What’s Motivation Got to Do with It? A Survey of Recursion in the Computing Education Literature

One of the most challenging topics for both computing educators and students is recursion. Pedagogical approaches for teaching recursion have appeared in the computing education literature for over 30 years, and the topic has generated a significant body of work. Given its persistence, relatively little attention has been paid to student motivation. This article summarizes results on teaching and learning recursion explored by the computing education community, noting the relative lack of interest in motivation. It concludes by briefly discussing an approach to teaching recursion is appealing for students interested in web development

Evaluación de una innovación docente a través de un diseño estadístico cuasi-experimental: aplicación al aprendizaje de la recursividad

Una de las principales dificultades que tienen que superar los alumnos que empiezan a programar es el aprendizaje de la recursividad. Nuestro interés se centra en conocer las causas que están detrás de esta problemática e intentar solventarla. Creemos que uno de los principales motivos que podrían explicar este fenómeno es el enorme desajuste conceptual que les supone el cambio de paradigma, de imperativo a declarativo. Con el objetivo de testear qué enfoque es el más apropiado a la hora de enseñar la recursividad en asignaturas de primeros cursos de Programación, se han diseñado dos estudios empíricos. En este trabajo describimos en detalle cada uno de ellos, así como los resultados obtenidos y las lecciones aprendidas.SUMMARY -- One of the main difficulties that students who start learning programming have to overcome is recursion. Our interest is to know the causes behind this problem and try to resolve it. We believe that one of the main reasons that could explain this phenomenon is the enormous conceptual mismatch that they incur when shifting from imperative to declarative paradigm. In order to test which approach is the most appropriate when teaching recursion in subjects of early programming courses we have designed two empirical studies. In this paper we describe in detail each of them, as well as the results and lessons learned

Generalized Stochastic Gradient Learning

We study the properties of generalized stochastic gradient (GSG) learning in forward-looking models. We examine how the conditions for stability of standard stochastic gradient (SG) learning both differ from and are related to E-stability, which governs stability under least squares learning. SG algorithms are sensitive to units of measurement and we show that there is a transformation of variables for which E-stability governs SG stability. GSG algorithms with constant gain have a deeper justification in terms of parameter drift, robustness and risk sensitivity.adaptive learning, E-stability, recursive least squares, robust estimation

Evaluación de una innovación docente a través de un diseño estadístico cuasi-experimental: aplicación al aprendizaje de la recursividad

Una de las principales dificultades que tienen que superar los alumnos que empiezan a programar es el aprendizaje de la recursividad. Nuestro interés se centra en conocer las causas que están detrás de esta problemática e intentar solventarla. Creemos que uno de los principales motivos que podrían explicar este fenómeno es el enorme desajuste conceptual que les supone el cambio de paradigma, de imperativo a declarativo. Con el objetivo de testear qué enfoque es el más apropiado a la hora de enseñar la recursividad en asignaturas de primeros cursos de Programación, se han diseñado dos estudios empíricos. En este trabajo describimos en detalle cada uno de ellos, así como los resultados obtenidos y las lecciones aprendidas.One of the main difficulties that students who start learning programming have to overcome is recursion. Our interest is to know the causes behind this problem and try to resolve it. We believe that one of the main reasons that could explain this phenomenon is the enormous conceptual mismatch that they incur when shifting from imperative to declarative paradigm. In order to test which approach is the most appropriate when teaching recursion in subjects of early programming courses we have designed two empirical studies. In this paper we describe in detail each of them, as well as the results and lessons learned

Toward Using Games to Teach Fundamental Computer Science Concepts

Video and computer games have become an important area of study in the field of education. Games have been designed to teach mathematics, physics, raise social awareness, teach history and geography, and train soldiers in the military. Recent work has created computer games for teaching computer programming and understanding basic algorithms. We present an investigation where computer games are used to teach two fundamental computer science concepts: boolean expressions and recursion. The games are intended to teach the concepts and not how to implement them in a programming language. For this investigation, two computer games were created. One is designed to teach basic boolean expressions and operators and the other to teach fundamental concepts of recursion. We describe the design and implementation of both games. We evaluate the effectiveness of these games using before and after surveys. The surveys were designed to ascertain basic understanding, attitudes and beliefs regarding the concepts. The boolean game was evaluated with local high school students and students in a college level introductory computer science course. The recursion game was evaluated with students in a college level introductory computer science course. We present the analysis of the collected survey information for both games. This analysis shows a significant positive change in student attitude towards recursion and modest gains in student learning outcomes for both topics

Systemic circular economy solutions for fiber reinforced composites

This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials

Systemic Circular Economy Solutions for Fiber Reinforced Composites

This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials

Systemic Circular Economy Solutions for Fiber Reinforced Composites

This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials