, we discuss implications of our research for education management, and make recom- mendations to educators and policy makers who consider using virtual worlds as a learning technology.
Case-based instruction has been found to increase student engagement and motivation in engineeri... more Case-based instruction has been found to increase student engagement and motivation in engineering classrooms. However, there is a lack of qualitative in-depth examination of student perceptions of the use of cases in engineering. The current study examined undergraduate engineering students’ perceptions of implementing case studies in a mechanical engineering course, what aspects of case studies were beneficial and what aspects were challenging. Twenty-seven students enrolled in an undergraduate mechanical engineering course were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. The interview protocol asked students about their experiences when learning from cases in the course. The interviews were transcribed and coded to develop categories and themes related to student views about cases. The interviews produced a rich set of qualitative data, which suggested that students found cases to be beneficial with regards to allowing them to see real world application of course concepts. Students also reported some challenging aspects of learning from cases, such as frustrations with the ill-structured nature of cases and the inefficient use of class time when using cases. Cases offer a potential mechanism to engage students in the classroom, but face resistance and challenges. Hence, it becomes important for instructors to carefully engage students in the case study approach.
Previous research has found that programming assignments can produce strong emotional reactions i... more Previous research has found that programming assignments can produce strong emotional reactions in introductory programming students. These emotional reactions often have to do with the frustration of dealing with difficulties and how hard it can be to overcome problems. Not only are these emotional reactions powerful in and of themselves, they have also been shown to induce students to make self-efficacy judgments, which can in turn cause adaptive or maladaptive behaviors, depending on the valence of the judgment. These results have been found in previous qualitative research in programming, however, to date no one has done a larger scale quantitative examination of emotional reactions in introductory programming students. Furthermore, no one has tried to connect these emotional reactions systematically to student learning outcomes. Therefore, this study reports on the pilot use of a basic emotional reactions survey with a large class of undergraduate introductory programming students. Preliminary results are presented on how these emotional reactions affect students' course outcomes over the short and longer term.
Abstract: This study explored the performance of 75 seventh-grade students with and without disab... more Abstract: This study explored the performance of 75 seventh-grade students with and without disabilities, educated in inclusive mathematics classes, on open-ended, problem-solving mathematics assessments. In the study, approximately half of the students used a graphing calculator on the first assessment and not on the second assessment (n= 35; 46.7%), whereas the other half used it on the second assessment and not on the first (n= 40; 53.3%). The results indicate that all students did better when using a graphing calculator, ...
The objective of the work reported in this paper is to test 4 main hypotheses:(1) interactive vir... more The objective of the work reported in this paper is to test 4 main hypotheses:(1) interactive virtual environments (IVE) support and enhance students' creativity in synthetic biology;(2) the level of immersion of an IVE affects students' creativity in synthetic biology and a higher degree of immersion promotes higher creativity in synthetic biology;(3) students creativity in synthetic biology can be measured; and (4) immersive IVE are measurably more effective than current teaching methods for increasing creativity in ...
The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires tr... more The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires training a large number of new K-12 teachers. The current e orts to increase the number of CS teachers have predominantly focused on training teachers from other content areas. In order to support these beginning CS teachers, we need to better understand their experiences and challenges encountered in the classroom. This study investigated U.S. CS teachers’ perspectives on the demands of teaching computer science and support needed to ensure quality teaching. Results suggested that teachers face a number of challenges, including isolation, lack of adequate computer science background, and limited professional development resources.
The initiatives to introduce Computer Science as a manda- tory subject in K-12 in the U.S. (CSFor... more The initiatives to introduce Computer Science as a manda- tory subject in K-12 in the U.S. (CSForAll), the U.K. (CAS), or Australia mean that thousands of new teachers will need to be trained both through inservice professional develop- ment and preservice teacher preparation. In order to exam- ine the success of these efforts to train new computer science teachers requires computer science education researchers to evaluate the development of knowledge to teach computer science, i.e. pedagogical content knowledge. To date, we know little about how computer science pedagogical content knowledge looks like and how to assess it. This paper re- ports results from a qualitative analysis of computer science teachers’ responses to teaching vignettes about students’ un- derstanding of programming constructs. The responses were evaluated using qualitative text analysis and commonalities are presented. In future research, the teachers’ knowledge related to programming errors will be investigated on the ba- sis of a survey developed from the answers of the presented study.
Previous research in computer science education has demonstrated the importance of motivation for... more Previous research in computer science education has demonstrated the importance of motivation for success in introductory programming. Theoretical constructs from self-regulated learning theory (SRL), which integrates several different types of metacognitive processes, as well as motivational constructs, have proved to be important predictors of success in most academic disciplines. These individual components of self-regulated learning (e.g., self-efficacy, metacognitive strategies) interact in complex ways to influence students' affec-tive states and behaviors, which in turn influence learning outcomes. These elements have been previously examined individually in novice programmers, but we do not have a comprehensive understanding of how SRL constructs interact to influence learning to program. This paper reports on a study that examined the interaction of self-efficacy, intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations, and metacognitive strategies and their impact on student performance in a CS1 course. We also report on significant gender differences in the relationships between SRL constructs and learning outcomes. We found that student performance had the expected motivational and SRL precursors, but the interactions between these constructs revealed some unexpected relationships. Furthermore, we found that females' self-efficacy had a different connection to programming performance than that of their male peers. Further research on success in introductory programming should take account of the unique and complex relationship between SRL and student success, as well as gender differences in these relationships that are specific to CS.
