Programming is currently being introduced as an obligatory part of the K-9 education in Sweden with the aim to strengthen pupils’ digital competence and prepare them with skills adapt for the 21st century. The challenge is now to successfully integrate programming as a tool for teaching and learning within existing practices. Teachers are expected to support their pupils learning about programming despite their own limited chance to acquire knowledge on the subject. The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket)has given some guidance but research on this area is rather limited and a lot is left to the teachers to decide and educate themselves in. Educational programming environments (EPEs), especially aimed at novices, can support teachers in this integration but needs to be suitable for the objectives from the Swedish school to not unintentionally direct the way teaching is done. This study aims to answer how an EPE should be designed to fit within the Swedish school context with a focus on the teachers’ perspective. To study this, seven interviews were conducted with educators in middle school with experience of working with programming in the classroom, followed by two observations during lectures with EPEs. The results provided implications that were used to form design guidelines for an EPE aimed at the Swedish school.

Um ambiente de programação é uma ferramenta de software resultante da associa ção de um modelo de programação a um sistema de execução. O objetivo de um ambiente de programação é simpli car o desenvolvimento e a execução de aplicações em uma determinada infra-estrutura computacional. Uma infra-estrutura de Computa ção em Grade apresenta características peculiares que tornam pouco e cientes ambientes de programação existentes para infra-estruturas mais tradicionais, como máquinas maciçamente paralelas ou clusters de computadores. Este trabalho apresenta o WSPE, um ambiente de programação peer-to-peer para Computação em Grade. O WSPE oferece suporte para aplicações grid-unaware que seguem o modelo de programação de tarefas paralelas. A interface de programação WSPE é de nida através de anotações da linguagem Java. O sistema de execu- ção segue um modelo peer-to-peer totalmente descentralizado com o propósito de obter robustez e escalabilidade. Embora um sistema de execução necessite abordar diversos aspectos para se tornar completo, a concepção do sistema de execução WSPE aborda aspectos de desempenho, portabilidade, escalabilidade e adaptabilidade. Para tanto foram desenvolvidos ou adaptados mecanismos para as funções de escalonamento, de construção da rede de sobreposição e de suporte ao paralelismo adaptativo. O mecanismo de escalonamento empregado pelo sistema de execução WSPE é baseado na idéia de roubo de trabalho e utiliza uma nova estratégia que resulta em uma e ciência até cinco vezes superior quando comparada com uma estrat égia mais tradicional. Experimentos realizados com um protótipo do WSPE e também por simulação demonstram a viabilidade do ambiente de programação proposto. / A programming environment is a software tool resulting from the association of a programming model to a runtime system. The goal of a programming environment is to simplify application development and execution on a given computational infrastructure. A Grid Computing infrastructure presents peculiar characteristics that make less e cient existing programming environments designed for more traditional infrastructures, such as massively parallel machines or clusters of computers. This work presents WSPE, a peer-to-peer programming environment for Grid Computing. WSPE provides support for grid-unaware applications following the task parallelism programming model. WSPE programming interface is de ned using annotations from the Java language. The runtime system follows a fully decentralized peer-to-peer model. Although several aspects must be considered in order for a runtime system to become complete, WSPE runtime system's conception considers only performance, portability, scalability and adaptability. For this purpose, mechanisms have been developed or adapted to handle scheduling, overlay network building and adaptive parallelism support functions. The scheduling mechanism employed by WSPE's runtime system is based on the idea of work stealing and uses a new strategy resulting on four times higher e ciency when compared to a more traditional strategy. Conducted experiments with WSPE's prototype and also using a simulation tool demonstrate the proposed programming environment feasibility.

Um ambiente de programação é uma ferramenta de software resultante da associa ção de um modelo de programação a um sistema de execução. O objetivo de um ambiente de programação é simpli car o desenvolvimento e a execução de aplicações em uma determinada infra-estrutura computacional. Uma infra-estrutura de Computa ção em Grade apresenta características peculiares que tornam pouco e cientes ambientes de programação existentes para infra-estruturas mais tradicionais, como máquinas maciçamente paralelas ou clusters de computadores. Este trabalho apresenta o WSPE, um ambiente de programação peer-to-peer para Computação em Grade. O WSPE oferece suporte para aplicações grid-unaware que seguem o modelo de programação de tarefas paralelas. A interface de programação WSPE é de nida através de anotações da linguagem Java. O sistema de execu- ção segue um modelo peer-to-peer totalmente descentralizado com o propósito de obter robustez e escalabilidade. Embora um sistema de execução necessite abordar diversos aspectos para se tornar completo, a concepção do sistema de execução WSPE aborda aspectos de desempenho, portabilidade, escalabilidade e adaptabilidade. Para tanto foram desenvolvidos ou adaptados mecanismos para as funções de escalonamento, de construção da rede de sobreposição e de suporte ao paralelismo adaptativo. O mecanismo de escalonamento empregado pelo sistema de execução WSPE é baseado na idéia de roubo de trabalho e utiliza uma nova estratégia que resulta em uma e ciência até cinco vezes superior quando comparada com uma estrat égia mais tradicional. Experimentos realizados com um protótipo do WSPE e também por simulação demonstram a viabilidade do ambiente de programação proposto. / A programming environment is a software tool resulting from the association of a programming model to a runtime system. The goal of a programming environment is to simplify application development and execution on a given computational infrastructure. A Grid Computing infrastructure presents peculiar characteristics that make less e cient existing programming environments designed for more traditional infrastructures, such as massively parallel machines or clusters of computers. This work presents WSPE, a peer-to-peer programming environment for Grid Computing. WSPE provides support for grid-unaware applications following the task parallelism programming model. WSPE programming interface is de ned using annotations from the Java language. The runtime system follows a fully decentralized peer-to-peer model. Although several aspects must be considered in order for a runtime system to become complete, WSPE runtime system's conception considers only performance, portability, scalability and adaptability. For this purpose, mechanisms have been developed or adapted to handle scheduling, overlay network building and adaptive parallelism support functions. The scheduling mechanism employed by WSPE's runtime system is based on the idea of work stealing and uses a new strategy resulting on four times higher e ciency when compared to a more traditional strategy. Conducted experiments with WSPE's prototype and also using a simulation tool demonstrate the proposed programming environment feasibility.

Um ambiente de programação é uma ferramenta de software resultante da associa ção de um modelo de programação a um sistema de execução. O objetivo de um ambiente de programação é simpli car o desenvolvimento e a execução de aplicações em uma determinada infra-estrutura computacional. Uma infra-estrutura de Computa ção em Grade apresenta características peculiares que tornam pouco e cientes ambientes de programação existentes para infra-estruturas mais tradicionais, como máquinas maciçamente paralelas ou clusters de computadores. Este trabalho apresenta o WSPE, um ambiente de programação peer-to-peer para Computação em Grade. O WSPE oferece suporte para aplicações grid-unaware que seguem o modelo de programação de tarefas paralelas. A interface de programação WSPE é de nida através de anotações da linguagem Java. O sistema de execu- ção segue um modelo peer-to-peer totalmente descentralizado com o propósito de obter robustez e escalabilidade. Embora um sistema de execução necessite abordar diversos aspectos para se tornar completo, a concepção do sistema de execução WSPE aborda aspectos de desempenho, portabilidade, escalabilidade e adaptabilidade. Para tanto foram desenvolvidos ou adaptados mecanismos para as funções de escalonamento, de construção da rede de sobreposição e de suporte ao paralelismo adaptativo. O mecanismo de escalonamento empregado pelo sistema de execução WSPE é baseado na idéia de roubo de trabalho e utiliza uma nova estratégia que resulta em uma e ciência até cinco vezes superior quando comparada com uma estrat égia mais tradicional. Experimentos realizados com um protótipo do WSPE e também por simulação demonstram a viabilidade do ambiente de programação proposto. / A programming environment is a software tool resulting from the association of a programming model to a runtime system. The goal of a programming environment is to simplify application development and execution on a given computational infrastructure. A Grid Computing infrastructure presents peculiar characteristics that make less e cient existing programming environments designed for more traditional infrastructures, such as massively parallel machines or clusters of computers. This work presents WSPE, a peer-to-peer programming environment for Grid Computing. WSPE provides support for grid-unaware applications following the task parallelism programming model. WSPE programming interface is de ned using annotations from the Java language. The runtime system follows a fully decentralized peer-to-peer model. Although several aspects must be considered in order for a runtime system to become complete, WSPE runtime system's conception considers only performance, portability, scalability and adaptability. For this purpose, mechanisms have been developed or adapted to handle scheduling, overlay network building and adaptive parallelism support functions. The scheduling mechanism employed by WSPE's runtime system is based on the idea of work stealing and uses a new strategy resulting on four times higher e ciency when compared to a more traditional strategy. Conducted experiments with WSPE's prototype and also using a simulation tool demonstrate the proposed programming environment feasibility.

Learning the syntax, semantics, and concepts behind software engineering can be a challenging task for many individuals. This paper examines the Alice 3 software, a three-dimensional visual environment for teaching programming concepts, to determine if it is an effective tool for improving student achievement, raising self-efficacy, and engaging students. This study compares the similarities and differences between a Fundamentals of Programming course with and without Alice integrated into the curriculum. Both the treatment and control Groups are using the same Java materials, assignments, and exams. The treatment group also completes Alice activities for each programming concept throughout the course; as well as two Alice assignments.

В диссертационной работе рассматривается подход к решению проблемы автоматизации процесса контроля качества цифровых информационных моделей объектов строительства. Рассмотрена реализация логических групп проверок в рамках контроля качества для ООО "Строительное проектирование "КУБ" с помощью визуальной средой программирования Dynamo. / The dissertation work considers an approach to solving the problem of automating the process of quality control of digital information models of construction objects. The implementation of logical groups of checks within the framework of quality control for "KUB Construction Design LLC" with the visual programming environment Dynamo is considered.

The fundamentals of computer science are increasingly important to consider as critical educational and occupational competencies, as evidenced by the rapid growth of computing capabilities and the proliferation of the Internet in the 21st century, combined with reimagined national education standards. Despite this technological and social transformation, the general education environment has yet to embrace widespread incorporation of computational concepts within traditional curricular content and instruction. Researchers have posited that exercises in computational thinking can result in gains in other academic areas (Baytak & Land, 2011; Olive, 1991), but their studies aimed at identifying any measurable educational benefits of teaching computational concepts to school age children have often lacked both sufficient experimental control and inclusion of psychometrically sound measures of cognitive abilities and academic achievement (Calao, Moreno-León, Correa, & Robles, 2015). The current study attempted to shed new light on the question of whether using a graphically-based computer coding environment and semi-structured curriculum –the Creative Computing Course in the Scratch programming language –can lead to demonstrable and significant changes in problem solving, creative thinking, and knowledge of computer programming concepts. The study introduced 24 youth in a summer educational program in Philadelphia, PA to the Scratch programming environment through structured lessons and open-ended projects for approximately 25 hours over the course of two weeks. A delayed treatment, control trial design was utilized to measure problem solving ability with a modified version of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Fourth Edition (WJ-IV), Concept Formation subtest, and the Kaufman Tests of Educational Achievement, Third Edition (KTEA-3) Math Concepts and Applications subtest. Creative problem solving was measured using a consensual assessment technique (Amabile, 1982). A pre-test and post-test of programming conceptual knowledge was used to understand how participants’ computational thinking skills influenced their learning. In addition, two questionnaires measuring computer use and the Type-T (Thrill) personality characteristic were given to participants to examine the relationship between risk-taking or differences in children’s usage of computing devices and their problem solving ability and creative thinking skills. There were no differences found among experimental and control groups on problem solving or creative thinking, although a substantial number of factors limited and qualified interpretation of the results. There was also no relationship between performance on a pre-test of computational thinking, and a post-test measuring specific computational thinking skills and curricular content. There were, however, significant, moderate to strong correlations among academic achievement as measured by state standardized test scores, the KTEA-3 Math Concepts and Applications subtest, and both the pre and post Creative Problem Solving test developed for the study. Also, higher levels of the Type T, or thrill-seeking, personality characteristic were associated with lower behavioral reinforcement token computer “chips," but there were no significant relationships among computer use and performance on assessments. The results of the current study supported retention of the null hypothesis, but were limited by small sample size, environmental and motivational issues, and problems with the implementation of the curriculum and selected measures. The results should, therefore, not be taken as conclusive evidence to support the notion that computer programming activities have no impact in other areas of cognitive functioning, mathematic conceptual knowledge, or creative thinking. Instead, the results may help future researchers to further refine their techniques to both deliver effective instruction in the Scratch programming environment, and also target assessments to more accurately measure learning. / Educational Psychology

This design science research proposes an IT artefact consisting of a website and a client application with the focus of letting users receive programming tasks which they will then try and solve, and have their solutions evaluated, thereby giving affirmation on their programming skills. The study sprung from the need to give programming novices confidence in their abilities to write sufficient code solutions to programming tasks. A delimitation was made to concentrate on the concepts covered by the course Fundamentals of Programming given by the Department of Informatics of Media at Uppsala University. The proposal successfully affirms its users coding confidence by assessing and communicating through gamified elements the correctness of the code solution to the user, thus enabling the heightening of the users motivation to continue learning programming skills. / Denna designvetenskapliga studie föreslår en IT artefakt bestående av en webbsida och en klientapplikation med fokus på att ge användare programmeringsuppgifter som de sedan ska försöka lösa och sedermera få evaluerade med feedback kring om deras lösning gav korrekt output. Studien utgick från behovet att ge programmeringsnybörjare bekräftelse på deras förmåga att skapa tillräckliga lösningar på koduppgifter. En avgränsning gjordes till att fokusera på de koncept som täcks av kursen Grundläggande programmering som ges av institutionen för Informatik & Media via Uppsala universitet. Förslaget bekräftar framgångsrikt användares kodningskunskaper genom att utvärdera och kommunicera resultaten via gamifierade element till användaren, vilket kan öka användarnas motivation att fortsätta utveckla sin programmeringsförmåga.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:48:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarceloBB_DISSERT.pdf: 3279178 bytes, checksum: a9382860941b949e031aeb7781e74e59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-20 / Neste trabalho, apresentamos uma ferramenta cujo intuito ? auxiliar n?o-programadores, jogadores de videogame, na cria??o de extens?es na forma de Add-ons para World of Warcraft, o jogo online. Nele, o usu?rio pode criar extens?es customizando completamente sua interface, de forma a reinventar a sua experi?ncia de jogo e melhorar sua jogabilidade. A cria??o de extens?es para aplicativos e jogos surgiu da crescente necessidade de fornecer aos usu?rios mecanismos eficientes de Programa??o por Usu?rio Final, permitindo que os mesmos preenchessem suas necessidades singulares atrav?s da cria??o, customiza??o e especifica??o de extens?es em software. Em World of Warcraft mais especificamente, os Add-ons exploram um tipo de extens?o na qual os jogadores passam a programar sua pr?pria interface de usu?rio ou a fazer uso de interfaces criadas por outros usu?rios. No entanto, realizar a programa??o dessas extens?es - os Add-ons - n?o ? uma tarefa f?cil. Dentro deste contexto, desenvolvemos a ferramenta EUPAT for WoW (do ingl?s, End-User Programming Assistance Tool for World of Warcraft) que oferece assist?ncia ? cria??o de Add-ons. Al?m disso, investigamos como usu?rios jogadores com e sem conhecimento de programa??o s?o beneficiados. Os resultados desta pesquisa permitiram refletir sobre as estrat?gias de assist?ncia de programa??o por usu?rio final no contexto de jogos