Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to Automatic Grading Technology for Large Projects

Autograding technology, a form of Computer Based Assessment (CBA), should allow course enrollments to grow without reducing the number of exercises, however, these gains are not expected to be immune to problems with adoption. This study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore student and staff perceptions of autograding technology. This phenomena in the context of large projects. Our study explores the perceptions of 128 students and course staff in an online master degree program in computer science at a large public university. Our research design was chosen to leverage existing theories while also providing findings that will enable practitioners to apply them to their decision making regarding autograding technology. We find that perceived usefulness was significantly correlated with behavioral intention for both students and staff, leading to our hypotheses being supported and partially supported. Additionally, we find that perceived ease of use is only significantly correlated with student’s intentions, and does not apply to course staff

Geometry Construction Problems in Electronic Educational Environment as a Development Means for the Students’ Conceptual Mental Structure: Socio-Cultural Approach

In the context of the sociocultural approach, the authors studied the problem of the development of the students’ conceptual mental structures in the process of geometry teaching. An educational activity for the development of a generalized ability to solve geometry construction problems in electronic educational environment served as a development means. The objective of the research is to introduce a characteristic of the technology for the formation of the students’ generalized ability to solve geometry construction problems in electronic educational environment focusing on the development of conceptual mental structures. The key factor is the transition from the content-based mathematics teaching to instrument and value-based one, which corresponds to the transformation of the content sphere of mathematical knowledge into procedural and contextual. Construction problems introduce fundamentally new for an adolescent form of activity. This kind of work makes it possible to transform declarative knowledge that provides an understanding of educational material into procedural, providing mastering and application of geometric concepts. In addition, value-based knowledge is developed, providing the value positions experience and creating conditions for the formation of the axiological sphere of the student’s personality. The statistical data analysis confirmed the hypothesis that the student’s general proficiency in solving geometry construction problems in terms of socio-culturally oriented education influences positively the development of conceptual mental structures

Evaluar el pensamiento crítico en Educación para la Ciudadanía: Propuesta para contextos masificados

L'objectiu d'aquest article és oferir una alternativa analítica als processos d'avaluació per a contextos educatius en els que el nombre d'estudiants és elevat, i la dificultat per discernir l'acompliment individual i grupal resulta complex. Es proposa una metodología d’avaluació que aprofita la singularitat de l’Educació per a la Ciutadania. Amb aquest fi, s’insta l’alumnat a emetre un judici crític sobre els seus parells, creant un escenari en el que l’objectivitat és difícil. Es planteja >una metodologia basada en l’avaluació de 360º i l’aprenentatge col·laboratiu. Les eines utilitzades inclouen les TIC, l’anàlisi estadística exploratòria i la mineria de dades. El cas s’ha dut a terme en 47 estudiants de Magisteri que estudien aquesta matèria en dues llengües. La proposta ha permès obtenir resultats interessants, tant en comportaments individuals com col·lectius, i mostra un gran potencial com a eina per ajudar en la reflexió docent sobre per què existeixen determinats patrons de comportament i com de sòlida és la capacitat de judici crític dels seus estudiants.This paper aims to offer analytic alternative to the evaluation processes in education contexts where the number of students is high and it is difficult to discern the students' individual and group performance. An evaluation methodology is proposed that takes advantage of the singularity of Education for Citizenship. To that end, the students have been urged to issue critical judgment on their peers, creating a scenario in which objectivity is difficult to maintain. We propose a methodology based on 360º evaluation and collaborative learning. The tools used include ICT, exploratory statistical analysis and data mining. The case has been developed over 47 students of Teacher Training studies of this subject taught in two languages. The proposal has yielded interesting results, both in individual and collective behavior; and shows great potential as a tool to assist in teacher reflection on why there are certain patterns of behavior and how solid is the critical judgment capacity of their students.El objetivo del presente artículo es ofrecer una alternativa analítica a los procesos de evaluación para contextos educativos en los que el número de estudiantes es elevado, y la dificultad para discernir el desempeño individual y grupal se hace gravoso y complejo. Se propone una metodología de evaluación que aprovecha la singularidad de la Educación para la Ciudadanía. Para ello, el alumnado ha sido instado a emitir juicio crítico sobre sus pares, creando un escenario en el que la objetividad es difícil. Se plantea una metodología basada en la evaluación de 360º y el aprendizaje colaborativo. Las herramientas utilizadas incluyen las TIC, el análisis estadístico exploratorio y la minería de datos. El caso se ha llevado a cabo sobre 47 estudiantes de Magisterio que cursan dicha materia en dos lenguas. La propuesta ha permitido obtener resultados interesantes, tanto en comportamientos individuales como colectivos; y muestra un gran potencial como herramienta para asistir en la reflexión docente sobre por qué existen determinados patrones de comportamiento y cómo de sólida es la capacidad de juicio crítico de sus estudiantes

