Modelling programming performance: Beyond the influence of learner characteristics

In the 21st century, the ubiquitous nature of technology today is evident and to a large extent, most of us benefit from the modern convenience brought about by technology. Yet to be technology literate, it is argued that learning to program still plays an important role. One area of research in programming concerns the identification of predictors of programming success. Previous studies have identified a number of predictors. This study examined the effect of a combination of predictors (gender, learning styles, mental models, prior composite academic ability, and medium of instruction) on programming performance. Data were collected anonymously through a website from 131 secondary school students in Hong Kong who opted for computer programming in the Computer and Information Technology curriculum. Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling was used to test a hypothesized theoretical structural model. All of the five aforementioned variables were either direct or indirect predictors of programming performance and the antecedents accounted for 43.6% of the variance in programming performance. While this study shows the influence of learner characteristics such as gender, learning styles, and mental models on programming performance, it highlights the effect that prior composite academic ability and medium of instruction exert on learning outcomes, which is uncommon among studies of similar purpose. These findings have significant implications for policy makers and educators alike.     

Intensive use of ICT in school: Developing differences in students’ ICT expertise

The purpose of the study was to examine the development of students’ high-level computer skills and competence (student expertise) in information and communication technology (ICT), and to examine the characteristics of such expertise. Eighteen lower secondary school students, selected to represent both genders and all school achievement levels, were given laptops for three years to be used both at school and at home. The data of the longitudinal study consisted of a test on ICT skills; self-evaluation questionnaires on ICT competence, thoughts about their own expertise, ICT-related activities and task, interest in ICT, and classroom observations. The results of the study indicated that the intensive use of ICT and the process-oriented learning environment supported the development of student expertise. In the analysis, three groups were identified, which oriented themselves somewhat differently in relation to ICT: student experts (n = 6), advanced users (n = 8) and non-interested users (n = 4). The experts differed from the other groups in respect of especially focusing on advancing their ICT skills; they had undertaken ICT-related tasks outside the school, they had metacognitive consciousness about their competence, and they had future plans concerning ICT in their further education and profession.     

Relations between faculty use of online academic resources and student class attendance

We investigated connections between faculty use of online resources and student class attendance. Of particular interest was whether online submission of course assignments is detrimental to attendance. Students and faculty at a small, liberal arts college completed surveys about student attendance patterns, student reasons for non-attendance, varieties of online resources used by faculty, and perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online resources. Almost one third (31%) of students indicated they were less likely to attend class if allowed to submit assignments online. In contrast, most faculty (94%) did not perceive online assignment submission as a threat to attendance, and no significant difference in reported absence rate was found between faculty who used this option and those who did not. Moreover, a higher number of course materials provided online by faculty was associated with fewer absences. Implications for training of faculty in use of electronic resources and recommendations for additional research on this topic are discussed.     

Promoting conceptual change of learning sorting algorithm through the diagnosis of mental models: The effects of gender and learning styles

It has been advocated that pedagogical content knowledge as well as subject matter knowledge are important for improving classroom instructions. To develop pedagogical content knowledge, it is argued that understanding of students’ mental representations of concepts is deemed necessary. Yet assessing and comparing mental model of each individual is very tedious and time consuming. This study attempted to use gender and learning styles to associate mental models in learning sorting algorithm. The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) was used to measure learning styles of the participants. Mental models were assessed using the Pathfinder Scaling Algorithm (PSA). Results indicated that females showed greater similarity in mental models than males and concrete learners also exhibited closer resemblance to the expert mental model than abstract learners. These suggest that gender and learning styles can be meaningfully used to associate mental models in order to provide a group-based instead of individual-based diagnosis and thus promote conceptual change in learning.     

