Para alunos de cursos superiores de Sistemas de Informação e afins, aprender a programar computadores é fundamental. No entanto, ensinar programação por meio de métodos tradicionais tem se tornado cada vez mais desafiante devido a fatores recentes, tais como transformações na maneira de aprender das novas gerações e o surgimento de novas máquinas computacionais. Neste contexto, a aprendizagem baseada em projeto possui potencial para beneficiar a educação em programação. Há especial relevância para a abordagem Ágil de projetos, por possuir destaque no mercado de trabalho e origem atrelada ao próprio desenvolvimento de softwares. Por outro lado, foram encontrados poucos estudos de relevância internacional relatando a utilização da aprendizagem baseada em projeto ágil (APjBL) no contexto do ensino superior brasileiro. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar os benefícios de um método APjBL para os alunos de programação no ensino superior brasileiro quando comparado ao método tradicional de ensino, principalmente com relação a quatro benefícios de interesse desta pesquisa: o rendimento escolar, a motivação para aprender, a comunicação verbal e a exploração vocacional dos alunos. Nesta pesquisa empírica e de natureza aplicada, foi feita a opção pelo quase-experimento em um curso superior tecnológico de Análise e Desenvolvimento de Sistemas durante o primeiro semestre de 2018. A análise foi quali-quantitativa e os critérios de comparação foram os quatro benefícios mencionados. Como intervenção educacional APjBL, foi escolhido o método Agile Model for Projects in Computing Education (AMoPCE) e adaptado ao contexto. Participaram desta pesquisa 151 alunos e cinco professores, divididos em grupos de experimento e controle. Ao final do semestre, os alunos responderam a um questionário eletrônico sobre três benefícios: motivação para aprender, comunicação verbal e exploração vocacional. Foram coletadas as notas e as frequências dos alunos, além das percepções dos professores por meio de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas. Dados históricos das disciplinas foram coletados para ajudar a explicar os fenômenos. Conclui-se que, no contexto geral da pesquisa, para a disciplina de conteúdo predominantemente procedural (prático), AMoPCE beneficiou a motivação extrínseca, a frequência escolar e a escuta ativa na comunicação. Para a disciplina altamente procedural, AMoPCE apresentou mais dois benefícios: motivação para aprender intrínseca e exploração vocacional intrínseca. Em suma, foi verificada uma hipótese de pesquisa, AMoPCE beneficia a motivação para aprender, na disciplina altamente procedural / To learn computer programming is an essential topic to undergraduate students at Information System and related higher education courses. However, teaching programming using traditional methods have become much more challenging due to recent reasons, like changes in the manner that the new generation is now prone to learn, and the arising of new programmable devices. The Project-Based Learn may offer potential benefits to the computer programming education, especially the Agile approach, given its origin at the software development process. And yet there were found a few relevant international studies regarding the Agile Project-Based Learn (APjBL) to cope with the computer programming education at Brazilian Information System higher education. The research leading objective was to analyze the main benefits of the APjBL teaching method when compared to the traditional teaching method, mainly the following four students benefits: academic performance, motivation to learn, verbal communication and vocational inquiry aspects. As the comparison criterion, we selected these four benefits through specific instruments adapted to this research. We also chose the Agile Model for Projects in Computing Education (AMoPCE) as the APjBL teaching method, which was originated from previous researches and that we adapted to this context. This research adopted an experimental approach via a quasi-experiment at the System Development and Analysis higher education course, during the first semester of 2018. A total of 151 students and five teachers participated in this research. By the end of the experiment, the students replied to an electronic questionnaire regarding three benefits: motivation to learn, verbal communication and vocational inquiry aspects. Five professors participated in an individual interview. Students grades and frequency and their historical data were also collected. As results, we found that for procedural (practical) content, AMoPCE presented at least the following benefits: extrinsic motivation, class frequency, and verbal communication via active listening. Even further, when the class is highly procedural, AMoPCE presents two benefits more: intrinsic motivation to learn and intrinsic vocational inquiry. In summary, the hypothesis that AMoPCE benefits the motivation was confirmed at highly procedural classes

The curriculum for ICT in UK schools was discontinued in September 2012 and replaced by a 'rebranded' subject of Computing, divided into three sub domains: Computer Science; Information Technology; and digital literacy. The latter was positioned as basic technical skills. There were concerns in the education community that the new curriculum promoted programming and computer science topics to the detriment of digital literacy and applied uses of technology. Much of the Computing education literature perpetuates the hegemony of the logical and abstract, and implies computational thinking and rationality are synonymous with criticality. During the same period, a maker culture was growing rapidly in the UK, and discourses around these activities promoted an entirely different notion of digital literacy, aligned with the wide body of literacy literature that focuses on notions of empowerment and criticality rather than basic functional skills. A digital maker tool called the Raspberry Pi was released with the intention of supporting the development of computer science and digital making competence, and thus sat at the boundary of the academic and maker communities. This thesis argues that developing 'criticality' is a vital component of Computing education and explores how learning activities with the Raspberry Pi might support development of 'criticality'. In setting the scene for the investigation, I will first explore the notions underpinning discourse around both computational and critical thinking and digital literacy, suggesting that the frictions would be best overcome by abandoning abstract constructs of knowledge and assumptions that it is possible to separate theory and practice. I show how the term 'critical' is itself problematic in the literature and I look to Wenger's social theory of learning to avoid the individualistic limits of Papert's constructionism, a popular learning theory in Computing education. Wenger's constructs of knowledgeability and competence help tell a different story of what it means to be a learner of the practice of Computing, both in learning for academic purposes and with intentions towards becoming a practitioner. In concert with learning citizenship, these constructs offer a more ethical framing of 'criticality'. Informed by this theoretical position, I suggest an original, exploratory implementation of Q methodology to explore learning with technology in school settings. I qualitatively compare 'before' and 'after' Q studies that represent perspectives at the individual and collective level, with reference to observations of classroom learning. The methodology facilitates a nuanced and complex investigation and the findings of the project suggest that where pupils are already predisposed to the subject, working with the Raspberry Pi develops a broader knowledgeability, but where there is no such predisposition, a pedagogy of expressibility influences how participation in Raspberry Pi learning activities may impact knowledgeability.

Para alunos de cursos superiores de Sistemas de Informação e afins, aprender a programar computadores é fundamental. No entanto, ensinar programação por meio de métodos tradicionais tem se tornado cada vez mais desafiante devido a fatores recentes, tais como transformações na maneira de aprender das novas gerações e o surgimento de novas máquinas computacionais. Neste contexto, a aprendizagem baseada em projeto possui potencial para beneficiar a educação em programação. Há especial relevância para a abordagem Ágil de projetos, por possuir destaque no mercado de trabalho e origem atrelada ao próprio desenvolvimento de softwares. Por outro lado, foram encontrados poucos estudos de relevância internacional relatando a utilização da aprendizagem baseada em projeto ágil (APjBL) no contexto do ensino superior brasileiro. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar os benefícios de um método APjBL para os alunos de programação no ensino superior brasileiro quando comparado ao método tradicional de ensino, principalmente com relação a quatro benefícios de interesse desta pesquisa: o rendimento escolar, a motivação para aprender, a comunicação verbal e a exploração vocacional dos alunos. Nesta pesquisa empírica e de natureza aplicada, foi feita a opção pelo quase-experimento em um curso superior tecnológico de Análise e Desenvolvimento de Sistemas durante o primeiro semestre de 2018. A análise foi quali-quantitativa e os critérios de comparação foram os quatro benefícios mencionados. Como intervenção educacional APjBL, foi escolhido o método Agile Model for Projects in Computing Education (AMoPCE) e adaptado ao contexto. Participaram desta pesquisa 151 alunos e cinco professores, divididos em grupos de experimento e controle. Ao final do semestre, os alunos responderam a um questionário eletrônico sobre três benefícios: motivação para aprender, comunicação verbal e exploração vocacional. Foram coletadas as notas e as frequências dos alunos, além das percepções dos professores por meio de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas. Dados históricos das disciplinas foram coletados para ajudar a explicar os fenômenos. Conclui-se que, no contexto geral da pesquisa, para a disciplina de conteúdo predominantemente procedural (prático), AMoPCE beneficiou a motivação extrínseca, a frequência escolar e a escuta ativa na comunicação. Para a disciplina altamente procedural, AMoPCE apresentou mais dois benefícios: motivação para aprender intrínseca e exploração vocacional intrínseca. Em suma, foi verificada uma hipótese de pesquisa, AMoPCE beneficia a motivação para aprender, na disciplina altamente procedural / To learn computer programming is an essential topic to undergraduate students at Information System and related higher education courses. However, teaching programming using traditional methods have become much more challenging due to recent reasons, like changes in the manner that the new generation is now prone to learn, and the arising of new programmable devices. The Project-Based Learn may offer potential benefits to the computer programming education, especially the Agile approach, given its origin at the software development process. And yet there were found a few relevant international studies regarding the Agile Project-Based Learn (APjBL) to cope with the computer programming education at Brazilian Information System higher education. The research leading objective was to analyze the main benefits of the APjBL teaching method when compared to the traditional teaching method, mainly the following four students benefits: academic performance, motivation to learn, verbal communication and vocational inquiry aspects. As the comparison criterion, we selected these four benefits through specific instruments adapted to this research. We also chose the Agile Model for Projects in Computing Education (AMoPCE) as the APjBL teaching method, which was originated from previous researches and that we adapted to this context. This research adopted an experimental approach via a quasi-experiment at the System Development and Analysis higher education course, during the first semester of 2018. A total of 151 students and five teachers participated in this research. By the end of the experiment, the students replied to an electronic questionnaire regarding three benefits: motivation to learn, verbal communication and vocational inquiry aspects. Five professors participated in an individual interview. Students grades and frequency and their historical data were also collected. As results, we found that for procedural (practical) content, AMoPCE presented at least the following benefits: extrinsic motivation, class frequency, and verbal communication via active listening. Even further, when the class is highly procedural, AMoPCE presents two benefits more: intrinsic motivation to learn and intrinsic vocational inquiry. In summary, the hypothesis that AMoPCE benefits the motivation was confirmed at highly procedural classes

Software development is no longer a task limited to professionally trained computer programmers. Increasing support for software customization through scripting, the opening of application programmer interfaces on the Web, and a growing need for domain specific application support have all contributed to an increase in end-user programming. Unfortunately, learning to program remains a challenging task, and the majority of end-user programmers lack any formal education in software development. Instead, these users must piece together their understanding of programming through trial and error, examples found online, and help from peers and colleagues. While current approaches to address the difficulties facing end-user programmers seek to change the nature of the programming task, I argue that these challenges often mirror those faced by all novice programmers. Thus, pedagogical solutions must also be explored. This dissertation work investigates the challenges that end-user programmers face from a computer science education perspective. I have engaged in a cycle of learner-centered design to answer the high-level questions: What do users know; what might they need to know; how are they learning; and how might we help users discover and learn what they need or want to know? In so doing, I uniquely frame end-user programming challenges as issues related to knowledge and understanding about computer science. Rather than building new languages or programming tools, I address these difficulties through new types of instructional materials and opportunities for felicitous engagement with them. This work is contextualized within a specific domain of non-traditional programmers: graphic and web designers who write scripts as part of their careers. Through an in-depth, learner-centered investigation of this user population, this dissertation makes five specific contributions: (1) A detailed characterization of graphic and web design end-user programmers and their knowledge of fundamental computing concepts. (2) An analysis of the existing information space that graphic and web designers rely on for help. (3) The implementation of a novel case-based learning aid named ScriptABLE that is explicitly designed to leverage existing user practices while conveying conceptual knowledge about programming. (4) Initial confirmatory evidence supporting case-based learning aids for the informal computing education of web and graphic design end-user programmers. (5) An argument in support of the value of normative computing knowledge among informally trained programmers.

Submitted by Monica Massa (monicamassa@gmail.com) on 2014-12-05T14:15:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 monica de souza massa.pdf: 2320917 bytes, checksum: 5f5c5463387b6ff4a651d6212866ac75 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora da Silva Lopes (silopes@ufba.br) on 2014-12-09T14:05:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 monica de souza massa.pdf: 2320917 bytes, checksum: 5f5c5463387b6ff4a651d6212866ac75 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-09T14:05:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 monica de souza massa.pdf: 2320917 bytes, checksum: 5f5c5463387b6ff4a651d6212866ac75 (MD5) / CAPES / Esta pesquisa apresenta um estudo sobre o docente do ensino superior das ciências de computação, na busca pela compreensão de qual o modelo de ensino é subjacente às suas práticas pedagógicas e de como as dimensões lúdica e afetiva se fazem presentes no processo de mediação didática, tendo como base as concepções dos professores colaboradores da pesquisa. O objetivo é, a partir do diagnóstico do modelo de docência vigente no ensino superior de computação, evidenciar o processo de ensino nesta área e a sua relação com as abordagens que incluem não apenas a dimensão cognitiva, mas também a dimensão lúdica, que nela integram o sentir, o pensar e o agir, na condução de um processo de ensino aprendizagem mais significativo. A abordagem metodológica escolhida se insere nos modelos qualitativos de pesquisa utilizando como estratégia o estudo de caso. Foram analisados sete docentes dos cursos de computação do Campus II da UNEB através da triangulação de dados obtidos através de diversas técnicas de coleta de dados: entrevistas, análise de documentos e história de vida; entre outros. Como resultados, foram encontradas evidências que parecem indicar que o modelo de docência no ensino superior dos cursos de graduação na área de computação e informática está centrado na racionalidade técnica e em um modelo de mediação tradicionalista e transmissivo. A apropriação e inserção de novas abordagens filosóficas e metodológicas no cotidiano do processo de ensino aprendizagem poderão romper com o pensamento tecnicista vigente e provocar a necessidade de se instituir uma nova forma de ver, sentir e praticar o ensino, o que permitirá ao docente de computação a construção de uma nova prática educativa, menos instrumental, centrada no princípio da vida e na inclusão da dimensão afetiva e lúdica à dimensão cognitiva, que é a proposta deste trabalho. / ABSTRACT This research presents a study on the teaching of computer science higher education, trying to understand which teaching model supports their teaching practices and how playful and affective dimensions are present in the didactic mediation process, considering the perception of the teachers participating in the research group. The goal is, from the diagnosis of the current teaching model in computing higher education, understand the teaching process in this area and their relationship to approaches that include not only cognitive, but also playful dimension, which incorporate feeling, thinking and acting towards a more meaningful teaching-learning process. The methodological approach chosen is the qualitative research model, using the case study as associated strategy. Seven faculty members of UNEB – Campus II – were analyzed by triangulating the data obtained using various techniques of data collection: interviews, document analysis and life history; among others. As a result, evidence seems to indicate that the teaching model in higher education for undergraduate courses in computing science focuses on technical rationality, where a traditionalist and transmissive mediation were found. The appropriation and integration of new philosophical and methodological approaches in daily teaching and learning process may break up the current technicist-thinking model and cause the need to introduce a new way to see, feel and practice teaching. This will allow the computer teacher the construction of a new, less instrumental educational practice, focused on life principles rather than just technology, including the affective and playful dimensions joint with the cognitive dimension, which is the purpose of this work.

The purpose of this life history qualitative study was to explore the Counter-Life Herstories of African American women faculty in U.S. Computing Education. Counter-Life Herstories are derived from Counterstories, life histories, and herstories as powerful social justice tools to uncover hidden truths about marginalized groups’ experiences. Through the collection of timelines, counter-life story interviews, and reflective journal writings, I co-constructed and interpreted the Counter-Life Herstories of five participants using an integrative conceptual framework that included critical race theory and Black feminist thought as interpretive frameworks, and Afrocentric feminist epistemology to govern my knowledge validation process. As an emerging African American woman scholar, with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, I have a “unique angle of vision” to situate African American women’s distinctive educational experiences in the social-political context of U.S. Computing Education. In this study, I build upon limited knowledge about African American women’s experiences throughout U.S. Computing Education. My discoveries indicated unequivocally that my participants’ persistence in U.S. Computing Education was not solely based on their early positive reinforcements or strong academic preparation, but their resilience and ability to bounce back from insurmountable barriers, such as negative stereotypes and biases. This inquiry directly supports the U.S.’ national interest to diversify the Computing workforce, while revealing hidden truths about African American women’s experiences in U.S. Computing Education.

<p>The Theory of Applied Mind of Programming (TAMP) provides a new model for describing how programmers think and learn. Historically, many students have struggled when learning to program. Programming as a discipline lives in logic and reason, but theory and science tell us that people do not always think rationally. TAMP builds upon the groundbreaking work of dual process theory and classical educational theorists (Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner) to rethink our assumptions about cognition and learning. Theory guides educators and researchers to improve their practice, not just their work but also their thinking. TAMP provides new theoretical constructs for describing the mental activities of programming, the challenges in learning to program, as well as a guidebook for creating and recognizing the value of theory.</p> <p>This dissertation is highly nontraditional. It does not include a typical empirical study using a familiar research methodology to guide data collection and analysis. Instead, it leverages existing data, as accumulated over a half-century of computing education research and a century of research into cognition and learning. Since an applicable methodology of theory-building did not exist, this work also defines a new methodology for theory building. The methodology of this dissertation borrows notation from philosophy and methods from grounded theory to define a transparent and rigorous approach to creating applied theories. By revisiting past studies through the lens of new theoretical propositions, theorists can conceive, refine, and internally validate new constructs and propositions to revolutionize how we view technical education.</p> <p>The takeaway from this dissertation is a set of new theoretical constructs and promising research and pedagogical approaches. TAMP proposes an applied model of Jerome Bruner's mental representations that describe the knowledge and cognitive processes of an experienced programmer. TAMP highlights implicit learning and the role of intuition in decision making across many aspects of programming. This work includes numerous examples of how to apply TAMP and its supporting theories in re-imagining teaching and research to offer alternative explanations for previously puzzling findings on student learning. TAMP may challenge conventional beliefs about applied reasoning and the extent of traditional pedagogy, but it also offers insights on how to promote creative problem-solving in students. </p><br>

In less than a century, programming languages have assumed many forms in adapting to system’s needs and capacities, of which our cognitive systems are a part. One variation, tailored specifically for the cognitive processes in children’s education of computational concepts, and nowadays successful among novice adult learners too, is that of visual block based programming. From the pool of available block based programming environments, Scratch is the most popular for users, and therefore becomes a good topic for researchers interested in contemporary educational discussions, including that of coding as a curricular activity in schools. Although inspired by the educational philosophy of using abstract physical blocks in foundational learning, the mainly visual interface of Scratch is made for keyboard and mouse mediated interaction with the digital content on-screen, producing audio-visual feedback. This research is a case study of Scratch, where the shortcomings found in interactions with its environment motivate the investigation of a potential hybrid technology – tangible and visual – for enhanced learning of foundational concepts in block based programming. The investigation is characterized by progressive cycles of conceptual design, supported by prototyping and testing. The results from its design process present the benefits and challenges of this hybrid concept to inform and inspire the development of new technologies for learning, as well as it should inspire designers of Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) for learning and the educational community of computing to challenge the current ways of learning. The work here presented is concerned with acknowledging and building onto strengths of existing technologies, rather than substituting them with disruptive ideas.

Efforts to increase the participation of groups historically underrepresented in computing studies, and in the computing workforce, are well documented. It is a national effort with funding from a variety of sources being allocated to research in broadening participation in computing (BPC). Many of the BPC efforts are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) but as existing literature shows, the growth in representation of traditionally underrepresented minorities and women is not commensurate to the efforts and resources that have been directed toward this aim. Instead of attempting to tackle the barriers to increasing representation, this dissertation research tackles the underrepresentation problem by identifying what has worked (leveraging existing real-world data) to increase representation. This work studies the educational pathways of persons who have successfully transitioned into the computing workforce and identifies the common roadmaps that have contributed to retention, persistence, and success in attaining computing employment. Descriptive statistics, Logistic regression, Classification algorithms, Clustering, and Predictive analytics were employed, using the Stata statistical tool and Orange Data Mining tool on real-world data, to identify educational pathways that have resulted in successful employment outcomes for women and blacks in computing. The results of this analysis have highlighted key information that is capable of informing future “Broadening Participation in Computing” (BPC) efforts. This is because the information will enable researchers and decision makers to have a clearer picture of what educational choices have resulted in favorable outcomes for underrepresented minorities and women in computing; and consequently, researchers and decision makers would be able to more accurately target their BPC efforts to achieve optimal results. This knowledge can also be applied in career advising for young students who are trying to chart their path into computing, providing insight into alternative pathways.

