Using Extended Analogy to Teach Fundamental Computing Concepts

Using analogies has long been used to help explain complex ideas in teaching. One of the most important ideas that a computing student must understand is the basic architecture of a digital computer. Since the late 1960s the standard teaching approach used to explain computer architecture is the Little Man Computer (LMC) Paradigm. This research seeks to expand upon this standard explanation through the use of a relatively recently developed technique called Extended Analogy. Extended analogy seeks to combine regular analogy with exaggeration or dramatic emphasis. In this case the LMC paradigm is extended by use of Samuel Beckett\u27s play Krapp\u27s Last Tape . The students were presented with a range of exercises based on the play, including creative tasks such as writing a poem, writing a dramatic scene, and drawing pictures. They were designed to take cognisance of learning styles and, in particular, a new model of learning styles developed by the author. The complete process was assessed qualitatively and received a mostly positive reaction

Speak Clearly, If You Speak at All; Carve Every Word Before You Let It Fall: Problems of Ambiguous Terminology in eLearning System Development

This paper addresses issues associated with the development of eLearning software systems. The development of software systems in general is a highly complex process, and a number of methodologies and models have been developed to help address some of these complexities. Generally the first stage in most development processes is the gathering of requirements which involves elicitation from end-users. This process is made more complex by problems associated with ambiguous terminology. Types of ambiguous terminology include homonymous, polysemous and inaccurate terms. This range of ambiguous terminology can cause significant misunderstandings in the requirements gathering process, which in turn can lead to software systems that do not meet the requirements of the end-users. This research seeks to explore some of the more common terms that can be ambiguously interpreted in the development of eLearning systems, and suggests software engineering approaches to help alleviate the potentially erroneous outcomes of these ambiguities

An Examination of the Use of Blended Learning to Support Improvement of Engagement and Retention of Part-Time Postgraduate Level Students using Student Edited Podcasts

Part time students must content with a large number of logistical factors which may inhibit their ability to attend all required instruction sessions. The vast majority of part-time students are in full –time employment and due to either family or work pressure may be unable to attend all classes. This can have a significant impact on the student learning experience. Students can quickly fall behind, become de-motivated and can increasingly seek deferrals from with examinations or the programme itself. Given the current economic climate it is to be expected that the numbers of students interested in upskilling will be increased in the short-to-medium term and that the numbers forced to miss instruction sessions due to increased family and wok commitments will also increase. This project investigated how a ‘Blended Learning’ approach, combining traditional and online delivery, and specifically, the use of podcasting could be used to address some of the problems encountered. Some teaching materials and classroom sessions from selected core modules on two M.Sc. programmes in the DIT School of Computing were to be recorded and made available as podcasts to students. In addition students were encouraged to annotate these podcasts and to develop companion podcasts to support the transfer of knowledge between classmates

ARE WE IN THE DIGITAL DARK TIMES? HOW THE PHILOSOPHY OF HANNAH ARENDT CAN ILLUMINATE SOME OF THE ETHICAL DILEMMAS POSED BY MODERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Philosophers are not generally credited with being clairvoyant, and yet because they recognise, record and reflect on trends in their society, their observations can often appear prescient. In the field of the ethics of technology, there is, perhaps, no philosopher whose perspective on these issues is worth examining in detail more than that of Hannah Arendt, who can offer real perspective on the challenges we are facing with technologies in the twenty-first century. Arendt, a thinker of Jewish-German origin, student of Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers, encountered her life turning point when she was forced into becoming a refugee as the world was shaken by a force of unimaginable brutality that she was one of the first to name “totalitarianism” (Baerh, 2010). She was an independent thinker, separating herself from schools of thought or ideology. Investigating totalitarianism was her ruling passion, and as such her political thought often overshadows her major contribution to other branches of philosophy. Arendt is best known for her accounts of Adolf Eichmann and his trial, and the concept of “banality of evil”, though her perspective on politics was driven by a precise and original theory of action. While the latter is inextricably connected to her political perspective, it is also supported by a sharp ontological reflection of social structures and anthropological reflections

Check Your Tech – Considering the Provenance of Data Used to Build Digital Products and Services: Case Studies and an Ethical CheckSheet