Case-based teaching using the Laboratory Animal System for learning C/C++ programming

Teachers and students often consider learning programming a difficult pursuit. Face-to-face learning alone cannot provide effective teaching or efficient solutions for learning. A case teaching model can make students active in programming courses, even as it relies on solid learning theory and pedagogical strategies. This paper reports a study based on a case teaching model in C/C++ programming. The Laboratory Animal System (LAS) is a standalone case for management of laboratory animals. This paper includes an overview of LAS architectural design and user interface by C/C++ and presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of the model, as well as its implications for learning computer programming. The case method provides an interactive learning environment for students. Based on a survey of student feedback, students can learn C/C++ programming and gain knowledge more quickly and effectively using the case teaching model than through some traditional methods of teaching.     

Technology tools to support learning design: Implications derived from an investigation of university teachers' design practices

The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning. Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers' design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student characteristics, their own beliefs and experiences, and contextual factors as key influences on design decisions. The findings extend our understanding of activities fundamental to higher education teaching and inform thinking about design support tools.     

EFL learners’ use of online reading strategies and comprehension of texts: An exploratory study

This study investigated EFL learners’ online reading strategies and the effects of strategy use on comprehension. To fulfill the purposes of this study, a Web-based reading program, English Reading Online, was created. Thirty applied English majors, divided into a high group and a low group based on their proficiency levels, were asked to read four authentic online texts; two were appropriate to the students’ level of proficiency, and two were more difficult. Results from data analysis showed that the use of support strategies dominated the strategy use and contributed to most of the comprehension gains, but an exclusive dependence on support strategies did not successfully predict the increase in scores on main ideas and details when the students were reading more challenging texts. On the whole, the use of global strategies significantly contributed to better comprehension, especially for low proficiency students.     

The timing of online lecture slide availability and its effect on attendance, participation, and exam performance

The use of PowerPoint slides has become an almost ubiquitous practice in university classrooms, however little research has examined whether the timing of lecture slide availability to students (either before or after lecture) affects classroom behaviour or exam performance. Using a 2 (slide availability condition) × 2 (course type) between-subjects design, the present study examined lecture slide availability differences in attendance, participation, and exam performance in two courses – Research Methods and Cognitive Development – taught in both the Fall and Winter semesters. For each type of course, lecture slides were made available on the course website before lecture in one semester and after lecture in the other semester. Course material was held constant across semesters. Results showed that mean attendance was higher when slides were available before lecture, but only for the type of course that did not include attendance points as part of students’ final grades. For students who participated in class, participation was more frequent when slides were available before lecture. No significant difference in exam performance was found between lecture slide availability conditions, however. These findings suggest that making lecture slides available to students before lecture may lead to better overall attendance and participation, but exam performance is determined by more than just whether or not students have lecture slides available for their note-taking.     

Towards an efficient training of university faculty on ICTs

This article presents the results of a research study that took place during the 2007–2008 academic year at the University of the Basque Country³. (UPV/EHU in its Spanish and Basque acronyms). The research’s goal was to establish the guidelines for training opportunities in information and communication technologies (ICTs) that could better address the needs of the faculty at the aforementioned university. The conclusive results provide a picture of the necessary training in ICTs that the faculty requires for their teaching as well as for conducting research. This led us to develop some suggestions that are related to the modular organization of past and present training courses as well as improved guidelines that would help us to restructure the design of the training currently being offered. This restructuring is fundamental in order to include ICTs in the new European space of higher education (ESHE)⁴.     

Using pedagogical dialogue as a vehicle to encourage faculty technology use

The pace of technology adoption by university faculty is often slow. Slow faculty technology adoption may result from fear of failure, disinterest, or aversion to change. However, in 2007 we experienced a different faculty response while training faculty for technology-enhanced teaching at Butler University. During a technology upgrade of classrooms on our campus, we installed SMART^™ interactive whiteboards and Sympodiums^™ (SMART Technologies), visual presenters and CopyCams^™ (Polyvision/Steelcase). The technology trainers and information technology (IT) department anticipated a lack of faculty interest in training on these technologies. It was posited that faculty would not be interested in learning about these interactive and presentation technologies unless this learning could be connected in some way to their individual teaching interests and responsibilities. A novel, collaborative training model was developed to achieve this goal of placing technology training into a pedagogical context. A multidisciplinary group of faculty, working closely with representatives from IR, served as trainers for this highly successful faculty development effort in which 27% of the university faculty were trained over a three month period. This article details the methods and outcomes of this collaborative training team approach.     

