Computer Engineering Students Research Articles

Development of ICMLS Version 2 (Integrated Communication and Mobile Laboratory Simulator) To Improve 4.0 Century Industry Skills in Vocational Schools

The focus of this research was to develop an "ICMLS (Integrated Communication Mobile Laboratory Simulator)" in the form of mobile laboratories innovations for vocational teachers and students of Computer and Network Engineering. This was produced through the development of R & D with support from industrial partners in order to make all teachers and students in Vocational High School, West Java experiences the quality of the product. The prototype developed accommodated all practical activities for class X to XII in one integrated package for server and client functions. This research was conducted for 2 years, and in the first year, 2018, ICMLS version 1.0 was produced and 2.0 will be produced in the second year. This product can improve the competence of Vocational students in <em>Computer and Network Engineering Study Programs </em>to compete in the 4.0 Industrial Revolution Era which is more characterized by Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. This was evident from the increase in the average competency test of students from 85.13 to 85.53 produced from the lowest initial skill average of 77.9 to the highest of 89.4.

Open Courseware-Based Logic Design Course

Logic Design is one of the core courses of many engineering programs and provides a foundation for the following hardware courses in the curriculum. In this study, a course design supported by digital open courseware for Logic Design is presented. In this regard, syllabus, slides, laboratory manual handbook including experiment sheets and simulations, experiment videos, assignments and examples were prepared. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of supporting Logic Design course with digital open courseware on student achievement. It also aims to determine students’ opinions regarding this approach. The study follows a mixed methods approach with the pretest-posttest control group experimental research design. The study was conducted at a university in Turkey in spring semester of 2017-2018 academic year with 68 computer engineering students. While the students of experiment group took the course supported with digital open courseware, only regular instruction was used in the control group. The quantitative data were collected from an achievement test including open-ended questions and surveys. The qualitative data were gathered by semi-structured focus group interviews. The findings were meticulously analyzed to provide suggestions for revision of the course. Finally, future work directions were discussed.Key words: Achievement; course design; digital open courseware; engineering education; logic design.

Developing computational thinking with a module of solved problems

AbstractComputational thinking (CT) has been recognized as a collection of understandings and skills required for new generations of students not only proficient at using tools, but also at creating them and understanding the implication of their capabilities and limitations.The objective of this research was to develop a module of solved problems for the development of CT in first‐year computer engineering students at the University of Cienfuegos, Cuba. Students depend on current research to understand the definition, function, and culture of CT and to consider how it can improve their analytical and critical skills. A contextualized definition of the CT method is proposed as a cognitive process executed by humans to solve problems using computational concepts. This method improves CT in terms of decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithm design, abstraction, data representation, problem decomposition, algorithmic thinking, and generalization of patterns, simulation and evaluation. The research carried out is an experimental design with a pretest and a posttest, with a control group and an experimental group to which the intervention was applied, both with 18 students. This article describes a study developing and incorporating CT modules and assessing their effect on the comprehension of CT principles by preservation teachers as well as their computing attitude. The results show that the implementation of analytical thought in education courses will successfully affect the comprehension of CT principles by preservice students.

PENGARUH METODE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING (CPS) MODEL TREEFINGER TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR PERAKITAN KOMPUTER PADA SISWA KELAS X TEKNIK KOMPUTER JARINGAN SMK N 1 RAO SELATAN

This research was quantitative research that used a true experiment research approach and a posttest-only control as the research design. This research conducted in SMK 1 Rao Selatan. The population in this research was the grade X students of computer engineering and network major in SMK 1 Rao Selatan. The technique sampling in this research was a total sampling or also called as a population research. In determining the experiment class and control class, the researcher used rolls of paper. Grade X of TKJ 2 elected as experiment class and grade X TKJ 1 elected as control class. The result of this research were average the students learning outcomes in experiment class was about 80,90 while in control class was about 74,84. From analysis test showed normal and homogeny data. The test result on the level significance a0,05 (the level of confidence 95%) obtained score thitung=3,498 and ttabel=2,000 so obtained Thitung>Ttabel (3,498>2,000). Therefore, Ho rejected and Ha accepted in this research. So, the conclusion was there a significant influence in Creative Problem solving (CPS) learning method with Treefingermodel toward learning outcomes of assembly computer of grade X students in program computer network engineering SMK 1 Rao Selatan.