Digital products and services are producing unprecedented amounts of data worldwide. These products and services have broad reach and include many users and consumers in the developing world. Once data is collected it is often used to create large and valuable datasets. A lack of data protection regulation in the developing world has led to concerns about digital colonization and a lack of control of their data on the part of citizens in the developing world. The authors of this paper are developing a new digital ethics curriculum for the instruction of computer science students. In this paper we present two case studies we have developed with a focus on data ethics in a developing world context. Each case study is accompanied by a list of specific questions to be used by the instructor to allow students to evaluate the implications of introducing new digital products and services in a developing world context as well as a generic case studies checksheet that allow deeper reflection on the intended and unintended consequences of introducing new technologies

What\u27s in a Name?”: The Use of Instructional Design in Overcoming Terminology Barriers Associated with Dark Patterns

Many users experience a phenomena when they are shopping on-line where they feel they are being pressured to either spend more money than they had intended, or to share more personal data than they wanted. In academic circles we use the term “Dark Patterns” to describe these deceptive practices, and categorize them as being within the discipline of User Experience (Narayanan, 2020). As academics it is important to name phenomena, and to categorize them, so that we can discuss and analyze these issues. However, this particular topic is one that all users should be made aware of when interacting online, and therefore these ideas should be explained in a manner to ensure that the terminology does not prove to be a barrier to understanding these concepts (Gordon, et al., 2014). To overcome the terminological barriers, this research proposes the use of a model of instructional design called Elaboration Theory, developed by Charles Reigeluth (1999). Crucially this model proposes that when explaining a new concept, the last thing the instructor should do is to mention the name of the concept, they should first explain the concept, and at the very end of an instructional session, say “And by the way, this concept is called…”. This model also contends that the instructor should explain the concept in simple terms first, and then continue to elaborate on that explanation throughout the teaching process (adhering to the notion of a Spiral Curriculum). It also suggests that the content should be summarized at each level of explanation, and analogies should be used to help clarify concepts. Therefore, this research proposes the redevelopment of existing teaching content about Dark Patterns, where these patterns are retitled as “Online Shopping Tricks”, and the teaching content is redesigned to begin with a simple explanation of Dark Patterns and to elaborate with more complexity at a number of levels of explanation, and including summarizers and analogies at the end of each stage. This content will be subsequently piloted on a number of non-academic participants to determine whether or not this redesign process has been effective

The Development of Teaching Case Studies to Explore Ethical Issues Associated with Computer Programming

In the past decade software products have become pervasive in many aspects of people’s lives around the world. Unfortunately, the quality of the experience an individual has interacting with that software is dependent on the quality of the software itself, and it is becoming more and more evident that many large software products contain a range of issues and errors, and these issues are not known to the developers of these systems, and they are unaware of the deleterious impacts of those issues on the individuals who use these systems. The authors of this paper are developing a new digital ethics curriculum for the instruction of computer science students. In this paper we present case studies that were explored to demonstrate programming issues to First Year Computer Science students. Each case study outlines key issues associated with a particular scenario and is accompanied by specific questions to be used by the instructor to allow students to begin to reflect on, and evaluate, the implications of these issues. The objective of this teaching content is to ensure that the students are presented with, and engage with, ethical considerations early in their studies and well before they encounter them in an employment setting

The Development of a Template for Structuring Case Studies about Blended Learning, and an Associated Evaluation Check Sheet

The Blended Learning International Train the Train Project is focused on the development of a training programme to equip teachers to become proficient in the training others in Blended Learning, which is an approach to teaching that combines online teaching with face-to-face teaching; and aims to leverage the benefits of both. The programme will be developed in two phases, in the first phase a series of case studies relevant to Blended Learning will be developed, followed by a second phase where the training programme with be designed and developed. In developing the blended learning case studies, two key documents were identified as being essential, first, a template to indicate the main headings for the case studies, and, second, a checksheet tool with a number of questions to help undertake reflection on the case studies. These two documents provide a coherent and organized way to structure the case studies

All Things Merge into One, and a River Runs Through It: Exploring the Dimensions of Blended Learning by Developing a Case Study Template for Blended Activities

The BLITT (Blended Learning International Train the Trainer) Project is focused on developing a training programme to equip teachers to become proficient in championing the use of Blended Learning in the classroom. The training programme will be developed in two phases, in the first phase involves the development of a series of case studies relevant to Blended Learning, followed by a second phase where the BLITT training programme will be designed and developed, using input from these cases. In developing the blended learning case studies, two key documents were identified as being essential, first, a case study tracking template to idenitfiying the main reporting headings for the case studies (including looking at Blended Learning from the points-of-view of Security, Accessibility, and Costs), and second, a case study checksheet tool with a number of questions to help undertake reflection on the case studies to assist in completing the template. These two documents provide a coherent and organized way to structure the case studies, and their development is described in this work