Podcasting in education: Are students as ready and eager as we think they are?

Instructors in higher education are disseminating instructional content via podcasting, as many rally behind the technology’s potential benefits. Others have expressed concern about the risks of deleterious effects that might accompany the adoption of podcasting, such as lower class attendance. Yet, relatively few studies have investigated students’ perceptions of podcasting for educational purposes, especially in relation to different podcasting forms: repetitive and supplemental. The present study explored students’ readiness and attitudes towards these two forms of podcasting to provide fundamental information for future researchers and educators. The results indicated that students may not be as ready or eager to use podcasting for repetitive or supplemental educational purposes as much as we think they are, but they could be persuaded.     

Learning motivation in e-learning facilitated computer programming courses

Computer programming skills constitute one of the core competencies that graduates from many disciplines, such as engineering and computer science, are expected to possess. Developing good programming skills typically requires students to do a lot of practice, which cannot sustain unless they are adequately motivated. This paper reports a preliminary study that investigates the key motivating factors affecting learning among university undergraduate students taking computer programming courses. These courses are supported by an e-learning system – Programming Assignment aSsessment System (PASS), which aims at providing an infrastructure and facilitation to students learning computer programming. A research model is adopted linking various motivating factors, self-efficacy, as well as the effect due to the e-learning system. Some factors are found to be notably more motivating, namely, ‘individual attitude and expectation’, ‘clear direction’, and ‘reward and recognition’. The results also suggest that a well facilitated e-learning setting can enhance learning motivation and self-efficacy.     

The WebQuest model effects on mathematics curriculum learning in elementary school students

Since its inception in 1995, the WebQuest instructional model has received substantial attention from educators who have applied it to teaching activities. However, WebQuest has seldom been applied to mathematical teaching. Therefore, exploring curriculum development and learning achievement in mathematical teaching that integrates the WebQuest model is necessary. The objective of this study is to explore using the WebQuest model for teaching the concepts of proportion in elementary school mathematics, and the subsequent effects on student learning achievements. Furthermore, this study endeavors to understand student learning attitudes and learning satisfaction regarding the WebQuest model. This study employed the quasi-experimental research method, and the participants were two sixth-grade classes with 52 students at a Taiwanese elementary school. The experimental group was taught using WebQuest, while the control group was taught by employing the traditional IT-integrated curriculum. The two groups completed a 5-week course on proportion concepts. The study results indicate the following: (a) Regarding learning achievements, students who learned with the WebQuest model demonstrated superior learning performance than students who were taught using the traditional IT-integrated curriculum; (b) no significant difference existed between the learning attitudes of students who were taught using the WebQuest model and those who learned with the traditional IT-integrated curriculum; (c) on the learning-satisfaction survey, the students who learned with the WebQuest model showed high learning satisfaction, selecting between agree and strongly agree for the 6 dimensions, including WebQuest teaching, IT capability, the assistance of mathematics curriculum, collaborative learning, learning reflection, and learning feedback. This indicates that the students were largely satisfied and identified with the task-oriented WebQuest learning curriculum that was designed in this study. Finally, specific recommendations are made based on the results, providing teachers and future researchers with a reference for integrating the WebQuest model in the mathematics field.     