SMART CLASSROOM IMPROVEMENT USING WEB APPLICATIONS

This paper presents the development of web applications to support smart classroom. This research describes the web application which teachers and students can use on their mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. The core idea behind this study is that web application motivates students to study in the classroom. The population of our research is 50 Computer Engineering students. The survey shows that the ease of using the application scores 4.40. The functions of the application score 4.44. The run time performance scores 4.32. Finally, user experience scores 4.48. and User Interface scores 4.44.

Contribution of teacher’s teaching skills and students’ intrapersonal intelligence toward metacognitive awareness of students in state vocational school in Blitar

Vocational High School graduates who can study independently will become lifelong learners who are responsive to change so they can compete in the workforce of the revolutionary era 4.0. But the learning process at Vocational High School is still not paying attention to the development of high-level thinking skills of students. This is in line with the opinion of Mukhadis that the implementation of learning in the field of technology is still less encouraging which has an impact on the lack of development of individual abilities to develop high-level thinking skills, namely metacognition. Metacognitive awareness of Vocational students is still not suspected because of several aspects, that is internal and external aspects. Internal aspects are factors that influence students from themselves, one of them is intrapersonal intelligence. Then the external aspect is a factor that influences from outside the student’s teaching skills. Given the importance of this metacognitive awareness, the authors conducted a study on the contribution of teacher teaching skills, intrapersonal intelligence to the metacognitive awareness of vocational students in computer network engineering study program in Blitar City. This study aims to determine how much the contribution of teacher teaching skills and intrapersonal intelligence of students to the metacognitive awareness of vocational students in computer engineering and network expertise packages in Blitar City. The type and analysis of data in this study are included in quantitative research. The number of samples used was 57 students in class X. Data collection techniques for variable teaching skills, intrapersonal intelligence and metacognitive awareness using questionnaires. Data analysis includes description and multiple regression.The results show as follows that, there is no significant contribution to partial teaching skills to the metacognitive consciousness; there is a significant contribution to the contribution of students’ intrapersonal intelligence partially towards the students’ metacognitive awareness of 44.22% and there is also a significant contributions to teacher teaching skills and intrapersonal intelligence of students to the students’ metacognitive awareness of 52.8%.

Exploring Realistic Mathematics Education in a Flipped Classroom Context at the Tertiary Level

Flipped classroom (FC) pedagogical frameworks have recently gained considerable popularity, especially at secondary school levels. However, there are rich opportunities to explore FC at tertiary levels, but progress on the area requires instructors’ attention to well-designed tasks for students’ collaborative learning. Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) provides a foundation for the development of such tasks. This article advances research on the role of task design in a FC context by considering how RME heuristics may be developed to include the out-of-class phase, where students prepare for in-class work with videos. This adaption, named flipped RME classroom design, is explored through two realizations of such a design with a group of computer engineering students during their first year of studying compulsory mathematics. Thematic analysis of the classroom observations shows that students’ modelling activity in-class is supported by the design of an out-of-class component in combination with teacher guidance of students’ modelling activity.

Factors of Attrition among Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduates in Russia

STEM education has been a priority in present-day Russia, nearly half of all the government-funded places in higher education being provided in science and engineering majors. At the same time, attrition rates have been the highest in this domain. The present study aims to estimate the attrition rates in computer science and engineering education at the beginning of and midway through instruction and to determine the factors associated with college dropouts. Our research uses the results of a survey of over 4,000 computer science and engineering students from 34 Russian colleges, composing a representative national sample, and administrative data on student withdrawal. Vince Tinto’s student departure theory is used to analyze the determinants of student attrition during the first three semesters. According to Tinto’s theory, social and academic integration are critically important to the retention and success of students in the chosen university. Our findings confirm the key role of academic integration (specifically class attendance and active engagement with teacher) in preventing dropouts but refute the hypothesis of social integration significance. Students with low USE scores in mathematics and those mismatched with their selected major are at higher risk of dropping out. No evidence has been found to prove the hypothesis of dropout rates being higher in more selective institutions. Recommendations for universities for reducing college attrition rates are discussed in the final part of the paper.

