Introductory programming: a systematic literature review

As computing becomes a mainstream discipline embedded in the school curriculum and acts as an enabler for an increasing range of academic disciplines in higher education, the literature on introductory programming is growing. Although there have been several reviews that focus on specific aspects of introductory programming, there has been no broad overview of the literature exploring recent trends across the breadth of introductory programming. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that conducted a systematic review in order to gain an overview of the introductory programming literature. Partitioning the literature into papers addressing the student, teaching, the curriculum, and assessment, we explore trends, highlight advances in knowledge over the past 15 years, and indicate possible directions for future research

Mixing in-class and online learning: Content meta-analysis of outcomes for hybrid, blended, and flipped courses

Over the past 15 years, courses that mix face-to-face and online instructional methods, such as blended, hybrid, and flipped courses, have gained both supporters and skeptics in higher education. Studies that compare mixed courses to face-to-face or online courses have conflicting results: some find improved learning outcomes and some find no significant differences. We contend that these conflicting results are due to inconsistent or vague definitions of hybrid, blended, and flipped. To address this problem, we use the definitions from a recently proposed taxonomy to reclassify studies in the literature. After reclassification, analysis of this literature reveals two main themes that illuminate how mixed instructional methods affect learning outcomes. Courses that use mixed methods can either reduce time in class and maintain learning outcomes or maintain time in class and improve learning outcomes

Exploring the universal design principles of a Flipped Classroom Model for Inquiry-Based Learning in Cyprus primary education context:A Multiple Case Study

Background In this thesis, a multi-case study will be presented to address an important gap in current literature concerning universal design principles (UDPs) for an effective implementation of a Flipped Classroom (FC) model for Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), called the IB-FC model. Currently, there has been limited research focusing on the implementation of any FC model within the primary education context despite its potential benefits, such as developing higher order cognitive skills. Method used The study is a collaborative research project, during which the research, in collaboration with five primary school teacher participants, explored the effective ways of universal implementation of the initial IB-FC model developed, in five different primary schools in Cyprus. The model was implemented for a school year (2017-18), involving 5 teachers, 77 students and 48 of their parents. Qualitative data has been selected mainly through classroom observations and interviews. Key results Data analysis has focused on teachers’, students’ and parents’ experiences and perceptions on the IB-FC implementation which aimed to revise the initial instructional tools, lesson template and framework given to the teachers for designing their lessons. This in turn led to the extraction of seven UDPs: structure and flexibility, simplicity and accessibility, interconnectivity and community, differentiation and personalization, development and progression, motivation and engagement and assessment and evaluation. Conclusion The final IB-FC framework proposed in the findings illustrates how the seven UDPs for IB-FC implementation are connected to the ten instructional IB-FC tools developed for further supporting IB-FC implementation. In summary, this study has clearly demonstrated that the FC methodology can be effectively implemented in primary education settings. The final IB-FC framework contributes to the slow growing body of research on FC and IBL practice, theory building and policy in primary education

Opportunities for Adaptive Experiments to Enable Continuous Improvement that Trades-off Instructor and Researcher Incentives

Randomized experimental comparisons of alternative pedagogical strategies could provide useful empirical evidence in instructors' decision-making. However, traditional experiments do not have a clear and simple pathway to using data rapidly to try to increase the chances that students in an experiment get the best conditions. Drawing inspiration from the use of machine learning and experimentation in product development at leading technology companies, we explore how adaptive experimentation might help in continuous course improvement. In adaptive experiments, as different arms/conditions are deployed to students, data is analyzed and used to change the experience for future students. This can be done using machine learning algorithms to identify which actions are more promising for improving student experience or outcomes. This algorithm can then dynamically deploy the most effective conditions to future students, resulting in better support for students' needs. We illustrate the approach with a case study providing a side-by-side comparison of traditional and adaptive experimentation of self-explanation prompts in online homework problems in a CS1 course. This provides a first step in exploring the future of how this methodology can be useful in bridging research and practice in doing continuous improvement

A Taxonomy to Define Courses that Mix Face-to-Face and Online Learning

The efficacy of courses that mix face-to-face and online instruction, such as blended, hybrid, flipped, and inverted courses, is contested in the literature. Some studies find that they improved learning outcomes and some do not. We argue that these unreliable results are due to inconsistent definitions of these courses. To address this problem, we propose the Mixed Instructional eXperience (MIX) taxonomy to define hybrid, blended, flipped, and inverted based on two dimensions. To test the usefulness of the taxonomy to organize the literature, we reclassified research using the taxonomy. The analysis of the literature after reclassification revealed themes that illuminate how mixing face-to-face and online instruction affects learning. These findings validate the taxonomy as a useful tool for classifying literature and further knowledge in this field

Implementing a flipped model of instruction in the EFL listening classroom: Impact on comprehension

Inventive technologies have provided students greater ways to invest more productive time within the classrooms, such as listening class. However, the flipped model of instruction should be practiced as a way to engage students in the process of listening comprehension. This experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of the flipped classroom (FC) on advanced EFL learners’ listening comprehension. Sixty Iranian advanced EFL learners (19 to 23 years old) participated in 14 sessions. Half of the students taught through the flipped model of instruction (experimental group) and the others through traditional instruction (control group). Using a before and after design, students were retested after seven weeks. Results showed that the means average resulted from the L2 listening comprehension test revealed those both groups showing increases in listening scores, but the experimental group’s mean score was higher than in the control group. Therefore, the FC model's implementation in the context of teaching and learning L2 listening comprehension can lead to positive outcomes since they could engage students in the process of learning English. The implication of this study calls for the FC model implementation to engage students in listening comprehension in the chance to learn better and expand their educational knowledge

Hybrid Learning Design to Minimize Academic Stress of Digital Natives’ Generation in Accounting Course

The digital natives generation (DNG) tends to experience relatively high academic stress if the learning design does not pay attention to its characteristics and culture. This study aims to develop a prototype of a hybrid learning model to minimise such stress amongst prospective accounting teachers. This hybrid learning design combines face to face and online learning using the Design-Based Research (DBR) method with stages of problem analysis when learning, and the development of solutions based on principles and theory. Questionnaires, interviews, FGDs and literature studies were used to collect data which were analysed using quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis. The study found that the DNG experiences relatively high academic stress in the accounting context, so it is necessary to develop a prototype of a flipped classroom-type hybrid learning model by considering its learning style and academic culture and based on the sociocultural revolution theory. This hybrid learning design remains to be tested in further research for its feasibility and effectiveness in minimising DNG academic stress

Flipping Laboratory Sessions in a Computer Science Course: An Experience Report

Contribution: This article presents an experience report on the application of flipped classroom (FC) to the laboratory sessions (henceforth lab sessions) of an undergraduate computer science course. Background: Hands-on work in computer science lab sessions is typically preceded by technical instructions on how to install, configure, and use the software and hardware tools needed during the lab. In the course under study, this initial explanation took between 14% and 50% of the lab time, reducing drastically the time available for actual practice. It was also observed that students missing any of the labs had trouble catching up. Intended Outcomes: The application of FC is expected to increase the time for hands-on activities, and improve students' performance and motivation. This improvement is expected to be more noticeable in those students who are unable to attend all lab sessions. Application Design: The study compares the application of FC and a traditional methodology. It encompasses two academic courses and involves 434 students and six lecturers. Findings: The FC is suitable for lab sessions in computer science. Among other results, flipping the labs resulted in 24 more minutes of practical and collaborative work on average at each lab session. It was observed a significant improvement in the motivation of students, with 9 out of every 10 students preferring it over traditional methodologies. Also, the FC made it much easier for students to catch up after missing a lab, making the final grades less dependent on lab attendance

Introducing Low-Stakes Just-in-Time Assessments to a Flipped Software Engineering Course

Objective: We present a Teaching-as-Research project that implements a new intervention in a flipped software engineering course over two semesters. The short-term objective of the intervention was to improve students’ preparedness for live sessions. The long-term objective was to improve their knowledge retention evaluated in time-separated high-stakes assessments. Intervention: The intervention involved adding weekly low-stakes just-in-time assessments to course modules to motivate students to review assigned instructional materials in a timely manner. The assessments consisted of, per course module, two preparatory quizzes embedded within off-class instructional materials and a non-embedded in-class quiz. Method: Embedded assessments were deployed to two subgroups of students in an alternating manner. In-class assessments were deployed to all students. The impact of embedded assessments on in-class assessments and on final exam performance was measured. Results: Embedded assessments improved students’ preparedness for live sessions. The effect was statistically significant, but variable. Embedded assessments did not impact long-term knowledge retention assessed on final exam. We have decided to keep the intervention and deploy it to all students in the future

Flipping Laboratory Sessions: An Experience in Computer Science

This paper reports our experience in flipping a second- year undergraduate course on software architecture and integration, taught in the second course of a Software Engineering degree. We compare the application of the flipped-classroom methodology with a traditional methodology. Our study encompasses two academic courses, in the years 2017 and 2018, and involves a total number of 434 students and 6 lecturers, placing this among the largest studies on flipped-classroom to date. The paper also reports on the production of the videos used with the flipped-classroom methodology, recorded by the lecturers in informal settings, and provides several lessons learned in this regard. The results of the study, backed by a solid statistical analysis of the data, demonstrate the suitability of the flipped-classroom methodology for laboratory sessions in the subject course. Among other results, our analysis concluded that students had on average 24 more minutes per session to solve in-class exercises with the flipped-classroom methodology; more than 70% of the students considered that the quantity, duration and didactic content of the videos were (very) appropriate; and 9 out of every 10 students would prefer this methodology in the laboratory sessions of future courses rather than a traditional face-to-face approach.Junta de Andalucía APOLO (US-1264651)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades OPHELIA (RTI2018–101204–B–C22)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades Horatio RTI2018-101204-B-C21Junta de Andalucía EKIPMENT-PLUS (P18-FR-2895