Improving the Flexibility of CLARA\u27s Automated Matching and Repair Processes

More computer science researchers focus on automated program repair, with the world steadfastly moving towards automation. CLARA is an example of an automated program repair tool that provides feedback to novice programmers solving introductory programming assignments in Java, C++, and Python. CLARA involves test-based repair, requiring as input a correct program, an incorrect program, and its corresponding test case. Our work only focuses on Python. CLARA has two main limitations. The first involves lacking support for commonly used language constructs such as standard input, standard output, and import statements. We address this issue by extending CLARA\u27s abstract syntax tree processor and interpreter to include these constructs. The second limitation is that CLARA requires both the correct and the incorrect program to have the same control flow. In a real-world setting, it is not easy to find such programs, reducing the true impact CLARA can have on the learning of novice programmers. Therefore, we implement a graph matching technique between the correct and incorrect programs that considers both the semantic and the topological information to help overcome this limitation. Using this matching, we modify the incorrect program to match its control flow with the correct program. To verify that our technique overcomes the control flow limitation, we conduct experiments to run CLARA and compare the number of programs repaired with and without the graph matching technique. We also analyze the percentage of the program modified by CLARA and the number of correct programs needed to repair all valid incorrect programs. Our experiments show that CLARA can parse, process, and repair many more programs after our extensions. Additionally, our experiments indicate that we never enable CLARA to replace all the source code of an incorrect program with all the source code of a correct program

Proceedings of The Rust-Edu Workshop

The 2022 Rust-Edu Workshop was an experiment. We wanted to gather together as many thought leaders we could attract in the area of Rust education, with an emphasis on academic-facing ideas. We hoped that productive discussions and future collaborations would result. Given the quick preparation and the difficulties of an international remote event, I am very happy to report a grand success. We had more than 27 participants from timezones around the globe. We had eight talks, four refereed papers and statements from 15 participants. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I can say that I learned a ton. These proceedings are loosely organized: they represent a mere compilation of the excellent submitted work. I hope you’ll find this material as pleasant and useful as I have. Bart Massey 30 August 202

Conceptual framework for programming skilss development based on microlearning and automated source code evaluation in virtual learning environment

Understanding how software works and writing a program are currently frequent requirements when hiring employees. The complexity of learning programming often results in educational failures, student frustration and lack of motivation, because different students prefer different learning paths. Although e-learning courses have led to many improvements in the methodology and the supporting technology for more effective programming learning, misunderstanding of programming principles is one of the main reasons for students leaving school early. Universities face a challenging task: how to harmonise students’ education, focusing on advanced knowledge in the development of software applications, with students’ education in cases where writing code is a new skill. The article proposes a conceptual framework focused on the comprehensive training of future programmers using microlearning and automatic evaluation of source codes to achieve immediate feedback for students. This framework is designed to involve students in the software development of virtual learning environment software that will provide their education, thus ensuring the sustainability of the environment in line with modern development trends. The paper’s final part is devoted to verifying the contribution of the presented elements through quantitative research on the introductory parts of the framework. It turned out that although the application of interactive features did not lead to significant measurable progress during the first semester of study, it significantly improved the results of students in subsequent courses focused on advanced programming

An Exploration of Student Reasoning about Undergraduate Computer Science Concepts: An Active Learning Technique to Address Misconceptions

