Computer Science Students’ Perspectives on the Study of Mathematics

In 2019, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Maynooth University commenced a project which sought to address, through the provision of mathematics learning supports, the issues of poor engagement and retention of computer science students studying mathematics. In this paper, we present preliminary engagement and performance data along with interviews conducted with eight students. We discuss how the quantitative data seemed to indicate that computer science students were engaging at similar levels to their peers, but several factors, including the quality of this engagement and their mathematical backgrounds may explain their poor exam performance. It also emerged that, while students were largely negative about their experiences in large lectures and their awareness of the relevance of mathematics to computer science, they were generally positive about smaller teaching situations such as tutorials, mathematics support drop-in and opportunities to work with their peers

Why Computing? Motivations and Mathematics to Pursue Postsecondary CIS Education

Computing and information sciences (CIS) careers in the United States are expected to grow faster than the average occupation between 2019 and 2029 and educational requirements for these positions span subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate degrees. Despite secondary curricular interventions, the population of people who pursue CIS pathways are not diverse by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or gender. This study applies situated expectancy-value theory to investigate the motivational factors which influence the decision to pursue postsecondary CIS degree programs for students in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (n = 18,730). Prior CIS experiences are associated with increased odds of declaring subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate CIS within three years of high school, but several math-related factors are associated only with pursuing baccalaureate CIS. These results have implications for designing interventions that encourage more students to pursue computing careers and understanding why students choose between two postsecondary educational paths

Why Computing? Motivations and Mathematics to Pursue Postsecondary CIS Education

Computing and information sciences (CIS) careers in the United States are expected to grow faster than the average occupation between 2019 and 2029 and educational requirements for these positions span subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate degrees. Despite secondary curricular interventions, the population of people who pursue CIS pathways are not diverse by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or gender. This study applies situated expectancy-value theory to investigate the motivational factors which influence the decision to pursue postsecondary CIS degree programs for students in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (n = 18,730). Prior CIS experiences are associated with increased odds of declaring subbaccalaureate and baccalaureate CIS within three years of high school, but several math-related factors are associated only with pursuing baccalaureate CIS. These results have implications for designing interventions that encourage more students to pursue computing careers and understanding why students choose between two postsecondary educational paths

أنشطة الرياضيات في مكان العمل لقسم تقنية الحاسب الآلي بالكليات التقنية بالمملكة العربية السعودية

الأهداف: هدف البحث إلى الكشف عن أنشطة الرياضيات في مكان العمل، وفهمها، لبعض تخصصات قسم تقنية الحاسب الآلي بالكليات التقنية بالمملكة العربية السعودية. المنهجية: اتبع البحث منهج البحث النوعي من خلال تصميم دراسة حالة استكشافية، لاستكشاف أنشطة الرياضيات في مكان العمل من خلال مقابلة عينة قصدية مكونة من ثمانية مشاركين من سوق العمل في مجال تخصصات تكنولوجيا الحاسب الآلي، وقد تم تعزيز مصداقيتها واعتماديتها. النتائج: كشفت نتائج البحث عن ستة مواضيع، وهي: وصف الرياضيات في مكان العمل من وجهة نظر المشاركين، ومن أبرزها أنها رياضيات بديهية؛ وموضوعات الرياضيات في مكان العمل، ومن أهمها العمليات الحسابية والهندسة؛ ومهارات الرياضيات في بيئة العمل، ومن أهمها التفكير النطقي؛ وأساليب التعلُّم في مكان العمل، ومن أهمها التعلُّم الذاتي؛ وأساليب العمل، ومن ضمنها المجموعات الصغيرة؛ وأخيرًا الأدوات والتقنيات في مكان العمل ويتم استخدامها بشكل طبيعي نظرًا لطبيعة التخصص. الخلاصة: أن موضوعات الرياضيات ومهاراتها في مجال الحاسب الآلي تعتمد على التخصص والمهنة، ويوصي البحث بتطوير بيئة التعلم في قاعات الرياضيات بما يتيح الفرصة للتطبيقات والممارسات العملية من قبل المعنيين في الكليات التقنية

