"This is not 13th Grade": Making the Transition to College through Coding

The Summer Coding Academy 2017 at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) was designed for the first-year freshman and transfer students with a declared Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major. The camp participants were from diverse STEM fields that included engineering, biochemistry, nuclear medicine science, biology, computer information systems, meteorology, and 3-D animation & game design. The objectives of the camp were (1) to improve the student’s preparation for a rigorous STEM degree, (2) to increase their skills in communication and data analytics through coding and robotics. This paper describes the teaching materials that we utilized, the results of students evaluations, lessons learned and the future work.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Critters in the Classroom: A 3D Computer-Game-Like Tool for Teaching Programming to Computer Animation Students

The brewing crisis threatening computer science education is a well documented fact. To counter this and to increase enrolment and retention in computer science related degrees, it has been suggested to make programming "more fun" and to offer "multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary programs" [Carter 2006]. The Computer Visualisation and Animation undergraduate degree at the National Centre for Computer Animation (Bournemouth University) is such a programme. Computer programming forms an integral part of the curriculum of this technical arts degree, and as educators we constantly face the challenge of having to encourage our students to engage with the subject. We intend to address this with our C-Sheep system, a reimagination of the "Karel the Robot" teaching tool [Pattis 1981], using modern 3D computer game graphics that today's students are familiar with. This provides a game-like setting for writing computer programs, using a task-specific set of instructions which allow users to take control of virtual entities acting within a micro world, effectively providing a graphical representation of the algorithms used. Whereas two decades ago, students would be intrigued by a 2D top-down representation of the micro world, the lack of the visual gimmickry found in modern computer games for representing the virtual world now makes it extremely difficult to maintain the interest of students from today's "Plug&Play generation". It is therefore especially important to aim for a 3D game-like representation which is "attractive and highly motivating to today's generation of media-conscious students" [Moskal et al. 2004]. Our system uses a modern, platform independent games engine, capable of presenting a visually rich virtual environment using a state of the art rendering engine of a type usually found in entertainment systems. Our aim is to entice students to spend more time programming, by providing them with an enjoyable experience. This paper provides a discussion of the 3D computer game technology employed in our system and presents examples of how this can be exploited to provide engaging exercises to create a rewarding learning experience for our students

The effectiveness of an animation on Grade 10 learners’ understanding of Mitosis in Tembisa, South Africa

Science education has seen an increase in the use of computer-based models for improving learners‘ conceptual understanding. However, the effectiveness of these models remains a subject for much debate, particularly given the multiple factors that affect learning. There is also a dearth of research regarding the effectiveness of these in previously-disadvantaged school contexts where access to computer-based infrastructure is minimal. Countries such as South Africa are currently adopting teaching methods that integrate information technology. This includes the distribution of smart boards, mobile computers, and tablets in school to support teaching and learning. The extent to which these resources have a positive impact on learning is a subject of ongoing research. In addition, researchers are still exploring the role that computer-based teaching could have on learners in light of a relatively poor socio-economic context. In light of the increasing use of computer-based teaching in South African schools, the primary purpose of the current research was to investigate the effectiveness of virtual realities such as computer-based animations on students‘ content understanding in Life Sciences. This research, conducted as a mixed-method approach in a High school in Tembisa, outside of Johannesburg in South Africa, involved Grade 10 Life Science learners (n = 67). These learners were selected using non-random purposive sampling. A quasi experimental design was adopted in which traditional textbook-based teaching was used to teach mitosis, while the experimental group was taught using an animation. Pre- and post-test learner performances were then compared within and between groups. Interviews were also conducted to determine potential learning difficulties associated with the use of the animation. Results indicated that learners‘ performance improved when being taught through an animation. Results also reflected that some learners experienced learning difficulties when using the animation. The integration of sounds and pictures on the animation was shown to assist learners create visual mental models. Learners were able to build their own mental model based on the observations and accompanying sound. Results also demonstrated that visual information presented through the animation is retained in the memory structure for a longer period and learners were encouraged to develop an understanding of learnt concepts and support their memory retention which improved their achievement in the post-intervention test.Science and Technology EducationM. Ed. (Natural Science Education

Defining and evaluating conflictive animations for programming education : the case of Jeliot ConAn

A review of the practical uses of errors in education reveals three contexts where errors have been shown to help: teaching conceptual knowledge, changing students’ attitudes and promoting learning skills. Conflictive animations form a novel approach to teaching programming that follows a long tradition on research and development on program animation tools. Conflictive animations link the benefits of errors with program animation tools and programming education. This approach involves presenting to the students conflictive animations that do not animate faithfully the programs or concepts taught. Conflictive animations are versatile enough to cover the fundamental building blocks of programs such as operators, expressions and statements. With conflictive animations a novel set of learning activities can be introduced to computer science classes. This conflictive dimension of activities augments an engagement taxonomy for animation tools at all levels. They are an example of activities that promote critical thinking. A particular implementation of conflictive animations has been empirically evaluated aiming for ecological validity rather than statistical significance. Results indicate that students using conflictive animations improve their metacognitive skills, and, when compared to a control group, their conceptual knowledge improves at a better rate

Enhancing Computer Science Students’ Retention through Video, Animation and Audio Voice Thread Modes in Colleges of Education in North-Central Nigeria

Achievement in a subject is more meaningful when a learner is able to retain the knowledge gained for a longer period of time. This study therefore focused on the need to enhance college of education students’ retention through video, animation and audio voice thread modes in North-central Nigeria. Three research questions raised were answered and three null hypotheses were also tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a quazi-experimental design in which intact classes of students in participating schools were used. A multi-stage sampling technique was used and a total of 210 students constituted sample size of the study. Intact classes of students were randomly assigned to experimental group I (voice thread video mode), experimental group II (voice thread animation mode), and the control group (voice thread audio mode). Voice thread modes were used as treatment instrument while computer science achievement test which was administered at posttest and retention test was used for data collection. The instrument was satisfactorily subjected to validation and reliability checks. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance statistics. Findings that emanated from the study revealed that the retention ability of both male and female students were enhanced by video and animation voice thread modes better than the audio mode. It was recommended that these two modes should be integrated in teaching and learning in colleges of education for improved retention of students in computer science

Microalgae production in fresh market wastewater and its utilization as a protein substitute in formulated fish feed for oreochromis spp.

Rapid growing of human population has led to increasing demand of aquaculture production. Oreochromis niloticus or known as tilapia is one of the most globally cultured freshwater fish due to its great adaptation towards extreme environment. Besides, farming of tilapia not only involves small scales farming for local consumption but also larger scales for international market which contributes to a foreign currency earning. Extensive use of fishmeal as feed for fish and for other animals indirectly caused an increasing depletion of the natural resource and may consequently cause economic and environmental unstable. Microalgae biomass seems to be a promising feedstock in aquaculture industry. It can be used for many purposes such as live food for fish larvae and dried microalgae to substitute protein material in fish feed. The microalgae replacement in fish feed formulation as protein alternative seem potentially beneficial for long term aqua-business sustainability. The present chapter discussed the potential of microalgae as an alternative nutrition in fish feed formulations, specifically Tilapia