14 research outputs found

    Developing Collaborative Skills Early in the CS Curriculum in a Laboratory Environment

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    ABSTRACT The research on teaching and learning over the past 50 years suggests that the early use of collaborative learning leads to higher interest, higher retention, and higher academic performance in students. Early use of these techniques can also increase the sense of belonging for students and can lead to the early development of collaborative skills to prepare students for team experiences in subsequent courses and future careers. During the weekly lab sessions of a second semester introduction to programming course students engaged in collaborative learning experiences through team-based problem solving, project planning, pair programming, and other agile software development practices. Course objectives provided specific goals and criteria for assessment relative to these skills. The assessment in the authors' prior work identified several problem areas which led to specific initiatives to address those problems: (a) instructor-chosen teams, (b) early instruction and reflection on team skills, (c) feedback on team performance, and (d) the use of an IDE that incorporates an automated testdriven development tool. This paper describes the implementation and assessment of these efforts. A significant increase in student team skills from the middle of the semester to the end of the semester was observed

    Programavimo mokymasis: lyginamoji kalbos ir aplinkos analizė

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    Straipsnyje nagrinėjami programavimo mokymo ypatumai, apžvelgiamos svarbiausios programavimo mokymo ir mokymosi tyrimo tendencijos pasaulyje, išskiriamos problemos ir jų sprendimo būdai. Remiantis mokslinės literatūros analize ir daugiamete Jaunųjų programuotojų mokyklos patirtimi, nagrinėjamos programavimo mokymosi sunkumo priežastys: programavimo srities specifiškumas, mokymosi būdų ir metodų parinkimas, mokinių gebėjimai ir nuostatos, psichologinis motyvuotumas. Daugiausia dėmesio skiriama programavimo kalbų ir aplinkos, tinkamos mokytis programavimo, kriterijams aptarti. Remiamasi fundamentaliais šios srities mokslininkų darbais, jie sisteminami, išskiriamos ir apibendrinamos esminės idėjos. Gilinamasi į programavimo mokymuisi tinkamų kalbų sintaksės ir semantikos ypatumus: patirtis rodo, kad pirmosios kalbos sintaksė daro didelį poveikį tolesniam mokymuisi, formuoja pažangią mąstyseną.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: programavimo mokymasis, programavimo kalbos, programavimo aplinka, sintaksė, programavimo kalbų kriterijai, Bloomo taksonomija, SOLO taksonomija.Learning Programming: Comparative Analysis of Languages and EnvironmentsValentina Dagienė, Jūratė Urbonienė SummaryDeveloping the abilities to master modern technologies and skills for solving problems is among the most important capabilities of an educated future citizen of any society. Problem solving based on the learning of programming is a very important part in understanding the information technologies.The question which language (together with environment) should be used in introductory programming has been discussed for many years. Several studies on the benefits of a certain language or comparisons between two languages have been conducted, but there is still a lack of systematic overviews of teaching and learning programming.The paper discusses the features of programming teaching, the most important research trends in programming education over the world, identifies the problems and their solutions. Based on literature review and multiyear experience in the Young Programmers’ School, the paper deals with programming teaching difficulties, especially with the selection of programming languages, learning and teaching methods, developing students’ skills and attitudes, psychological motivation. Investigations show that the first language syntax has a significant impact on the further learning and develops a certain mindset.The paper discusses a list of criteria based on an analyzis of research works all over the world. The criteria are used to compare some programming languages used at introductory programming courses. It focuses on the programming language suitable to start learning programming. Based on fundamental research works in thes area, the related criteria are organized, the key ideas are identified and summarized.The commonly accepted cognitive skills, Bloom’s taxonomy as well as the SOLO taxonomy and their application in teaching programming are discussed.span

    Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 2010

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    This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, Mathematics, Statistics and Engineering Physic

    Towards a model for teaching distributed computing in a distance-based educational environment

