Analysis of the use of automatic judges in computer programming classes in vocational education

The goal of this thesis is to analyse the use of automatic judges in the teaching of Computer Programming in Vocational Training programs, in a sample of secondary schools in Catalonia and Spain. We review the academic literature on automatic judges and describe their history and the different services that are currently available. Through surveys to teachers and students from Vocational Training centres, we have collected information about the tools in use. We classify twelve of them according to features that we found to be relevant to the teachers we surveyed. Using the collected data, we study the reasons in favour and against automatic judges, as well as the level of familiarity of active teachers with those tools. We identify some discrepancies between teacher's expectations and actual experiences of teachers who have adopted them. We use students' responses to derive statistics about their satisfaction, and to detect differences in the attitude of those who use judges in class and those who don't with respect to the subject of programming. In order to detect any effects on learning, we use three Bebras challenges to evaluate the competence of algorithmic and computational thinking. No difference in the ability of students to complete these challenges has been observed, but a difference in how willing they are to work on them has been detected. The effect is contrary to the one originally hypothesised, which leads to some interesting questions for further study

A Platform for the Italian Bebras

n/

Algoritmilise mõtlemise oskuste hindamise mudel

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneTehnoloogia on kõikjal meie ümber ja arvutiteadus pole enam ainult eraldi distsipliin teadlastele, vaid omab aina laiemat rolli ka teistel aladel. Huvi algoritmilise mõtlemise arendamise vastu kasvab kõigil haridustasemetel alates eelkoolist lõpetades ülikooliga. Sellega seoses vajame aina enam üldhariduskoolide tasemel uuringuid, et omada paremat ülevaadet algoritmilise mõtlemise oskustest, et luua praktiline mudel algoritmilise mõtlemise hindamiseks. Algoritmilist mõtlemist kirjeldatakse paljudes artiklites, kuid sageli pole need omavahel kooskõlas ja puudub ühine arusaamine algoritmilise mõtlemise oskuste dimensioonidest. Doktoritöö sisaldab süstemaatilist kirjanduse analüüsi, kus mõjukamate artiklite sünteesimisel jõutakse kolmeetapilise algoritmilise mõtlemise oskuste mudelini. See mudel koosneb järgnevatest etappidest: i) probleemi defineerimine, ii) probleemi lahendamine ja iii) lahenduse analüüsimine. Need kolm etappi sisaldavad kümmet algoritmilise mõtlemise alamoskust: probleemi formuleerimine, abstrahheerimine, reformuleerimine, osadeks võtmine, andmete kogumine ja analüüs, algoritmiline disain, paralleliseerimine ja itereerimine, automatiseerimine, üldistamine ning tulemuse hindamine. Selleks, et algoritmilist mõtlemist süstemaatiliselt arendada, on vaja mõõtevahendit vastavate oskuste mõõtmiseks põhikoolis. Doktoritöö uurib informaatikaviktoriini Kobrase ülesannete abil, milliseid algoritmilise mõtlemise osaoskusi on võimalik eraldada Kobrase viktoriini tulemustest lähtuvalt ilmnes kaks algoritmilise mõtlemise oskust: algoritmiline disain ja mustrite äratundmine. Lisaks põhikoolile kasutati ülesandeid ka gümnaasiumis millga kinnitati, et kohendatud kujul saab neid ülesandeid kasutada algoritmilise mõtlemise oskuste hindamiseks ka gümnaasiumisgümnaasiumitasemel. Viimase asjana pakutakse doktoritöös välja teoreetilisi ja empiirilisi tulemusi kokkuvõttev algoritmilise mõtlemise oskusi hindav mudel.In the modernizing world, computer science is not only a separate discipline for scientists but has an essential role in many fields. There is an increasing interest in developing computational thinking (CT) skills at various education levels – from kindergarten to university. Therefore, at the comprehensive school level, research is needed to have an understanding of the dimensions of CT skills and to develop a model for assessing CT skills. CT is described in several articles, but these are not in line with each other, and there is missing a common understanding of the dimensions of the skills that should be in the focus while developing and assessing CT skills. In this doctoral study, through a systematic literature review, an overview of the dimensions of CT presented in scientific papers is given. A model for assessing CT skills in three stages is proposed: i) defining the problem, ii) solving the problem, and iii) analyzing the solution. Those three stages consist of ten CT skills: problem formulation, abstraction, problem reformulation, decomposition, data collection and analysis, algorithmic design, parallelization and iteration, automation, generalization, and evaluation. The systematic development of CT skills needs an instrument for assessing CT skills at the basic school level. This doctoral study describes CT skills that can be distinguished from the Bebras (Kobras) international challenge results. Results show that wto CT skills emerged that can be characterized as algorithmic thinking and pattern recognition. These Bebras tasks were also modified to be used for setting directions for developing CT skills at the secondary school level. Eventually, a modified model for assessing CT skills is presented, combining the theoretical and empirical results from the three main studies.https://www.ester.ee/record=b543136