A fit-gap analysis of e-business curricula and job demand in Taiwan and the US

During the past decade, many enterprises have been re-directing their resources into critical business areas to keep up with economic and market changes. They have adopted electronic business (EB) systems, such as supply chain management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and enterprise application integration (EAI), to ensure seamless integration with internal processes as well as suppliers and customers. This phenomenon indicates that EB systems are playing an important role in attaining the effectiveness of enterprise operations. However, there is a constant complaint from recruiters that EB professionals with the right skills are hard to come by. To gauge the rapid changes in EB education and industry demand, EB curricula from top universities and job announcements from popular career Web sites in both the US and Taiwan are collected. We analyze the data and compare the results between the two countries to recommend remedial actions for narrowing the gap between industry and academia.     

Revisiting and reframing use: Implications for the integration of ICT

This paper investigates the use of ICT by teachers in selected secondary schools. It considers both the extent and type of use and the factors that may influence such use through the statistical analysis of data from a 30-section survey containing 185 items. First, exploratory maximum-likelihood factor analysis was used to identify five distinct categories, or types of use. Second, path analyses assisted in determining ten antecedent factors which significantly impacted on use from a total of 16 factors considered. These factors were confirmed using scale analyses. Finally, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to determine whether demographic/context variables were related both to use and to those factors directly influencing usage. Findings suggest a variety of types of professional development, as well as a range of infrastructural options, are needed to meet not only the varying needs of individual teachers, but also the varying ways in which ICT can be used. The implication is that the key outcomes for any professional development must be to increase teacher confidence in their ability to facilitate student learning with computers, along with the provision of stronger pedagogical motivation for teachers to integrate ICT.     

An assessment of student preferences for PowerPoint presentation structure in undergraduate courses

Studies have demonstrated that students prefer PowerPoint and respond favorably to classes when it is used. Few studies have addressed the physical structure of PowerPoint. In this study, students enrolled in several psychology classes on two campuses completed a 36 item questionnaire regarding their preferences for the use of PowerPoint in the classroom. Students preferred the use of key phrase outlines, pictures and graphs, slides to be built line by line, sounds from popular media or that support the pictures or graphics on the slide, color backgrounds, and to have the lights dimmed. It is recommended that professors pay attention to the physical aspects of PowerPoint slides and handouts to further enhance students’ educational experience.     

Exploring the cognitive loads of high-school students as they learn concepts in web-based environments

This study measured high-school learners' cognitive load as they interacted with different web-based curriculum components, and examined the interactions between cognitive load and web-based concept learning. Participants in this study were 105 11th graders from an academic senior high school in Taiwan. An online, multimedia curriculum on the topic of global warming, which lasted for four weeks, provided the learning context. After students worked through the curriculum, their feelings about the degree of mental effort that it took to complete the learning tasks were measured by self-report on a 9-point Likert scale. An online test and the flow-map method were applied to assess participants' concept achievements. The results showed that curriculum components such as scientific articles, online notebooks, flash animations and the online test induced a relatively high cognitive load, and that a lower cognitive load resulted in better concept achievement. Also, students appeared to adopt different learning approaches that were corresponding to different levels of cognitive load.     

The effect of computer science on physics learning in a computational science environment

College and high-school students face many difficulties when dealing with physics formulas, such as a lack of understanding of their components or of the physical relationships between the two sides of a formula. To overcome these difficulties some instructors suggest combining simulations' design while learning physics, claiming that the programming process forces the students to understand the physical mechanism activating the simulation. This study took place in a computational-science course where high-school students programmed simulations of physical systems, thus combining computer science (CS) and mathematics with physics learning. The study explored the ways in which CS affected the students' conceptual understanding of the physics behind formulas. The major part of the analysis process was qualitative, although some quantitative analysis was applied as well. Findings revealed that a great amount of the time was invested by the students on representing their physics knowledge in terms of computer science. Three knowledge domains were found to be applied: structural, procedural and systemic. A fourth domain which enabled reflection on the knowledge was found as well, the domain of execution. Each of the domains was found to promote the emergence of knowledge integration processes (Linn & Eylon, 2006, 2011), thus promoting students’ physics conceptual understanding. Based on these findings, some instructional implications are discussed.