The problem of the lack of rigor in CS education research has frequently been discussed and exami... more The problem of the lack of rigor in CS education research has frequently been discussed and examined. Previous reviews of the literature have examined rigor on both theoretical and methodological dimensions, among others. These reviews have also looked at differences in indicators of rigor between conference proceedings and journal publications. However, to date there is no comprehensive review that has examined the intersection of methodological and theoretical quality. This paper reports results from a literature review in which we analyzed both the use of theory and methodological rigor of four years of CS education research from the Computer Science Education (CSE) journal and the proceedings of the International Computing Education Research (ICER) conference. The goal was to provide an updated and expanded picture of the methodological quality and use of theory in the most rigorous CS education publications, as well as to compare between conference proceedings and journal publications on these dimensions. Our focus was on research that draws upon learning theory from education, psychology and other disciplines outside CS education. The results of our review show a different picture than earlier reviews. Focus on empirical results in conference proceedings articles has surpassed that of journal publications, and empirical studies are significantly more likely to make use of theory from outside CS education. Overall, our analysis shows a significant increase in the proportion of articles drawing on theory from outside CS education, compared to earlier literature reviews, whereas indicators of methodolog-ical quality show no such change.
The recent focus on computational thinking as a key 21st century skill for all students has led t... more The recent focus on computational thinking as a key 21st century skill for all students has led to a number of curriculum initiatives to embed it in K-12 classrooms. In this paper, we discuss the key computational thinking constructs, including algorithms, abstraction, and automation. We further discuss how these ideas are related to current educational reforms , such as Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and provide specific means that would allow teachers to embed these ideas in their K-12 classrooms, including recommendations for instructional technologists and professional development experts for infusing computational thinking into other subjects. In conclusion, we suggest that computational thinking ideas outlined in this paper are key to moving students from merely being technology-literate to using computational tools to solve problems.
Previous research has suggested that cognitive tests, including instruments seeking to measure pr... more Previous research has suggested that cognitive tests, including instruments seeking to measure problem solving, are significant predictors of students' programming performance. This paper seeks to expand upon this previous research by using a more theoretically grounded approach to measuring problem solving as a means of predicting performance in an introductory undergraduate programming course. Programming course performance has typically been measured by overall course grades; however, in this paper we used a more fine-grained approach to measuring student programming performance. Specifically, we utilized different types of course assignments (projects and tests) to measure programming outcomes. Results from this study indicate that problem solving ability significantly correlates with performance on programming assignments, but does not correlate with performance on multiple-choice exams.
Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems an... more Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems and formu- lating solutions that can be automated. In an increasingly information-based society, CT is becoming an essential skill for everyone. To ensure that students develop this ability at the K-12 level, it is important to provide teachers with an adequate knowledge about CT and how to incorporate it into their teaching. This article describes a study on designing and introducing computational thinking modules and assessing their impact on preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts, as well as their attitude towards com- puting. Results demonstrate that introducing computational thinking into education courses can effectively influence preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts.
Virtual worlds present tremendous advantages to cyberlearning. For example, in virtual worlds use... more Virtual worlds present tremendous advantages to cyberlearning. For example, in virtual worlds users can socialize with others, build objects and share them, customize parts of the world and hold lectures, do experiments, or share data. However, virtual worlds pose a wide range of security, privacy, and safety concerns. This may lead educators to become (or not) apprehensive of the virtual worlds in using and adapting them as learning technologies. This study examined how edu- cators perceive risks and uncertainties in virtual worlds. We also investigated how educators’ level of use of virtual worlds influences their risk perception level. Our results indicate a divergence between risk perception and reality in the virtual worlds. We use the seminal risk perception model developed by Fischhoff and his colleagues, and our revision to this model to explain these results. Finally, we discuss implications of our research for education management, and make recom- mendations to educators and policy makers who consider using virtual worlds as a learning technology.
Case-based instruction has been found to increase student engagement and motivation in engineeri... more Case-based instruction has been found to increase student engagement and motivation in engineering classrooms. However, there is a lack of qualitative in-depth examination of student perceptions of the use of cases in engineering. The current study examined undergraduate engineering students’ perceptions of implementing case studies in a mechanical engineering course, what aspects of case studies were beneficial and what aspects were challenging. Twenty-seven students enrolled in an undergraduate mechanical engineering course were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. The interview protocol asked students about their experiences when learning from cases in the course. The interviews were transcribed and coded to develop categories and themes related to student views about cases. The interviews produced a rich set of qualitative data, which suggested that students found cases to be beneficial with regards to allowing them to see real world application of course concepts. Students also reported some challenging aspects of learning from cases, such as frustrations with the ill-structured nature of cases and the inefficient use of class time when using cases. Cases offer a potential mechanism to engage students in the classroom, but face resistance and challenges. Hence, it becomes important for instructors to carefully engage students in the case study approach.
Uploads