Recurso educacional aberto para o estudo de algoritmos e lógica de programação: uma abordagem no ensino técnico integrado ao médio

The teaching and learning of programming, in general, has proven to be a challenge for students of computer and related courses, since they present challenges and require complex skills, such as logical-mathematical reasoning, for their good development. Furthermore, the traditional teaching model is not able to motivate students and arouse their interest in the topic. There is, therefore, a need for the actors involved in education to review their way of teaching, integrating information and communication technologies in education in the same way as they are present in our daily lives. In this sense, the use of an Open Educational Resource (OER) not only has the potential to contribute to the modernization of the current teaching model, but also to collaborate on improving the quality of education. The tool proposed herein, the REA-LP, aims to facilitate studying and retention of content related to the discipline of programming logic at the technical level, by presenting its content through various types of media, such as audio, video, text, and static and dynamic images. Therefore, the tool allows students to actively participate in the construction of their knowledge, favoring engagement and motivation, in addition to enabling the review of content considered essential for the proper development of the discipline. To assess the perception of use by students and its impact on the study of algorithms and programming logic, as well as to evaluate the resource pedagogically, an empirical study was carried out with 39 students of an informatics technical course integrated with secondary school. In the research, some questionnaires were applied, as well as focus groups interviews and a performance test were carried out. The results allow concluding that the tool was very well accepted, being effective in its function of facilitating and assisting students in their learning, motivation, and interest in classes, mainly due to the way in which the content is presented at REA-LP, with emphasis on animated media and review modules, exceeding their expectations.O ensino e a aprendizagem de programação, de modo geral, têm se provado um desafio para discentes de cursos de informática e afins, pelo fato de apresentarem desafios e requererem habilidades complexas, como raciocínio lógico-matemático, para o seu bom desenvolvimento. Ademais, o modelo tradicional de ensino enfrenta dificuldades em motivar os alunos e despertar seu interesse pelo tema. Há, portanto, uma necessidade de os atores envolvidos na educação revisarem seu modo de ensinar, integrando as tecnologias da informação e comunicação na educação da mesma forma que estão presentes no cotidiano. Nesse sentido, o uso de um Recurso Educacional Aberto (REA) não só tem o potencial de contribuir para a modernização do atual modelo de ensino, mas também colaborar para a melhoria da qualidade da educação. A ferramenta proposta neste trabalho, o REA-LP, tem como objetivo facilitar o estudo e a retenção de conteúdos relacionados à disciplina de lógica de programação em nível técnico, ao apresentar seu conteúdo por meio de variados tipos de mídias, tais como, áudios, vídeos, textos e imagens estáticas e dinâmicas. Por conseguinte, a ferramenta permite que os discentes participem ativamente da construção de seu conhecimento, favorecendo o engajamento e a motivação, além de possibilitar a revisão de conteúdos considerados essenciais para um bom desenvolvimento da disciplina. Com o intuito de avaliar a percepção de uso por parte dos discentes e o seu impacto no estudo de algoritmos e lógica de programação, bem como avaliar o recurso pedagogicamente, foi realizado um estudo empírico com 39 estudantes de um curso técnico de informática integrado ao ensino médio. Na pesquisa foram aplicados alguns questionários, bem como foram realizadas entrevistas com grupos focais e um teste de desempenho. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que a ferramenta obteve ótima aceitação, sendo eficaz em sua função de facilitar e auxiliar os alunos em seu aprendizado, motivação e interesse nas aulas, devido, principalmente, à forma pela qual o conteúdo é apresentado no REA-LP, com destaque para as mídias animadas e os módulos de revisão, superando suas expectativas

Projetos de Inovação Pedagógica Skills4Future: Innovative practices

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Workshop of the Psychology of Programming Interest Group

This is the Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Workshop of the Psychology of Programming Interest Group (PPIG). This was the first PPIG to be held physically since 2019, following the two online-only PPIGs in 2020 and 2021, both during the Covid pandemic. It was also the first PPIG conference to be designed specifically for hybrid attendance. Reflecting the theme, it was hosted by Music Computing Lab at the Open University in Milton Keynes