No description available.

No description available.

Creating a Computer Science and Software Engineering Department that supports students with diverse identities and backgrounds is essential to creating a computing workforce that reflects the world at large. Inspired by the work of Metcalf et al.'s survey conducted at the University of Illinois, we use the same methods to examine the state of our computing department with respect to issues of inclusive climate and student sense of belonging, which have been shown to be important for retention in STEM fields. We use the four areas that contribute to belonging based on the work of Rainey et al. along with a fifth category of learning environment in order to assess our students' sense of belonging. This paper's main focus is based on results from two surveys of Cal Poly Students conducted exactly one year apart (2019: n=154, 2020: n=122). Both surveys were sent to all computing majors in Spring quarter, the last quarter of the regular academic year. We found that 58-68\% of students felt they were not typical computer scientists, which mirrors the results of the survey conducted at the University of Illinois, indicating that the lack of belonging is perhaps a ubiquitous problem within the field of computing. Other salient results include identifying the presence of statistically significant differences for some groups based on gender and race & ethnicity. These differences were found when looking at students' senses of their science identity and learning environment. We also found that women had a significantly greater chance of having strong interpersonal relationships within computing. The survey results are augmented by a survey of first-quarter freshmen in Fall 2019 (n=44) and student interviews conducted in Spring 2021 (n=15). We hope that the addition of these results explain and expand upon our main results and add insight as to how the student experience can evolve from a student's first quarter onward. These differences shine an important light on some positive trends as well as several concerning differences to be examined in our quest to create a diverse and equitable department.

Thesis advisor: Michael George Barnett / Computer science literacy is the key to surviving and thriving in the digital era. Unfortunately, given the negative stereotypes about who does computer science related work and what such work entails, many individuals are dissuaded from learning more about computer science and lack belief in their competence in computer science. As such, this dissertation aims to identify ways to make computer science education more self-efficacious using three connected studies, including (1) a mixed methods study on an intervention project for non-STEM major college students, (2) a practitioner study on a novel curriculum for middle school students, and (3) a study on the internal structure of a novel concept inventory for AI concepts. Findings from the first study confirm the importance of providing learners with mastery experiences in terms of helping them developing self-efficacy in coding. Findings from the second study provide teachers with teaching tips they could use while teaching the AI curriculum in their classrooms. Findings from the third study reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the AI concept inventory in accurately measuring respondents’ knowledge about AI. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The purpose of this research was to develop a collaborative e-Learning framework using summarised videos as learning media to provide a more efficient learning experience where participants' engagement and motivations are enhanced. The research aims to increase participants' overall learning level, understanding level; motivation and communication skills. For this research, a collaborative environment has been built where students participate in a video sharing system allowing them to create their own summarized Videos from existing course video material. Students can then share these videos with other system participants with the ability to view, rate and comment on videos. Instructors upload the core video footage, which the students are able to edit and summarize. Two experiments were run with live modules within the Department of Informatics; a pilot study and full experiment. Feedback from the pilot study was used to develop the framework for the full study. The experiments involved pre and post participation surveys to measure satisfaction and awareness effects. Also, system participation data was used for analysis of engagement and other factors defining the outcomes of this experiment. The findings showed a considerable increase in student satisfaction regarding their understanding and motivation with video summarization tool used in the experiments. The results of [the] collaboration aspect of the experiment showed a slight increase in their satisfaction on their learning level, however, it had minimal effect on students' motivation and engagement as no significant difference was noted after using the system.

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) play an important role in reforming education. The purpose of the study was to describe the management challenges and the type of management approach that developed during the implementation of an ICT network, and what possible contribution the lessons learnt from this case study could make towards management theory. In April 2008 an interactive whiteboard (IWB) network was established in an Mpumalanga town, with one of the province’s foremost schools being partnered with five disadvantaged schools. The management challenges in this network required an approach that deviated from the traditional line-function approach. This study explores the paradigm shift from a mechanistic management view to an organic or distributed model and matrix design. This is a qualitative descriptive case study. I described the reality through the eyes of the participants and the context of the study from my own specific perspective. The intervention established the project as a case: a small geographical area and a small number of individuals chosen. I did a content analysis of my semi-structured interviews, documents and field notes. I arranged the data in different codes and families in Atlas.ti and described the patterns in the data. Findings indicated a difference between the management challenges of the rural schools and the leading school. The management approach was identified as a systems management approach. A balanced matrix management model developed in the leading school, but in the rural schools teachers still reported hierarchically to their HODs and principals. They also reported horizontally to the project manager, administrative officer and HODs of the leading school in their subject groups. This study contributes to current management theory through the description of the matrix model that developed in the leading school, as well as the discussion of the management procedures in the rural schools, and the special roles of the SGBs, principals, project manager, administrative officer and HODs. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / Unrestricted