Estudio sobre la creatividad relacionada con la habilidad de programadores universitarios

La habilidad de programar es una de las capacidades que desarrollan o, en su caso, potencializan los estudiantes de Ingeniería en Computación, algunos estudios en la literatura parten de la premisa de que dicha habilidad tiene asociación directa con la capacidad creativa de los estudiantes; a partir de lo anterior, la presente investigación tuvo como objetivo identificar la relación que existe entre la creatividad de un estudiante de Ingeniería en Computación y su rendimiento como programador, representado por el promedio obtenido en ciertas asignaturas. El método aplicado fue cuantitativo, transversal, de alcance explicativo y para la recuperación de datos se utilizó el test CREA. Los resultados indican que la creatividad no es incidente para la habilidad de programar y que son otros factores los que influyen para desarrollarla, tales como la motivación incentivada principalmente por el docente y el contexto que rodea al programador.

A Cooperative Interdisciplinary Task Intervention with Undergraduate Nursing and Computer Engineering Students

This study proposed a collaborative methodology among university students in different grades in order to find sustainable strategies that are an added value for students, teachers, and society. In daily professional practice, different professionals must develop skills to collaborate and understand each other. For that reality to be sustainable, we believe that experiences must begin in the context of higher education. Social network analysis offers a new perspective on optimizing relationships between university students. The main goal of this study was to analyze students’ behavior in their networks following an educational intervention and the association with academic performance, resilience and engagement. This was a descriptive quasi-experimental study with pre–post measures of a cooperative interdisciplinary intervention. Participants comprised 50 nursing and computer engineering students. We measured help, friendship, and negative network centrality, engagement, resilience, and academic performance. No significant differences were observed between pre–post-intervention centrality measures in the negative network. However, the help and friendship networks presented statistically significant differences between inDegreeN, OutDegreeN and EigenvectorN on the one hand, and resilience and engagement—but not academic performance—on the other. Academic performance was solely associated with the team to which participants belonged. Cooperative interdisciplinary learning increased the number of ties and levels of prestige and influence among classmates. Further research is required in order to determine the influence of engagement and resilience on academic performance and the role of negative networks in network formation in education. This study provides important information for proposals on sustainable assessments in the field of higher education.

“The Hour of the Code”: Computational thinking workshop in a primary school in Guarda, Portugal

In recent years, there has been an increased effort to introduce coding and computational thinking in early childhood education. In accordance with the international trend, programming has become an increasingly growing focus in European education. The idea of introducing computer programming in the classroom dates back to the late 1960s. The introduction of programming language provides an opportunity to engage in logical and abstract thinking, problem solving, and the creative design process. One of the best-known initiatives is The Hour of Code. This initiative is being implemented in 180 countries and more than 700 million students have participated. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code,” to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. This article describes a workshop held under the “The Hour of the Code” initiative and implemented in the primary schools of Guarda, Portugal. The activity took place at the school and lasted two hours. Students from the first to the fourth grade participated, with ages ranging from 6-11 years. The teachers of the activity were university professors of computer engineering and students of computer engineering.

The Effect of Blended Learning Model to Improve the Conceptual Understanding of Computer and Network Engineering Students

Grounded by students’ lack of conceptual understanding in identifying and comprehending basic concepts of computer network, this quasi-experimental study aims to identify the effect of applying blended learning model toward the improvement of students’ conceptual understanding. It was designed using non-equivalent control group design in which the experimental group and the control group were differently treated using, respectively, blended learning and conventional learning model. There were 58 students selected as the sample of the research; 30 students in experimental class and 28 students in control class. Essay test was chosen to collect the data of the conceptual understanding of the students in both groups. Using MANOVA, the data analysis revealed the significant effect of applying blended learning model toward students’ conceptual understanding with P = 0.000 < 0.05 of significance level. In conclusion, the result of study identified that 1) the students who taught using blended learning model performed better mastery of basic concepts of computer network with the average score was 74.86, valued in high category; 2) there was a significant difference of conceptual understanding improvement between the group taught by applying blended learning and those by conventional learning model in learning basic computer network.