Computer science (CS) is a popular but often challenging major for undergraduates. As the importance of computing in the US and world economies continues to grow, the demand for successful CS majors grows accordingly. However, retention rates are low, particularly for under-represented groups such as women and racial minorities. Computing education researchers have begun to investigate causes and explore interventions to improve the success of CS students, from K-12 through higher education. In the undergraduate CS context, for example; student difficulties with pointers, functions, loops, and control flow have been observed. We and others have utilized student responses to multiple choice questions aimed at determining misconceptions, engaged in retroactive examination of code samples and design artifacts, and conducted interviews in an attempt to understand the nature of these problems. Interventions to address these problems often apply evidenced-based active learning techniques in CS classrooms as a way to engage students and improve learning.In this work, I employ a human-centered approach, one in which the focus of data collection is on the student thought processes as evidenced in their speech and writing. I seek to determine what students are thinking not only through what can be surmised in retrospect from the artifacts they create, but also to gain insight into their thoughts as they engage in the design, implementation,and analysis of those artifacts and as they reflect on those processes and artifacts shortly after. For my dissertation work, I have conducted four studies: 1. a conceptual assessment survey asking students to “Please explain your reasoning” after each answer to code tracing/execution questions followed by task-based interviews with a smaller, different group of students 2. a “coding in the wild” think aloud study that recorded the screen and audio of students as they implemented a simple program and explained their thought process 3. interview analyses of student design diagrams/documentation in a software engineering course, tasking students to explain their designs and comparing what they believed they had designed with what is actually shown from their submitted documentation. These first three studies were formative, leading to some key insights including the benefits students can gain from feedback, students’ tendencies to avoid complexity when programming or encountering concepts they do not fully grasp, the nature of student struggles with the planning stages of problem solving, and insight into the fragile understanding of some key CS concepts that students form. I leverage the benefits of feedback with guided prompts using the misconceptions uncovered in my formative studies to conduct a final, evaluative study. This study seeks to evaluate the benefits that can be gained from a guided feedback intervention for learning introductory programming concepts and compare those benefits and the effort and resource costs associated with each variation, comparing the costs and benefits associated with two forms of feedback. The first is an active learning technique I developed and deem misconception-based feedback (MBF), which has peers working in pairs use prompts based on misconceptions to guide their discussion of a recently completed coding assignment. The second is a human autograder (HAG) group acting as a control. HAG simulates typical autograders, supplying test cases and correct solutions, but utilizes a human stand-in for a computer. In both conditions, one student uses provided prompts to guide the discussion. The other student responds/interacts with their code based on the prompts. I captured screen and audio recordings of these discussions. Participants completed conceptual pre-tests and post-tests that asked them to explain their reasoning. I hypothesized that the MBF intervention will offer avaluable way to increase learning, address misconceptions, and get students more engaged that will be feasible in CS courses of any size and have benefits over the HAG intervention. Results show that for questions involving parameter passing with regards to pass by reference versus pass by value semantics, particularly with pointers, there were significant improvements in learning outcomes for the MBF group but not the HAG group

Propuesta de mejora en el área de almacén de una empresa comercializadora para reducir las devoluciones de productos mediante la metodología Lean Warehousing

La presente investigación propone como foco poder desarrollar un sistema adecuado para la optimización de la gestión que se realiza en los almacenes de medianas empresas comercializadores, incluyendo maximizar el tiempo del proceso de picking (selección y empaquetado) con el objetivo de obtener una disminución de productos devueltos. Dentro de la investigación, se determinó que la implementación de las herramientas Lean Warehousing (SLP, inventarios cíclicos, estandarización, de procesos, entre otros) permitirá mejorar la administración y gestión de los procesos que se realizan en los almacenes. Actualmente, las necesidades de los clientes, con respecto a calidad y tiempo de entrega de los productos, se han vuelto más exigentes, lo que hace que las empresas busquen nuevos métodos de atraer su valor ante la competitividad en el mercado. Por ello, se estudia la distribución que se realiza en el almacén y en base a que metodología, con la finalidad de poder eliminar las actividades que no agregan valor, poder llevar un mejor control de los inventarios y reubicar los sectores del almacén estratégicamente según importancia. Finalmente, mejorar la gestión de almacenes genera una disminución en la tasa de devoluciones de productos, debido a que se realiza una entrega eficiente y se mejoró la distribución del almacén. A consecuencia, se generó un impacto positivo para un escenario optimista con un VAN de S/ 95,798.91 demostrando su rentabilidad al ser mayor que cero (VAN > 0); asimismo se obtuvo una tasa de rentabilidad (TIR) de 87.21%. Esto conseguido por la reducción de devoluciones de un 14.1% a un 5%This research work focuses on developing a warehouse management system for medium-sized trading companies, which includes maximizing the time of the picking process (selection and packaging) to obtain a decrease in returned products. The knowledge and application of Lean Warehousing tools (SLP, cyclical inventories and process standardization), and the ABC multicriteria as an analysis tool, will allow to administer and manage the processes within the warehouse. The demands of the clients regarding the quality and on-time deliveries of the products are increasing, which requires being more competitive in the operations, for which the warehouse distribution and the methodology used by the operators are analysed, and thus eliminate everything that does not generate value, get control of inventories, and redistribute products according to their importance. Finally, improving warehouse management generates a decrease in the rate of product returns, due to efficient delivery and improved warehouse distribution. As a result, a positive impact was generated for an optimistic scenario with a NPV of S/ 95,798.91, demonstrating its profitability as it is greater than zero (VAN > 0); Likewise, a rate of return (IRR) of 87.21% was obtained. This was achieved by reducing returns from 14.1% to 5%.Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesiona