Erica the Rhino: a case study in using Raspberry Pi Single Board Computers for interactive art

Erica the Rhino is an interactive art exhibit created by the University of Southampton, UK. Erica was created as part of a city wide art trail in 2013 called "Go! Rhinos", curated by Marwell Wildlife, to raise awareness of Rhino conservation. Erica arrived as a white fibreglass shell which was then painted and equipped with 5 Raspberry Pi Single Board Computers (SBC). These computers allowed the audience to interact with Erica through a range of sensors and actuators. In particular, the audience could feed and stroke her to prompt reactions, as well as send her Tweets to change her behaviour. Pi SBCs were chosen because of their ready availability and their educational pedigree. During the deployment, 'coding clubs' were run in the shopping centre where Erica was located, these allowed children to experiment with and program the same components used in Erica. The experience gained through numerous deployments around the country has enabled Erica to be upgraded to increase reliability and ease of maintenance, whilst the release of the Pi 2 has allowed her responsiveness to be improved

The role of social networks in students' learning experiences

SIGCSE December 2007.The aim of this research is to investigate the role of social networks in computer science education. The Internet shows great potential for enhancing collaboration between people and the role of social software has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the role that social networks play in students’ learning experiences. The construction of students’ social networks, the evolution of these networks, and their effects on the students’ learning experience in a university environment are examined.Keywords: Social network, computer science education, student experience, higher education, learning proces

The role of social networks in students’ learning experiences

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of social networks in computer science education. The Internet shows great potential for enhancing collaboration between people and the role of social software has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the role that social networks play in students’ learning experiences. The construction of students’ social networks, the evolution of these networks, and their effects on the students’ learning experience in a university environment are examined

Experiential factors which influence how female students perceive computing and computing careers at different stages in their education

The declining numbers of women in computing is a cause for concern for those in education and the IT industry alike. The need for a diverse workforce is necessary in order to have a creative balance in the IT Industry. The reasons for this decline are varied and can be attributed to factors such as the media, schooling or parental influences. This thesis specifically investigates how young people experience computers both in school and out of school, and how this influences the way in which they perceive the IT industry as well as its impact on career decisions.Questionnaires were used to provide statistical outcomes, and interviews were conducted to probe deeper into the thoughts and feelings of GCSE level, A-level and degree-level male and female participants.It was clear from the results of the study that both male and female students have very different experiences of computing, which inform their perceptions of the IT industry, whilst role models, such as parents, influence career decisions. It was clear that where female students had a positive and exploratory experience of computers and positive role models, they were more likely to consider computing as a career. It was also significant that out of school experiences, which differed between the genders, proved to be the most influential.<br/

Experiential factors which influence how female students perceive computing and computing careers at different stages in their education

The declining numbers of women in computing is a cause for concern for those in education and the IT industry alike. The need for a diverse workforce is necessary in order to have a creative balance in the IT Industry. The reasons for this decline are varied and can be attributed to factors such as the media, schooling or parental influences. This thesis specifically investigates how young people experience computers both in school and out of school, and how this influences the way in which they perceive the IT industry as well as its impact on career decisions. Questionnaires were used to provide statistical outcomes, and interviews were conducted to probe deeper into the thoughts and feelings of GCSE level, A-level and degree-level male and female participants. It was clear from the results of the study that both male and female students have very different experiences of computing, which inform their perceptions of the IT industry, whilst role models, such as parents, influence career decisions. It was clear that where female students had a positive and exploratory experience of computers and positive role models, they were more likely to consider computing as a career. It was also significant that out of school experiences, which differed between the genders, proved to be the most influential.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Women in computing: how does experience influence self-perception of computing careers?

A preliminary survey of 680 UK school pupils was conducted in order to get an understanding of how experiences of computing out of school and at school influence the perception of computing careers and future career plans in computing. The study found that pupils perceive themselves in IT careers. This poster will demonstrate how these experiences influence future career choice

IT’S BORING: A comparison of male and female students’ experiences of ICT GCSE/ A-level and Computing A-level lessons and their impact on student motivation

The declining numbers of women in computing is a cause for concern for those in education and the IT industry alike. The need for a diverse workforce is necessary in order to have a creative balance in the IT Industry. The reasons for this decline are varied and can be attributed to factors such as schooling, parental influences or the media. This article focuses on comparing the experiential differences between male and female students in GCSE ICT and A-level computing lessons and their impact on students’ motivation. Questionnaires were used to provide statistical outcomes, and interviews were conducted to probe deeper into the thoughts and feelings of students. The results show that both male and female students have very different experiences of computing at school, which inform their perceptions and influence educational decision-making. This article focuses on qualitative finding

Computer geek versus computer chic: IT career and IT education

The number of women in the UK IT Industry is now down to 20% (SSDA 2004)A: a worrying fact since the IT Industry is currently facing a skills shortage . A contributing factor to this is the declining number of women in the IT Sectori(e-skills 2004). This paper explores whether there is a relationship between the ways IT is taught in schools and the pupils? perception of what a career in IT is really like. There was a particular focus upon pupils in Key Stage Two (preteen) and Key Stage Three (mid-teens) of the national curriculum because studies have shown that it is between the ages of 10-13 (SSDA 2004)ii that females lose interest in IT. Pupils are far more exposed IT at home and at school than ever before (Selwyn &amp; Bullon, 2000)?, which is why it was an appropriate time to understand the influences of technologies. From conducting questionnaires, focus groups and observations in schools and organisations this paper focuses upon three main questions: do pupils perceive the IT Industry in the way that professionals do? Have feelings changed towards IT from preteen to teenagers? And how has the increase in IT within schools made an impact on pupils? The main findings of this paper show that due to the different experiences of pupils and IT professionals, the image of the IT Industry is unclear to pupils of all age groups. A keyword for pupils of both genders was ?boring?. Secondary Pupils found that there was not much variation in what they learnt in junior school, to what they are being taught at secondary school. Enjoyment of IT lessons decreases by the age of 14 for both genders, however girls lose interest at a much fast rate than boys do. Girls use enjoyment of lessons as a factor in career choices, where as boys view lesson enjoyment and career as different entities. The final section of this paper gives recommendations suggested by pupils and from analysing the results of this study

Female students' experiences of programming: It's not all bad!

Programming has been cited as a barrier for female students to enjoy and pursue computing as a career or at higher education. However, there are examples of good practice, which demonstrate that programming can act as a bridge rather than a barrier. As a result of surveying 103 students and interviewing 60 students from 3 different UK higher education institutions and this paper demonstrates that female students can enjoy programming and take it further for their careers