Rotational Blended Learning in Computer System Engineering Courses

Contribution: An original application of individual rotation to blended learning, which mixes e-learning, discussion groups (seminars), practical laboratory work, and self-motivated tasks called “mini-projects.” Background: In examining the changing practices toward students’ transferable skills in higher education, current teaching needs to devote much more attention to using multi-modular teaching methods to foster students’ key transferable skills, such as logical, analytical, and creative thinking. Intended Outcomes: Rotational blended learning is intended to maximize students’ engagement and improve educational outcomes during the learning process. Application Design: A rotated form of existing teaching methods—e-learning, seminars, and group projects—was proposed. A quasi-experimental design, involving classroom observation, student surveys, and overall results, was used with two cohorts of computer system engineering students, one a controlled cohort taught using traditional techniques and the other an experimental cohort taught using a novel rotational blended system. Findings: The influence of blended learning on the subsequent development of critical transferable skills was demonstrated. Results suggest that rotational blended learning is an ideal way to address these challenges, since it allows computer engineering students to reassess and enhance the core skills and competencies they need to acquire in their learning experiences.

Efecto del foro virtual sobre el aprendizaje de Cálculo Diferencial

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar el efecto del foro virtual como estrategia de mediación sobre el aprendizaje de contenidos de Cálculo Diferencial asociados a límite y continuidad de funciones en estudiantes del primer semestre de la carrera Ingeniería en Informática de una institución universitaria venezolana. La investigación fue de corte cuantitativo, de diseño cuasiexperimental con pretest y postest en un grupo experimental y otro de control. El análisis intragrupal a partir de la prueba t de Student revela que la estrategia del foro tuvo un efecto en el aprendizaje del grupo experimental mientras que la estrategia tradicional basada sólo en actividades presenciales no tuvo efecto en el aprendizaje del grupo de control. Sin embargo, el análisis intergrupal no reveló diferencias significativas al comparar los postest de ambos grupos, indicando la necesidad de revisar los modos de instrumentación del foro para mejorar los resultados de aprendizaje en matemática en experiencias futuras.

Uno Raid: prototipação em FPGA de um vídeo game desenvolvido em linguagem VHDL

Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de um vídeo game em linguagem VHDL e sua prototipação na plataforma Altera DE2. O hardware foi descrito e validado na ferramenta Quartus II e sintetizado para o FPGA Cyclone II EP2C35F672C6. O sistema foi implementado como uma atividade de pesquisa do Grupo PET-Computação e contou com a participação de alunos dos cursos de Ciência da Computação e de Engenharia de Computação da Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Os resultados alcançados demonstram a viabilidade do desenvolvimento do sistema com baixo custo de implementação em hardware, utilizando apenas 3236 elementos lógicos do FPGA.

Outcomes Based Technique for Measuring Critical Thinking Ability on Computer Science and Engineering Students

Literature clearly indicates that it is possible to develop quantifiable outcomes, such as critical thinking abilities, measure them and communicate student learning achievement of the outcomes, if the instructional and assessment approaches are organized in an effective way. Critical thinking ability of the Computer Science and Engineering students is an active process of skilfully conceptualizing the domain concept, analyzing and evaluating the information. This paper attempts to measure learning outcomes of ‘critical thinking ability’ which might be obtained by the students of Computer Science and Engineering, through two different instructional perspectives namely, i. the traditional linear time-bound instructions and ii. Outcomes Based instructions. The objective of this exercise is to determine whether Outcomes Based Education (OBE) in its instructional principles would be more suitable over the traditional methods in imbibing ‘Critical thinking ability’ as a learning outcome? Is it possible to classify students who prefer OBE methods of instructions? The paper elaborates an experimental study to compare and correlate the results obtained by these two selected instructional principles. The conclusions drawn out of the experimental studies as well as from the survey results will be of immense use to educational researchers of Computer Science and Engineering.