Schüler/innen zu befähigen, die allgegenwärtige Rechentechnik in ihrem Umweld zu erkennen und zu bewerten ist ein international proklamiertes Ziel sekundärer Informatikbildung. Zu diesem Zweck müssen sie von ihrem schulischen Wissen auch tatsächlich im Alltag Gebrauch machen. Ausgehend von Theorien zu Lerntransfer und existierender Forschung zu Schülervorstellungen, untersucht diese Dissertation die Denk- und Lernprozesse von Schüler/innen über konkrete informatische Geräte. Die erste Studie untersucht, welche Arten von Technik Schüler/innen allgemein unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory zu einer entsprechenden Taxonomie vor. Diese legt nahe, dass Rechentechnik keine vordergründige Kategorie für sie darstellt, was entsprechenden Transfer erschweren würde. Die zweite Studie untersucht, wie Schüler/innen Rechen- von Nicht-Rechentechnik unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory entsprechender Denkprozesse vor. Diese zeigt, dass etliche Schüler/innen Rechentechnik unsachgemäß anhand inhärenter Fähigkeitsgrenzen unterscheiden, was ebenfalls Transfer behindern würde. Die dritte Studie untersucht daraufhin Lernprozesse im Kontext einer Intervention, die die oben genannten Punkte adressieren soll. Sie zeigt, dass einige Schüler/innen Probleme damit haben, Rechentechnik als gleichzeitig ökonomisch und leistungsfähig zu verstehen, was wiederum seine Verbreitung und Auswirkungen einschränkt. Die Analyse legt zudem erste Richtlinien für das Design entsprechender Interventionen nahe. Die Studien werden anschließend integriert diskutiert. Insbesondere stelle ich Lernziele und Aktivitäten vor, welche eine Teilantwort meiner ursprünglichen Leitfrage bilden: was müssen Schüler/innen lernen, um Rechentechnik im Alltag adäquat zu erkennen und zu bewerten? Ich diskutiere Implikationen für die Praxis sowie potentielle weiterführende Forschung, vor allem im Bezug zu einer Informatikbildung, die sich als Säule moderner Allgemeinbildung versteht. / Enabling students to recognize and evaluate the ubiquitous computing technologies in their lives is an internationally proclaimed goal of a secondary informatics education. To that end, they need to actually engage with their school-learned knowledge in the context of everyday situations. Based on theories of knowledge transfer and prior research on student conceptions, this thesis investigates students' related thinking and learning processes. The first study investigates what kinds of technology students generally distinguish. I propose a grounded theory for a related taxonomy. It suggests that computing technology is, in fact, not a very salient kind of technology for many, which poses a challenge for related transfer. The second study investigates how students even distinguish computing from non-computing technology. I propose a grounded theory of their related reasoning processes. It shows that students may inappropriately distinguish computing devices on the basis of inherent capability limitations, which would also be detrimental to transfer. The third study investigates students' learning processes in the context of an intervention designed to address these issues. It revealed that several students apparently had difficulty to conceive of computing technology as simultaneously economical and powerful, thus limiting its potential ubiquity and impact. The analysis also indicates some initial guidelines for the design of related interventions. The three studies are then integrated and discussed. In particular, I propose a set of learning objectives and activities as a partial answer to my original guiding question: what is it that students need to learn in order to adequately recognize and evaluate computing technologies in their lives? I discuss implications for practice and potential avenues for future research, especially with respect to a general informatics education that regards itself as part of a contemporary general education.