A tool-mediated cognitive apprenticeship approach for a computer engineering course

Teaching database engineers involves a variety of learning activities. A strong focus is on practical problems that go beyond the acquisition of knowledge. Skills and experience are equally important. We propose a virtual apprenticeship model for the knowledge- and skillsoriented Web-based education of database students. We adapt the classical cognitive apprenticeship theory to the Web context utilising scaffolding and activity theory. The choice of educational media and the forms of student interaction with the media are central success criteria

Supporting active database learning and training through interactive multimedia

The learning objectives of a database course include aspects from conceptual and theoretical knowledge to practical development and implementation skills. We present an interactive educational multimedia system based on the virtual apprenticeship model for the knowledge- and skills-oriented Web-based education of database course students. Combining knowledge learning and skills training in an integrated environment is a central aspect of our system. We show that tool-mediated independent learning and training in an authentic setting is an alternative to traditional classroom-based approaches

Technology, Pedagogy and Digital Production: A Case Study of Children Learning New Media Skills

This article presents an analysis of data from a project which investigated children and young people's learning of digital cultures in informal settings in Britain. The project aimed to build links between young peoples' leisure and learning experiences, by engaging with the content and styles of learning connected with digital cultures in homes and community centres. The focus of this article is on a computer games making course for young people age 9 – 13. The article looks specifically at issues around technology and pedagogy. Questions are raised about types of software used with this age range, and the article includes a discussion of the models of learning which describe young people?s interactions with digital cultures

An evaluation of scaffolding for virtual interactive tutorials

Scaffolding refers to a temporary support framework used during construction. Applied to teaching and learning it describes measures to support a learner to become confident and self-reliant in a subject. In a Web environment scaffolding features need to replace the instructor. We discuss our approach to Web-based scaffolding based on the cognitive apprenticeship and activity theories. We suggest a set of four scaffold types that have made our scaffolding-supported virtual interactive tutorial successful. We present a novel evaluation approach for virtual tutorials that is embedded into an iterative, evolutionary instructional design

Automated tutoring for a database skills training environment

Universities are increasingly offering courses online. Feedback, assessment, and guidance are important features of this online courseware. Together, in the absence of a human tutor, they aid the student in the learning process. We present a programming training environment for a database course. It aims to offer a substitute for classroom based learning by providing synchronous automated feedback to the student, along with guidance based on a personalized assessment. The automated tutoring system should promote procedural knowledge acquisition and skills training. An automated tutoring feature is an integral part of this tutoring system

A hybrid method for the analysis of learner behaviour in active learning environments

Software-mediated learning requires adjustments in the teaching and learning process. In particular active learning facilitated through interactive learning software differs from traditional instructor-oriented, classroom-based teaching. We present behaviour analysis techniques for Web-mediated learning. Motivation, acceptance of the learning approach and technology, learning organisation and actual tool usage are aspects of behaviour that require different analysis techniques to be used. A hybrid method based on a combination of survey methods and Web usage mining techniques can provide accurate and comprehensive analysis results. These techniques allow us to evaluate active learning approaches implemented in form of Web tutorials

QuizPower: a mobile app with app inventor and XAMPP service integration

This paper details the development of a mobile app for the Android operating system using MIT App Inventor language and development platform. The app, Quiz Power, provides students a way to study course material in an engaging and effective manner. At its current stage the app is intended strictly for use in a mobile app with App Inventor course, although it provides the facility to be adapted for other courses by simply changing the web data store. Development occurred during the spring semester of 2013. Students in the course played a vital role in providing feedback on course material, which would be the basis for the structure of the quiz as well as the questions. The significance of the project is the integration of the MIT App Inventor service with a web service implemented and managed by the department

The pedagogy of computer programming using cognitive development through an e-learning object

Motivated by the needs of a pedagogy focusing on minimizing the learning difficulties in program semantics knowledge and logical reasoning, this research project develops a cognitive development-based pedagogy for introductory programming to support students in organizing and constructing knowledge to learn computer programming. A pedagogy is described as a practice and learning theory that defines the teaching and learning. Regarding the practice of this pedagogy, it uses a cognitive learning tool, called e-learning object, to support the scaffolding. With regard to the theory, this pedagogy is developed based on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Piaget’s theory for cognitive development. In particular the scaffolding of this pedagogy includes three major learning processes. The first two learning processes focus on supporting students constructing knowledge on program semantics and conceptually map this knowledge to the coding process. The last learning process extends the learning to self-practice by demanding students to complete a set of exercises independently. All of these learning processes are supported by using the e-learning object, which is the major cognitive learning tool used in this pedagogy to support cognitive development. It is called e-learning object as it is designed by organizing a group of learning objects, in which each of them is to deliver the concepts of a specific unit topic of program control. Together with the course materials, these learning objects are accessed through the college’s ‘Blackboard System’. In addition to the major objective of improving students’ learning performance, this cognitive development-based pedagogy also extends from this objective to find out whether the positive learning outcome connects to cognitive development, and also whether this pedagogy can be embraced by teachers for use in their teaching processes. With these objectives, six research questions are defined in two stages of study. Research questions Q1 and Q2 are used to study students’ learning outcomes in year 1 and 2, and research questions Q3 to Q5 are used to find out whether students’ learning outcomes are connected to cognitive development. Research question Q6 focuses on whether this pedagogy matches teachers’ knowledge of using it, based on their knowledge of applying technology-based pedagogy. The research methodology of this project is the triangulation design where quantitative data are enriched by the collection of qualitative data. This mixture of quantitative and qualitative data collection in different research questions enables this study to interpret the values of this cognitive development-based pedagogy with different views from students and teachers. The research methods mainly include the quasi-experimental method, survey method and the rating scale anchoring method. With these methods, data are collected by using pre-test and post-test papers, questionnaires, and a checklist of rating scale anchoring mental specifications. They are analysed by two-tailed t-test, descriptive method with mean analysis and the one- way repeated measure ANOVA. These research and data analysis methods have been proven effective and used widely, in educational research projects. This research project makes four major contributions: (i) the e-learning object used in this pedagogy can be used to improve students’ learning performance in computer programming; (ii) evidence that a pedagogy focusing on cognitive development can be used to improve students’ learning performance without being limited by programming languages; (iii) development of a cognitive development- based pedagogy for wide use in introductory programming without being limited by teachers’ knowledge and programming languages; and (iv) learning with this cognitive development-based pedagogy builds up students’ problem-solving skills and applies them to different subject areas. With these achieved goals, this project therefore provides a conceptual and operational model for a pedagogical approach to Computer Science teachers design and use in their teaching process