Learning-by-Teaching in CS Education: A Systematic Review

To investigate the strategies and approaches in teaching Computer Science (CS), we searched the literature review in CS education in the past ten years. The reviews show that learning-by-teaching with the use of technologies is helpful for improving student learning. To further investigate the strategies that are applied to learning-by-teaching, three categories are identified: peer tutoring, game-based flipped classroom, and teachable agents. In each category, we further searched and investigated prior studies. The results reveal the effectiveness and challenges of each strategy and provide insights for future studies

Feedback on Academic Essay Writing through pre-Emptive Hints: Moving Towards "Advice for Action"

This paper adopts an “advice for action” approach to feedback in educational practice: addressing how provision of “hints” to participants before they write academic essays can support their understanding and performance in essay-writing tasks. We explored differences in performance by type of hint, and whether there was a transfer of better performance in subsequent essays. Fifty participants were recruited, consisting of eight men and 42 women aged 18-80. Participants were assigned in rotation to four groups, and asked to write two essays. Groups 1 and 3 received hints before Essay 1, whilst Groups 2 and 4 received hints before Essay 2. Groups 1 and 2 received essential hints; Groups 3 and 4 received helpful hints. Essays were marked against set criteria. The results showed that an “advice for action” approach to essay-writing, in the form of hints, can significantly improve writers’ marks. Specifically higher marks were gained for the introduction, conclusion and use of evidence: critical components of “good” academic essays. As the hints given were content-free, this approach has the potential to instantly benefit tutors and students across subject domains and institutions and is informing the development of a technical system that can offer formative feedback as students draft essays

Developing Project Managers’ Transversal Competences Using Building Information Modeling

The emergence of building information modeling (BIM) methodology requires the training of professionals with both specific and transversal skills. In this paper, a project-based learning experience carried out in the context of a project management course at the University of Extremadura is analyzed. To that end, a questionnaire was designed and given to students who participated in the initiative. Results suggest that BIM can be considered a virtual learning environment, from which students value the competences developed. The emotional performance observed was quite flat. Similarly, students valued the usefulness of the initiative. Students expressed a desire for the methodological change of the university classes, and thought that BIM methodology could be useful for other courses. The results obtained show a line of work to be done to improve the training of students and university teaching

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

Flipped Learning and Influential Factors: Case Analysis

Flipped learning has been a focus of research to explore potential learning environments that may positively affect student learning. The key issue is whether or how educators design such a learning environment, and what might be the factors that educators need to consider when designing a flipped learning environment. The first part of this study presents a critical review and analysis on factors identified from the literature that may influence the success of a flipped-learning case. 216 cases selected from current literature were analyzed on seven factors (Overall Design, Design of Information, Design of Technology Use, Active Learning, Motivation, Special Guidance, and Self-Regulated Learning) regarding their influence on the success of flipped learning experiences. Among them the first five factors were found to be significant and included in a prediction model. The second part of this study demonstrates an on-going case of flipped learning that reflects and examines the prediction model

Effective Pedagogical Strategies for STEM Education from Instructors’ Perspective: OER for Educators

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare (OCW) was launched in 2001. It is one of the earliest Open Educational Resources (OER). MIT OCW has published more than 2,400 courses which are available at no cost, the majority of which are STEM related. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the pedagogical strategies through reviewing instructor insights of 15 MIT OCW STEM courses using thematic analysis. The most effective pedagogical strategies used found by instructors were active learning, personalizing instruction, engaging learners, providing feedback, building learning community, and clarifying learning objective. Instructors used in-class formative assessment, such as quizzes and oral exams, for just-in-time teaching and online automatic assessment environments for students’ self-assessment. The primary summative assessments were final exams and projects. Instructors encountered challenges such as assessing students’ learning and changing pedagogical beliefs. Implications for practice were discussed as well

Flipped classroom in higher Norwegian IT education

In recent years, Flipped Classroom has been a well described approach to organizing a learning environment. The approach is, and has been, in use at many levels of educational systems in many parts of the world and within different subject areas. In this study, we narrow the scope and focus on the use of Flipped Classroom within higher Information Technology (IT) education in Norway. We want to investigate if Flipped Classroom is in use, and if so, to what degree? What are the stories from educators who have tried Flipped Classroom when teaching IT related courses in higher education? Through semi structured interviews we want to investigate the motivation behind choosing this pedagogical method, and the results of course deliveries in a Flipped Classroom setting. The findings suggest that the use of Flipped Classroom in higher Norwegian IT education is limited. The experiences of using the approach, conveyed through the interviews, are positive. Most students are satisfied. The teacher is happy. The academic results are as good or even better than those achieved prior to flipping the classroom. So why is the use of Flipped Classroom limited when the results are good? The interviewees have their opinions on that question also. The study provides a look into the current status of Flipped Classroom usage in the higher Norwegian IT education. It also provides good tips to those who are planning to flip the classroom for the first time

Moving Classes in a Large Programming Course Online: An Experience Report

We present an experience report on moving face-to-face classes in a large CS1 course to an online format, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course is based on the flipped classroom approach and team-based learning. Students prepare for classes by reading specific chapters of the textbook and/or by watching pre-recorded videos. The classes are synchronous, in which students take quizzes and work on programming assignments in teams, with the guidance of tutors. To evaluate the implementation, we compared the results from surveys and exams between 2019 and 2020. The results show that students were at least as satisfied with the online classes in 2020 in comparison with face-to-face classes from the previous year, and generally satisfied with the organization of the course and the learning experience. Moreover, we found no discernible change in the grades on the midterm exams and the final exam between the two years. In the future, we might allow the students to choose the class format that best fits their individual needs