Learning teamwork skills in university programming courses

University courses about computer programming usually seek to provide students not only with technical knowledge, but also with the skills required to work in real-life software projects. Nowadays, the development of software applications requires the coordinated efforts of the members of one or more teams. Therefore, it is important for software professionals to master the sort of skills that assure the success of teamwork, such as communication, leadership, negotiation, or team management. However, these abilities are difficult to teach, one of the reasons being that they require true commitment from the students. However, today students are taking a more and more passive role in their own education, two of the more evident consequences being the increase in dropout rates and the decrease in marks obtained in exams. The NUCLEO e-learning framework has been designed to promote the effective acquisition of teamwork skills and, at the same time, to promote the more active participation of the students in their own learning process. NUCLEO adopts a socio-constructivist pedagogical approach that pursues the development of communities of practice for Problem Based Learning. Our research has rooted the design decisions of NUCLEO in the analysis of its socio-cultural environment with Activity Theory, which considers conflicts within groups as the impetus of their evolution and the forges of their environments. This paper presents the analysis of the main features of NUCLEO according to Activity Theory, as well as the experimental results obtained with the framework in three different case studies in university courses.     

Teaching a CS introductory course: An active approach

Computer Science (CS) introductory courses that are offered by the Department of Information Systems at the University of Minho (UM), Portugal, seem to abound in non-motivated students. They are characterized by high failure and withdrawal rates and use mainly deductive teaching approaches. Deductive instruction begins with theories and progresses to applications of those theories. Active approaches to teaching are more inductive. Inductive instruction begins with the presentation of, for instance, a specific problem that introduces a topic, and theories are studied on a need-to-know basis. This pilot study describes how active learning techniques have been successfully applied to a CS introductory course, reducing its failure and withdrawal rates. The study portrays the changes in the course from teacher-centered education to a learner-centered approach, using two different editions of the same course, the first one being teacher-centered and the second learner-centered. The results in terms of success, failure, and dropout are given and the impact of a more student-centered approach on student involvement in learning is analyzed. The authors discuss implications of student-centered learning for the classroom and pay attention to some of the drawbacks of an implementation more focused on active learning.     

Building knowledge networks through project-based online learning: A study of developing critical thinking skills via reusable learning objects

The main purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the main characteristics of project-based online learning (PBOL) to promote learners’ critical learning skills through reusable learning objects (RLOs) from global online resources. Based on the main purpose of this study and the concerns, the key research inquiries are: (1) How does a PBOL environment improve the learners’ critical thinking skills via RLOs? (2) What are the patterns of the learners’ critical thinking skills in a PBOL environment when they focus on building and delivering RLOs? and (3) What are the learning impacts and communicational outcomes of a PBOL environment on the learners’ critical thinking skills when they work with RLOs? This is a qualitative case study that utilizes both qualitative and quantitative data to provide detailed information to the researcher for the data collection. The research site was the Designing and Delivering an E-Learning Environment graduate course at the Department of Distance Education of Social Sciences Institute in the large urban and government-based University in the Spring Semester 2004. There were totally 11 learners (three of them were men and the rest of them were women) in this course.     

A computational intelligence approach to efficiently predicting review ratings in e-commerce

Sentiment analysis, also called opinion mining, is currently one of the most studied research fields which aims to analyse people's opinions. E-commerce websites allow users to share opinions about a product/service by providing textual reviews along with numerical ratings. These opinions greatly influence future consumer purchasing decisions. This paper introduces an innovative computational intelligence framework for efficiently predicting customer review ratings. The framework has been designed to deal with the dimensionality and noise which is typically apparent in large datasets containing customer reviews. The proposed framework integrates the techniques of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and dimensionality reduction, Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) and the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The performance of the proposed approach returned high accuracy and the results revealed that when large datasets are concerned, only a fraction of the data is needed for creating a system to predict the review ratings of textual reviews. Results from the experiments suggest that the proposed approach yields better prediction performance than other state-of-the-art rating predictors which are based on the conventional Artificial Neural Network, Fuzzy C-Means, and Support Vector Machine approaches. In addition, the proposed framework can be utilised for other classification and prediction tasks, and its neuro-fuzzy predictor module can be replaced by other classifiers.     

Evaluation of computer tools for idea generation and team formation in project-based learning

The main objective of this research was to validate the effectiveness of Wikideas and Creativity Connector tools to stimulate the generation of ideas and originality by university students organized into groups according to their indexes of creativity and affinity. Another goal of the study was to evaluate the classroom climate created by these tools and the method “Think Actively in a Social Context” (TASC) proposed by Wallace and Adams (1993) and framed within project-based learning (PBL). The research was conducted with a sample of 34 students in the third year of a Computer Engineering degree, which, during a period of 15 weeks, required them to design and implement an innovative distributed application project. The procedure consisted of the implementation of the eight phases of the TASC method integrated to the Wikideas and Creativity Connector tools. The information provided by the tools, interviews and questionnaires administered to students were used to analyze our hypothesis. The results show that the tools helped the students to generate, evaluate and select the most relevant ideas and to form teams for project execution. They also revealed that teams with high indexes of creativity and affinity (type α) achieved the best grades in academic performance and project originality. Furthermore, research data show that Wikideas and Creativity Connector along with the TASC approach created a positive classroom climate for students. Based on this work, several suggestions can be extracted on the use of the tools and the TASC method for project-based learning.     

《微机原理与接口技术》课程项目教学法的应用与实践

根据《微机原理与接口技术课程》的特点,把项目教学法应用到此课程中,以培养学生撰写项目计划书、项目报告、开发单片机软件和应用电子硬件的能力,使教学的质量和学生的能力得到提高,着重体现本科教育培养应用型人才的目标。提出了该课程项目化教学的思路与工科类专业本科教学的项目教学法的改革思路和执行方法。     

Learning in relational databases: an attribute-oriented approach

The development of efficient algorithms for learning from large relational databases is an important task in applicative machine learning. In this paper, we study knowledge discovery in relational databases and develop an attribute-oriented learning method which extracts generalization rules from relational databases. The method adopts the artificial intelligence “learning-from-examples” paradigm and applies in the learning process an attribute-oriented concept tree ascending technique which integrates database operations with the learning process and provides a simple and efficient way of learning from databases. The method learns both characteristic rules and classification rules of a learning concept, where a characteristic rule characterizes the properties shared by all the facts of the class being learned; while a classification rule characterizes the properties that distinguish the class being learned from other classes. The learning result could be a conjunctive rule or a rule with a small number of disjuncts. Moreover, learning can be performed with databases containing noisy data and exceptional cases using database statistics. Our analysis of the algorithms shows that attribute-oriented induction substantially reduces the computational complexity of the database learning process. Le développement d'algorithmes efficaces permettant l'apprentissage à partir de bases de donnees relationnelles est une fonction importante de l'apprentissage automatique applicatif. Dans cet article, les auteurs examinent la découverte des connaissances dans les bases de données relationnelles et élaborent une méthode d'apprentissage orientée sur l'attribut qui extrait des bases de données relationnelles les règies de généralisation. La méthode adopte le paradigme d'apprentissage à partir d'exemples et applique au processus d'apprentissage la technique de l'arbre des concepts orientés sur l'attribut qui incorpore les opérations de base de données au processus d'apprentissage, ce qui permet d'obtenir une méthode simple et efficace d'apprentissage à partir des bases de données. La méthode fait l'apprentissage des règies caractéristiques et des règies de classification d'un concept d'apprentissage; la règie caractéristique qualifie les pro-priétés communes à tous les faits d'une categorie faisant l'objet d'un apprentissage alors que la règie de classification caractérise les propriétés qui distinguent la catégorie faisant l'objet d'un apprentissage des autres catégories. Le résultat peut ětre une règie conjonctive ou une règie ayant un petit nombre de disjonctifs. Qui plus est, 1′apprentissage peut se faire avec des bases de données contenant des donnees bruitees et des cas exceptionnels utilisant des statistiques de bases de données. L'analyse des algorithmes démontre que l'induction orientée sur l'attribut réduit considérablement la complexité informàtique du processus d'apprentissage des bases de données.     

Barriers to e-commerce and competitive business models in developing countries: A case study

This paper integrates and extends research on e-commerce in the developing world. We use three categories of feedback systems–economic, sociopolitical and cognitive—to offer a simple model of e-commerce barriers in the developing world. We also examine characteristics of e-business models that can be successfully employed in developing countries. Then, we provide the case of an e-business model followed by a Nepal-based multiple international award winning online provider. This paper’s theoretical contribution is to explain the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of e-commerce in developing countries and to identify clear contexts and attendant mechanism.     

A team-teaching model for practicing project-based learning in high school: Collaboration between computer and subject teachers

Project-based learning (PBL) is a highly effective means of motivating students to learn independently. However, training or encouraging teachers to practice PBL in their classrooms is challenging, especially if the educational system does not accommodate creative teaching practices. In particular, in a test-driven educational system, time constraints and an excess of teaching content makes it difficult to practice PBL at the high school level. This work presents a novel team-teaching model that is based on collaboration between subject teachers and the computer teacher to facilitate PBL in the classroom. A two-year experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of the proposed model, in which the school computer teacher conducts PBL with the 10th grade students in the first year, and subject teachers conduct PBL with the 11th grade students in the second year. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model is feasible in the given educational setting. No class time was lost, and the subject teacher successfully conducted PBL activities. Furthermore, a follow-up survey indicated that the students enjoyed the PBL activities in both classes.     

A reactive blended learning proposal for an introductory control engineering course

As it happens in other fields of engineering, blended learning is widely used to teach process control topics. In this paper, the inclusion of a reactive element – a Fuzzy Logic based controller – is proposed for a blended learning approach in an introductory control engineering course. This controller has been designed in order to regulate the workload for each student, according to his activity and performance. The proposed course is based on a web tool called ControlWeb, which includes a complete vision of control topics and is used intensively along the course. The results of the evaluation of the methodology attest its efficiency in terms of learning degree and performance of the students.     

Routine reconfiguration in traditional companies’ e-commerce strategy implementation: A trajectory perspective

This study explores the roles of routine reconfiguration in traditional companies’ e-commerce strategy implementation. Drawing on the conceptualization of “routine as trajectory”, in which routines are viewed as trajectories of interdependent actions through which organizations accomplish much of what they do, we investigate the interactions between the components of a trajectory, i.e., the trajectory projection, trajectory scheme, and trajectory action. A case study was conducted on the largest Chinese home appliance manufacturer attaining an e-commerce capability. Three roles of routine reconfiguration and their underlying mechanisms were identified. The study's theoretical contribution and practical implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Learning LOGO: effects on learning BASIC and statistics

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of a period of training in the use of the turtle graphics aspects of LOGO on both attitudes towards computers and the learning of BASIC and statistics. A group of 15 subjects spent 10 hours learning LOGO . Their performance on subsequent learning of BASIC was significantly better than that of a control group, but no differences were found in attitudes towards computers or in the learning of statistics.     

A study of building a resource-based learning environment with the inquiry learning approach: Knowledge of family trees

This study aims to provide teachers with ways and means to facilitate learners to develop nomenclature knowledge of family trees through the establishment of resource-based learning environments (RBLEs). It discusses the design of an RBLE in the classroom by selecting an appropriate context with the assistance of computer-mediated learning resources and tools and employing the inquiry learning approach as the pedagogy. This study reports on the creation of the RBLE within the learning context of family trees. The computer-mediated learning resources and tools comprise three components: an audio-visual database for guided and coupled inquiry, an interactive interface for conceptualising the nomenclature and a tool for learners to construct their own family trees. Scaffolds were designed for an inquiry mode of learning and teaching to support the use of the resources and tools in learning about family trees. The learning and teaching process, including the outcomes for learners, through the RBLE with inquiry learning approach are studied. The findings of an interview and a pre-test/post-test study indicate that the RBLE can assist learners to build knowledge of family trees. The role of teachers in such an environment is to guide and encourage learners to inquire during the learning process.     

Empowering teachers to create educational software: A constructivist approach utilizing Etoys,pair programming and cognitive apprenticeship

This study investigates whether a visual programming environment called Etoys could enable teachers to create software applications meeting their own instructional needs. Twenty-four teachers who participated in the study successfully developed their own educational computer programs in the educational technology course employing cognitive apprenticeship and pair programming approaches as the primary instructional strategies. Two educational software programs created by the participating teachers were described in order to explain what they were trying to do using Etoys and how they accomplished their goals. The results of an anonymous survey evaluating the difficulty of and the attitude toward learning Etoys indicate that teachers enjoyed learning Etoys and would like to continue to use it in the future although they found it was slightly more difficult, compared to their self-evaluated computer skill. The strengths and weaknesses of Etoys, the difficult computer programming concepts, and the educational implications of Etoys programming were also discussed.     

Investigating acceptance toward mobile learning to assist individual knowledge management: Based on activity theory approach

Mobile devices could facilitate human interaction and access to knowledge resources anytime and anywhere. With respect to wide application possibilities of mobile learning, investigating learners’ acceptance towards it is an essential issue. Based on activity theory approach, this research explores positive factors for the acceptance of m-learning systems. In the research, we developed an m-learning system for learners’ knowledge management and invited 152 participants who knew how to use the m-learning system then report on their experience. The results show that enhancing learners’ satisfaction, encouraging learners’ autonomy, empowering system functions, and enriching interaction and communication activities have a significant positive influence on the acceptance of m-learning systems.     

Learning in the early years: Social interactions around picturebooks,puzzles and digital technologies

This paper develops an approach to thinking about young children, digital technologies and learning, drawing on research literature that relates children’s learning to the use of books, and on literature that discusses the nature of interaction between adults and children and its relationship to children’s learning. An analysis is given of parents and children using devices marketed as supporting young children’s learning, identifying, within the interactions that take place, the adult’s conception of appropriate use, and showing how this influences the nature of adult–child interaction. The findings are then related to literature on social interaction and learning, and discussed in relation to the assumptions that underpin the design of the devices used. The paper suggests that the artefact can influence adult–child interaction via a conception of appropriate use, which relates to traditions or practices with which the adult is familiar but also to the design features of the artefact. It suggests that it may be time to rethink the design of technologies to support young children’s learning.     

Learning computer programming: Implementing a fractal in a Turing Machine

It is common to start a course on computer programming logic by teaching the algorithm concept from the point of view of natural languages, but in a schematic way. In this sense we note that the students have difficulties in understanding and implementation of the problems proposed by the teacher. The main idea of this paper is to show that the logical reasoning of computer programming students can be efficiently developed by using at the same time Turing Machine, cellular automata (Wolfram rule) and fractals theory via Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The results indicate that this approach is useful, but the teacher needs introducing, in an interdisciplinary context, the simple theory of cellular automata and the fractals before the problem implementation.     

A validity and reliability study of the Online Cooperative Learning Attitude Scale (OCLAS)

Determination of students' attitudes towards online cooperative learning is an important issue, which has not been studied adequately. In the literature, there are few scales to measure the attitude towards online cooperative learning for which validity and reliability have been proven. The main purpose of this study is to develop an attitude scale in order to specify students' attitudes towards online cooperative learning. The sample group is composed of 599 students for the first application and 242 students for the second. In order to detect the validity of the scale, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, item factor total correlations, corrected correlations and item discriminations were conducted. In order to assess the reliability of the scale, the level of internal consistency and the stability levels were calculated. OCLAS is a five-point Likert-type scale and includes 17 items that can be gathered under 2 factors. The analyses provided evidence that the Online Cooperative Learning Attitude Scale (OCLAS) is a valid and reliable scale that can be used in order to determine students' attitudes towards cooperative learning in online environments.