Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research.

The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap

Latin American perspectives to internationalize undergraduate information technology education

The computing education community expects modern curricular guidelines for information technology (IT) undergraduate degree programs by 2017. The authors of this work focus on eliciting and analyzing Latin American academic and industry perspectives on IT undergraduate education. The objective is to ensure that the IT curricular framework in the IT2017 report articulates the relationship between academic preparation and the work environment of IT graduates in light of current technological and educational trends in Latin America and elsewhere. Activities focus on soliciting and analyzing survey data collected from institutions and consortia in IT education and IT professional and educational societies in Latin America; these activities also include garnering the expertise of the authors. Findings show that IT degree programs are making progress in bridging the academic-industry gap, but more work remains

Integrating Technology With Student-Centered Learning

Reviews research on technology's role in personalizing learning, its integration into curriculum-based and school- or district-wide initiatives, and the potential of emerging digital technologies to expand student-centered learning. Outlines implications

A Generic Curriculum Model for Computing Degree Programs

The current literature shows the existing curriculum models are unable to meet the needs of the today2019;s dynami

Missing Elements of Computer Science Curricula 2013

Rapidly expanding computing domain has forced educational institutions to up-grade existing curricula of computing degree programs. Recently, a joint task force of Association for Computing Machinery and IEEE-Computer Society has published the Strawman Draft of Computer Science Curricula 2013. The Draft has introduced some new ideas to keep computing curricula modern and relevant. The recommended curricula have designed in the light of 6% response rate of the conducted survey. This paper has pointed out some important aspects which need attention to meet the challenges of the 21st century. These aspects include an Ad-hoc approach towards the core body of knowledge, incomplete curriculum guidelines, over-ambitious contents and learning outcomes. Some other missing aspects include computing dispositions, global education, 21st century skills, guideline for inclusion and the hidden curriculum. It is believed the recommendations of this paper may generate some thought provoking ideas to make the computing curricula more robust and effective

Inside the Box: A Case Study of How Spatial Rhetoric in High School Computer Science Curricula Inhibited the Acquisition of Technology Competence

More rhetorical skills are now required to navigate critically and productively in technological spaces; that means that one must possess a specific type of literacy, called technology competence, which enables one to understand the evolution of technology, the nature and design of technology, and its rhetorical effects on people and society. Initially envisioned as a multi-case study across school districts, this project changed to a single case study pilot project because the COVID-19 pandemic restricted access to classrooms in multiple school districts for observations, thus significantly reducing the sample size in the data set. Through a mixed methods case study of an introductory course in a majority-minority urban high school, this dissertation explored how students’ acquisition of technology competence was supported by the technology curricula offered in high schools and how the rhetoric in this technological space, the introductory course, affected students’ abilities to acquire technological competence that would enable them to extend their knowledge beyond access, to actively producing technology. Data collection included publicly available curricula and syllabi from local school districts, the state’s information technology curriculum, surveys from teachers and students, classroom observations, samples of lesson plans, student work, and interviews with teachers and students. The computer science pathways in the curriculum, spaces in which students could acquire technology literacy and develop technology competence, were severely restricted due to geography and local school zones, the level and quality of the computer science curriculum offered by the school and district, staffing and master scheduling, and teacher effectiveness. These findings indicated a need for a more standardized curriculum and instructional units for one introductory class that feeds multiple information technology pathways or specialized introductory classes for each separate pathway. To promote equity in access to the curriculum for all students, districts and schools should prioritize the state’s computer science curriculum in staffing, scheduling, and funding, to ensure that students in all zoned schools in the district have access to more of the computer science courses in the state’s curriculum

Towards University 2.0: A Space where Academic Education Meets Corporate Training

The paper analyses the need of an institutional change of the universities in order to adapt to the current requirements of networked and knowledge economy. The e-Learning phenomenon and the ICT driven global educational reform are analysed as well in parallel with the needs of implementing new pedagogy models. Some university models are briefly described, such as: Research University, Enterpreneurial University, eUniversity and Corporate University. The paper puts its attention also on the Web 2.0 technologies and their influence on the new business models. The emergence of the Entreprise 2.0 model is briefly described. University 2.0 is defined as a research and entrepreneurial university which integrates Web 2.0 technologies and applications in all university activities, including ones with all knowledge intensive stakeholders, and implements the features of the Enterprise 2.0. The role of the community of practice and the open innovation is analysed. The case of Sofia University that has developed a new computing curricula and strives to implement the European e-Competence Framework by applying the University 2.0 model has been analyzed and presented as wel

To Heck With Ethics: Thinking About Public Issues With a Framework for CS Students

This paper proposes that the ethics class in the CS curriculum incorporate the Lawrence Lessig model of regulation as an analytical tool for social issues. Lessig’s use of the notion of architecture, the rules and boundaries of the sometimes artificial world within which social issues play out, is particularly resonant with computing professionals. The CS curriculum guidelines include only ethical frameworks as the tool for our students to engage with societal issues. The regulation framework shows how the market, law, social norms, and architecture can all be applied toward understanding social issues

To Heck With Ethics: Thinking About Public Issues With a Framework for CS Students

This paper proposes that the ethics class in the CS curriculum incorporate the Lawrence Lessig model of regulation as an analytical tool for social issues. Lessig’s use of the notion of architecture, the rules and boundaries of the sometimes artificial world within which social issues play out, is particularly resonant with computing professionals. The CS curriculum guidelines include only ethical frameworks as the tool for our students to engage with societal issues. The regulation framework shows how the market, law, social norms, and architecture can all be applied toward understanding social issues

E-Learning

Technology development, mainly for telecommunications and computer systems, was a key factor for the interactivity and, thus, for the expansion of e-learning. This book is divided into two parts, presenting some proposals to deal with e-learning challenges, opening up a way of learning about and discussing new methodologies to increase the interaction level of classes and implementing technical tools for helping students to make better use of e-learning resources. In the first part, the reader may find chapters mentioning the required infrastructure for e-learning models and processes, organizational practices, suggestions, implementation of methods for assessing results, and case studies focused on pedagogical aspects that can be applied generically in different environments. The second part is related to tools that can be adopted by users such as graphical tools for engineering, mobile phone networks, and techniques to build robots, among others. Moreover, part two includes some chapters dedicated specifically to e-learning areas like engineering and architecture