As computer science students develop more complex programs at the end of their first year of course work, comprehending the complex and varied interactions of program execution, potential control flow and data relationships become more and more difficult. Additionally, for instructors when evaluating student's programs, a simplified view of more complex (longer) programs is desirable. This thesis explores algorithms to create a tool for students that provides a simplified view of these concepts via visualization. The tool created for this thesis provides interactive visual representations of student programs. This allows for a simplified representation of the entire program along with depth exploration options to examine potential control flow and data access/mutations. The following is an exploration of program visualization, with a focus on usability in an educational setting. Two main approaches will be discussed. The first attempts to visualize the call graph of a running program by showing what methods call what other methods, and the frequency in which they are invoked. The second shows all potential paths through a non-running program, by viewing the program on a per-method level. This approach also includes information about how methods interact with data. As a test case this thesis focuses on a spell check program which builds a binary search tree dictionary then searches it for input strings and provides correction suggestions if the input is not found in the dictionary. We present an evaluation of our tool via creating visualizations of four different student implementations of this program. These visualizations are then analyzed by computer science faculty to identify common threads throughout all submissions, as well as areas where individual students struggled or excelled. Additionally visualizations are used as a tool in a lecture instructing students about binary search trees. The students provide feedback as to the effectiveness of the visualizations and their comprehension of the material. We conclude that program visualization is a difficult task, especially when students are unused to visualizing control flow. Results indicate potential for use as both a student and instructor tool, though further research is required to identify optimal usage.

According to Fossati and Guzdail, many CS instructors rely on their intuition, feedback from students and anecdotal advice from other instructors to make course improvements. Guzdail noted that: "Computing educators' practice would dramatically improve if we drew on evidence, rather than intuition". This means that Computer Science instructors may benefit from processes and tools that help them make informed changes to their curriculum. An evidence-based approach to course improvement is curriculum alignment, which evaluates the degree which the learning objectives, course content, and assessment methods are in agreement with each other. This provides instructors with a detailed view of their course and areas that need improvement. Current alignment processes are impractical for a course instructor to apply, requiring a panel of experts and training on the process. In this research, I developed a computer-assisted alignment process (CAAP) that uses the concept of traceability from software engineering, to define a process that is applicable by a single course instructor limiting the need for a panel of experts. In an initial application CAAP took 75 hours to apply, consequently a prototype alignment tool (AlignET) was designed to automates the new alignment process providing instructors with results they can use to make course improvements. I evaluated the practicality of AlignET by conducting collective case studies with four participants. Observations and interviews were used to collect data. AlignET reduced the time to complete CAAP to less than 11 hours and the participants identified course improvements, gaps in their instructional methods, and learning objectives they emphasized more than others. The findings from the case study presented key improvements to AlignET. / Doctor of Philosophy / According to Fossati and Guzdail, many CS instructors rely on their intuition, feedback from students and anecdotal advice from other instructors to make course improvements. Guzdail noted that: "Computing educators' practice would dramatically improve if we drew on evidence, rather than intuition". This means that Computer Science instructors may benefit from processes and tools that help them make informed changes to their curriculum. An evidence-based approach to course improvement is curriculum alignment, which evaluates the degree which the learning objectives, course content, and assessment methods are in agreement with each other. This provides instructors with a detailed view of their course and areas that need improvement. Current alignment processes are impractical for a course instructor to apply, requiring a panel of experts and training on the process. In this research, I developed a computer-assisted alignment process (CAAP) that uses the concept of traceability from software engineering, to define a process that is applicable by a single course instructor limiting the need for a panel of experts. In an initial application CAAP took 75 hours to apply, consequently a prototype alignment tool (AlignET) was designed to automates the new alignment process providing instructors with results they can use to make course improvements. I evaluated the practicality of AlignET by conducting collective case studies with four participants. Observations and interviews were used to collect data. AlignET reduced the time to complete CAAP to less than 11 hours and the participants identified course improvements, gaps in their instructional methods, and learning objectives they emphasized more than others. The findings from the case study presented key improvements to AlignET.

No description available.

Much of the research literature relating to the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) to support teaching and learning focuses on their use in higher and further education. This thesis makes a contribution to the study of such environments in relation to secondary schools in the UK. A number of common themes were identified from the literature review that was part of my original critical analytical study and which is updated here. The themes included assessment, differentiation, collaboration and flexible learning practices. These were investigated in one school, over the course of one year, during the introduction of a local authority approved virtual learning environment. I had assumed that the use of the technology would have a transformational effect on teacher practice. In reality for most of the time the technology was used to reaffirm an existing classroom way of doing things. The conceptual framework that guides the investigation was based on action research, influenced by social constructionism and critical theory. It employs aspects of a second-generation model of activity theory to explore the tensions that may arise in a classroom when technology is introduced. A phased approach was adopted towards the collection of data, given the complexities of both classroom practice and the technology employed. This ranged from the use of questionnaires and technical data from the VLE when it was initially introduced, to interviews and classroom observations as teachers became more confident in its use, through to the design of an intervention that enabled a more in depth exploration of what was happening. This research revealed that where the use of the technology was most effective in supporting approaches to personalised learning, a number of key components were combined. I have proposed that where teachers have the technical skills to use a VLE, linked to an understanding of the theories and models associated with online learning and where they structure their teaching outside the confines of the traditional lesson format, then online technologies support personalised learning.