Developing an Inclusive K-12 Outreach Model

This paper outlines the longitudinal development of a K-12 outreachmodel, to promote Computer Science in Ireland. Over a three-yearperiod, it has been piloted to just under 9700 K-12 students fromalmost every county in Ireland. The model consists of a two-hourcamp that introduces students to a range of Computer Sciencetopics: addressing computing perceptions, introduction to codingand exploration of computational thinking. The model incorporateson-site school delivery and is available at no cost to any interestedschool across Ireland. The pilot study so far collected over 3400surveys (pre- and post-outreach delivery).Schools from all over Ireland self-selected to participate, includ-ing male only, female only and mixed schools. The no-cost natureof the model meant schools deemed disadvantaged , to privatefee-paying schools participated. Initial findings are very positive,including the balance of male and female participants, where in the2017-18 academic year it was 56:44 and in 2019-20 (to date), it is35:65 respectively. Once the model is validated and tweaked (basedon survey data), the model will be published (open access) for otherinstitutions to implement the model locally. In addition, the authorsintend to link schools (that the team have worked with over thethree years) with local institutions, thus developing a sustainableecosystem for the program to continue. This paper describes themodel structure and outlines early finding

OnCreate and the virtual teammate: an analysis of online creative processes and remote collaboration

This paper explores research undertaken by a consortium of 10 universities from across Europe as part of an EU Erasmus Strategic Partnership project called OnCreate. Recent research and experiences prove the importance of the design and implementation of online courses that are learner-centred, include collaboration and integrate rich use of media in authentic environments. The OnCreate project explores the specific challenges of creative processes in such environments. The first research phase comprises a comparative qualitative analysis of collaboration practices in design-related study programmes at the ten participating universities. A key outcome of this research was in identifying the shortcomings of the hierarchical role models of established Learning Management Systems (such as Moodle or Blackboard) and the tendency towards evolving 'mash-up' environments to support creative online collaboration

Informatinio mąstymo ugdymo konstrukcionistinėje aplinkoje projektavimo moksliniai tyrimai: pragmatistinė perspektyva

[full article, abstract in English; abstract in Lithuanian] The article examines the modern computer-based educational environment and the requirements of the possible cognitive interface that enables the learner’s cognitive grounding by incorporating abductive reasoning into the educational process. Although the main emphasis is on cognitive and physiological aspects, the practical tools for enabling computational thinking in a modern constructionist educational environment are discussed. The presented analytical material and developed solutions are aimed at education with computers. However, the proposed solutions can be generalized in order to create a computer-free educational environment. The generalized paradigm here is pragmatism, considered as a philosophical assumption. By designing and creating a pragmatist educational environment, a common way of organizing computational thinking that enables constructionist educational solutions can be found.[straipsnis ir santrauka anglų kalba, santrauka lietuvių kalba] Straipsnyje nagrinėjama šiuolaikinė kompiuterinėmis technologijomis grįsta edukacinė aplinka. Aptariami kognityvinės sąsajos, skirtos besimokančiojo įgyjamoms žinioms sieti su realaus pasaulio objektais ar reiškiniais, reikalavimai. Šį susiejimą siūloma realizuoti į ugdymo procesą įtraukiant abdukcinius samprotavimus. Straipsnyje aptariamos praktinės priemonės informatiniam mąstymui ugdyti šiuolaikinėje konstrukcionistinėje aplinkoje, akcentuojant kognityvinius ir fiziologinius aspektus ir jungiant kelių paradigmų teorijas. Pateikta analitinė medžiaga ir siūlomi sprendimai skirti kompiuterinei ugdymo aplinkai, tačiau gali būti apibendrinti ir bendrajai ugdymo aplinkai be technologijų. Filosofine prielaida čia laikoma generalizuota pragmatizmo paradigma. Projektuojant ir kuriant pragmatistinę ugdymo aplinką, randamas informatinio mąstymo ugdymo naudojant konstrukcionistinius edukacinius sprendimus būdas