Outcomes Based Technique for Measuring Critical Thinking Ability on Computer Science and Engineering Students

Literature clearly indicates that it is possible to develop quantifiable outcomes, such as critical thinking abilities, measure them and communicate student learning achievement of the outcomes, if the instructional and assessment approaches are organized in an effective way. Critical thinking ability of the Computer Science and Engineering students is an active process of skilfully conceptualizing the domain concept, analyzing and evaluating the information. This paper attempts to measure learning outcomes of ‘critical thinking ability’ which might be obtained by the students of Computer Science and Engineering, through two different instructional perspectives namely, i. the traditional linear time-bound instructions and ii. Outcomes Based instructions. The objective of this exercise is to determine whether Outcomes Based Education (OBE) in its instructional principles would be more suitable over the traditional methods in imbibing ‘Critical thinking ability’ as a learning outcome? Is it possible to classify students who prefer OBE methods of instructions? The paper elaborates an experimental study to compare and correlate the results obtained by these two selected instructional principles. The conclusions drawn out of the experimental studies as well as from the survey results will be of immense use to educational researchers of Computer Science and Engineering.

Using Depth Cameras to Detect Patterns in Oral Presentations: A Case Study Comparing Two Generations of Computer Engineering Students.

Speaking and presenting in public are critical skills for academic and professional development. These skills are demanded across society, and their development and evaluation are a challenge faced by higher education institutions. There are some challenges to evaluate objectively, as well as to generate valuable information to professors and appropriate feedback to students. In this paper, in order to understand and detect patterns in oral student presentations, we collected data from 222 Computer Engineering (CE) fresh students at three different times, over two different years (2017 and 2018). For each presentation, using a developed system and Microsoft Kinect, we have detected 12 features related to corporal postures and oral speaking. These features were used as input for the clustering and statistical analysis that allowed for identifying three different clusters in the presentations of both years, with stronger patterns in the presentations of the year 2017. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test allowed us to evaluate the evolution of the presentations attributes over each year and pointed out a convergence in terms of the reduction of the number of features statistically different between presentations given at the same course time. The results can further help to give students automatic feedback in terms of their postures and speech throughout the presentations and may serve as baseline information for future comparisons with presentations from students coming from different undergraduate courses.

Design Experiences, Engineering Identity, and Belongingness in Early Career Electrical and Computer Engineering Students

Contribution: This paper found that design experiences can foster engineering identity and belongingness for early career electrical and computer engineering students. Students had different interpretations of what it meant to be an engineer (identity) and their belongingness in engineering. This paper provides novel insights into how students may be developing identities and belongingness in engineering, both critical for student retention and success. Background: Design experiences are crucial for engineering students, both for developing academic competencies and allowing students to see how they can become engineers. Existing literature has mixed results with respect to the influence of team-based design experiences on engineering identity and belongingness. Research Questions: 1) How do design experiences influence early career electrical and computer engineering students’ identification and belongingness in engineering? and 2) How do these students describe what it means to identify as an engineer and belong in engineering? Methodology: The beliefs of electrical and computer engineering students were examined using mixed methods to understand the intersection of design experiences, engineering identity, and belongingness. Findings: Students interpreted their engineering identity and belongingness differently, particularly, with respect to how design experiences can shape these attitudes. Whereas students interpreted engineering identity through their performance and interest in authentic engineering tasks, they interpreted belongingness as a means of comparing themselves to their peers. The findings have implications for engineering education researchers, and design instructors, to foster ways of being and belonging in engineering.

Digital Dictionary Using Binary Search Algorithm

Digital Dictionary of Computer and Network Engineering can be used in the learning process of computer and nerwork enginering students. Dictionaries are generally book-shaped is hard to carry because of their thick and heavy, now can be accessed anywhere by development of web technology. Digital dictionaries can be accessed through computers, laptops dan cellphones, this is make student easily in learning process. The digital dictionary can not only be used by students of computer and network engineering, but can also by general public, as long as you have an internet connection, anyone can be use this digital dictionaries. The main process in this digital dictionary is the search process. Binary search algorithm used in the search process of binary search algoritm. Binary search algoritm search is applied to word search in this digital dictionary, because this algoritm is intended for sequintal data. Program language that will be used to build this digital dictionary is PHP and MySQL.