Identifying the Challenges in Teaching Computer Science Topics Online

In an attempt to provide educational opportunities to the students who are working or have other constraints on their time, many universities are developing distance education programs. In the past decade, web technology has been adopted to assist learners with studying at a distance. However, distance learning in the field of computer science, such as studying programming languages, remains challenging to teach via the web medium. There is little evidence that the effectiveness of web-based learning includes a process to solve complex problems. REFERENCES IN AN ABSTRACT!? In particular it can be problematic for technical subjects to be taught online because students find it very difficult to understand the subject content and ways of demonstrating cause and effect. As a result, the subject is potentially highly technical in nature, which may impede student ability to learn independently (that is, without staff assistance) in a fully online environment. Thus, there are some questions to be answered: How do we teach online? What works and what does not Identifying the challenges to teaching computer science topics online is relevant and as yet has not been fully addressed in the research literature .As a result, this paper aims to identify the challenges to teaching computer science topics online and identify useful supports to enhance learning through the informed use of web-based e-learning. The abstract should give an overview of the paper – what it covers and its conclusion

App creation in schools for different curricula subjects - lesson learned

The next generation of jobs will be characterized by an increased demand for people with computational and problem solving skills. In Austria, computer science topics are underrepresented in school curricula hence teaching time for these topics is limited. From primary through secondary school, only a few opportunities exist for young students to explore programming. Furthermore, today's teachers are rarely trained in computer science, which impairs their potential to motivate students in these courses. Within the "No One Left Behind" (NOLB) project, teachers were supported to guide and assist their students in their learning processes by constructing ideas through game making. Thus, students created games that referred to different subject areas by using the programming tool Pocket Code, an app developed at Graz University of Technology (TU-Graz). This tool helps students to take control of their own education, becoming more engaged, interested, and empowered as a result. To ensure an optimal integration of the app in diverse subjects the different backgrounds (technical and non-technical) of teachers must be considered as well. First, teachers were supported to use Pocket Code in the different subjects in school within the feasibility study of the project. Observed challenges and difficulties using the app have been gathered. Second, we conducted interviews with teachers and students to underpin our onsite observations. As a result, it was possible to validate Pocket Codes' potential to be used in a diverse range of subjects. Third, we focused especially on those teachers who were not technically trained to provide them with a framework for Pocket Code units, e.g., with the help of structured lesson plans and predefined templates.Comment: 10 pages, 5 tables EduLearn 201

Educators’ Experiences Online: How COVID-19 Encouraged Pedagogical Change in CS Education

The COVID-19 lockdown in the spring of 2020 created a unique pedagogical change situation. Educators had to make significant and rapid changes to their teaching approaches, with the time frame being in the magnitude of hours, not weeks or months. At NTNU, a survey was conducted among the educators shortly after the lockdown to study how the educators experienced the change from campus based face-to-face learning to online learning. A total of 56 educators responded to the survey, with 22 of these affiliated with a Computer Science (CS) department. Nearly all the CS educators reported having a positive change experience during this time. More than half of the CS educators reported having prior online teaching experience, while nearly three quarters reported having sufficient or partially sufficient competence needed for the change. In this survey, CS educators highlighted pedagogical challenges as the main challenge. The findings also highlight the fact that some educators found aspects of online teaching to be better than campus based teaching and that CS educators collaborate and exchange pedagogical experience when facing change. Approximately two thirds of the CS educators reported that they consulted a more experienced person or worked closely with colleagues when making the change from a face-toface mode of delivery to that of an online only mode of delivery. Given the variety of experiences reported and the willingness to collaborate and exchange experience, it can be argued that CS staff and other departments may choose a path of knowledge sharing and communities to support future blended and online teaching opportunities

Flexible learning in computer science

This paper outlines the concept of Flexible Pedagogy and how it can assist in addressing some of the issues facing STEM disciplines in general, and Computer Science in particular. The paper considers what flexible pedagogy is and how technologies developed by Computer Science can enable flexibility. It then describes some of the issues facing STEM education, with a particular focus on Computer Science education in Higher Education. Finally, it considers how flexible approaches to teaching and learning are particularly pertinent to the issues faced in Computer Science and future opportunities

Innovating Pedagogy 2015: Open University Innovation Report 4

This series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. This fourth report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. To produce it, a group of academics at the Institute of Educational Technology in The Open University collaborated with researchers from the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. We proposed a long list of new educational terms, theories, and practices. We then pared these down to ten that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice, particularly in post-school education. Lastly, we drew on published and unpublished writings to compile the ten sketches of new pedagogies that might transform education. These are summarised below in an approximate order of immediacy and timescale to widespread implementation

Becta Review 2005. Evidence on the progress of ICT in education.

Drawing on Becta national surveys of ICT use and implementation within the education system, the Becta Review identified the ways in which ICT could be used to support the DfES 5 year strategy, to introduce greater efficiencies in educational provision and more choice/personalisation of content and delivery

An Evaluation of Computer Aided Learning (BRAC-CAL) in Secondary Schools in Bangladesh.

BRAC initiated Computer Aided Learning (CAL) programme, the first ever in Bangladesh, to introduce ICT based materials in teaching-learning in 2004 Along with digital contents of Science, English and mathematics of secondary level, this programme provided basic ICT and content delivery training to the teachers of programme schools. A qualitative evaluation following the Realist Evaluation framework was designed to evaluate the programme mechanism, context and outcome. Data were collected from six secondary schools selected purposively. Findings showed that both teachers and students enjoyed the CAL materials and also believed that those materials had changed classroom scenario by improving learners’ attention and participation in classroom activities. However, significant difference was not observed between CAL and non-CAL classrooms. Teachers struggled to organise collaborative learning tasks such as group and pair works. Students also had limited participation in teaching-learning process. Irregular electricity supply sometimes hampered use of CAL materials. Furthermore, students had limited access to these materials. Bearing this context the recommendations were to focus more on teachers’ pedagogic improvement and to create more scopes for students’ self use of these materials