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    Several technologies and languages exist for the development and implementation of distributed systems. Furthermore, several models for teaching computer programming and teaching programming in a distance-based educational environment exist. Limited literature, however, is available on models for teaching distributed computing in a distance-based educational environment. The focus of this study is to examine how distributed computing should be taught in a distance-based educational environment so as to ensure effective and quality learning for students. The required effectiveness and quality should be comparable to those for students exposed to laboratories, as commonly found in residential universities. This leads to an investigation of the factors that contribute to the success of teaching distributed computing and how these factors can be integrated into a distance-based teaching model. The study consisted of a literature study, followed by a comparative study of available tools to aid in the learning and teaching of distributed computing in a distance-based educational environment. A model to accomplish this teaching and learning is then proposed and implemented. The findings of the study highlight the requirements and challenges that a student of distributed computing in a distance-based educational environment faces and emphasises how the proposed model can address these challenges. This study employed qualitative research, as opposed to quantitative research, as qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers to understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live. The research methods employed are design research, since an artefact is created, and a case study, since “how” and “why” questions need to be answered. Data collection was done through a survey. Each method was evaluated via its own well-established evaluation methods, since evaluation is a crucial component of the research process.ComputingM. Sc. (Computer Science

    Clemson Newsletter, 1989-1991

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    Information for the faculty and staff of Clemson Universityhttps://tigerprints.clemson.edu/clemson_newsletter/1021/thumbnail.jp

    The student-produced electronic portfolio in craft education

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    The authors studied primary school students’ experiences of using an electronic portfolio in their craft education over four years. A stimulated recall interview was applied to collect user experiences and qualitative content analysis to analyse the collected data. The results indicate that the electronic portfolio was experienced as a multipurpose tool to support learning. It makes the learning process visible and in that way helps focus on and improves the quality of learning. © ISLS.Peer reviewe

    A COMPARISON BETWEEN MOTIVATIONS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN RELIGIOUS TOURISTS AND CRUISE SHIP TOURISTS

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    The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivations and the personality traits that characterize tourists who choose religious travels versus cruises. Participating in the research were 683 Italian tourists (345 males and 338 females, age range 18–63 years); 483 who went to a pilgrimage travel and 200 who chose a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Both groups of tourists completed the Travel Motivation Scale and the Big Five Questionnaire. Results show that different motivations and personality traits characterize the different types of tourists and, further, that motivations for traveling are predicted by specific —some similar, other divergent— personality trait

    Human factors and cultural influences in implementing agile philosophy and agility in global software development

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    As software becomes increasingly important to all aspects of industry, developers should be encouraged to adopt best practice and hence improve the quality of the processes used, and achieve targets relating to time, budget and quality. In the software industry, several software methodologies have been used to address software development problems; however some of these processes may be too bureaucratic. The Agile Alliance formed in 2001, sought to address this problem; accordingly, they developed a manifesto and twelve principles, to which all agile software methods adhere. The purpose of the manifesto and its principles is to uncover better ways of developing software. Agile software development methods seem to address the software development industry’s need for more agile processes that are responsive to changes during software development. Agile values and principles require a major cultural change for software managers, e.g. collective team responsibility and self-organisation, especially in large organisations with a strong culture of planning and centralised power. In large global organisations, this issue is likely to be exacerbated by cultural diversity. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the possibility, of using agile methods or practices in different cultures, and study what changes are required, to adapt agile approaches to different global application development issues. The study found that certain agile practices can be useful in different cultures and some practices required major cultural adaptation. A study of suitable practices for different cultures such as Australia, India and the United Kingdom and the associated suggested changes required are the main areas of study. Human factors have been identified by researchers and practitioners to impact on software development projects. Similarly, cultural differences may also be influential in a global market. The principles of agile software development focus on iterative adaptation and improvement of the activities of individual software development teams to increase effectiveness. This research programme focused specifically on national culture based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Hall’s cultural dimensions and the relationships between different aspects of national culture and the implementation of agile methods. To investigate this aspect of software development, a set of cultural dimensions and consolidated cultural agile attributes were developed, that are considered necessary for implementing agile methods. Based on relevancy, cultural dimensions such as Individualism/Collectivism, Power distance index, Uncertainty avoidance index, Time and Context were selected and studied. Some of cultural agile attributes studied include Transparency, Dedicated team, Decision making, Tolerance for change, Time keeping and Authoritative. This set was identified from a literature review on culture for agile methods, a detailed analysis of relevant commonly used agile methods and from feedback from agile experts. This thesis involves qualitative interviews conducted in Australia, India, and the UK using an interpretive paradigm and aims to identify cultural dimensions to implement agile methods in the software engineering community. The results of this research programme provide an analytical comparative framework for implementing agile methods in different cultures, and insight into how cultural differences may affect a software project and how these challenges can be addressed through agile principles
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