Computer Science Learners Research Articles

Gamification and its challenges in e-learning: a case study of computer science learners in KKHSOU

PurposeThe purpose of the case study is to investigate the perception of computer science learners at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) regarding the use of gamification and to identify the challenges in implementing gamified teaching-learning processes in open and distance learning (ODL) institutions.Design/methodology/approachThe case study was carried out by observing the views of the learners on the use of gamification in distance learning and studying the participation level of computer science learners before and after the gamification environment was added to a specific topic through the learning management system (LMS). The pre-game and post-game effects on learners' participation against various factors using t-tests were also investigated in this study.FindingsThe study reveals that gamification had a positive and highly significant influence on the learners' participation and engagement in the e-content provided via the LMS. The post-gamification mean score (5.62) was higher than the pre-gamification mean score (2.36), and the overall paired t-test (5.301) value was significant at the 1% level of significance. Some of the challenges faced during the study were communication with the learner, lack of technical skills of the learner, duration of study, etc.Originality/valueThis study will help in understanding the perception and effect of gamification on computer science learners in ODL mode in India. The study succeeded in demonstrating that the use of gamified elements results in increased learner participation.

Analyzing the Learners’ Experience of an Experimental HCI Course in a Remote Context

Learner eXperience (LX) is learners’ perceptions, responses, and performances through interaction with educational technologies, involving behaviors, attitudes, sensations, emotional responses, and others. Therefore, this paper reports learners’ experiences in Experimental Human-Computer Interaction (Experimental HCI) course in the remote learning format. The activities consisted of synchronous and asynchronous classes. Participants in this exploratory study were undergraduate computer science and graduate computer science learners from a Brazilian university. This study sought to verify the LX elements that may have influenced the learners’ knowledge, such as Value, Usability, Desirability, Comfortability, and Adaptability. Thus, learners shared positive and negative feelings regarding their experiences using educational technologies. Finally, 16 LX guidelines for remote learning are presented. It is believed that the knowledge acquired in the course can contribute to preparing these young researchers for research in academy and industry, including undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral learners. The results of this exploratory study can direct and support future courses in the remote learning format.

A New Computer Science Academic Word List

This corpus-based vocabulary study aimed to develop a new computer science academic word list across ten sub-disciplines of computer science defined by Association for Computing Machinery (hereafter ACM). A corpus of Computer Science containing 2,500,990 running words was developed from 300 Computer Science Research Articles (hereafter CSRAC) as a database of this study. Drawing on and combining procedures and methods from Coxhead (2000), Gardner and Davies (2014) and other previous studies, this study developed a New Computer Science Academic Word List (hereafter NCSAWL), containing the most frequently-used computer words in computer research articles from the corpus. The NCSAWL contains 444 words, which accounts for approximately 20.33% of the coverage in the CSRAC, the NCSAWL has a much better coverage of computer English. The result of this study has numerous implications for computer science learners, English teachers, researchers, as well as material writers and course syllabus designers. For examples, English computer teachers should focus on teaching learners the most high-frequent words which have a dispersed coverage and have special meaning and use in the discipline of computer science. Teachers could also raise the awareness of learners that some words have different meanings and uses in general English. The material designers for English for academic and special purposes could incorporate the NCSAWL vocabulary into their academic reading and writing materials for computer science students. Researchers and English language teachers who are interested in expanding their computer science academic vocabulary could also use this NCSAWL.

How does the English4IT Platform Provide English Materials for Computer Science Learners?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the learning process shifted from face-to-face to online learning. English4IT is one of the platforms that can support the success of the online learning process. This study aims to investigate and describe the use of the English4IT platform to assist the English learning process for computer science learners. The platform contains materials suitable for computer science learners’ needs, including vocabulary, four main English skills, and practical activities, either synchronous or asynchronous. This descriptive qualitative study gathered the data from the contents of the English4IT platform. The data were then analyzed qualitatively by applying the platform and comparing the findings with previous studies and existing theories. This study’s novelty lies in its originality since a deep investigation of this platform has not been conducted by any previous researchers. The findings indicated that the use of this platform could effectively assist the students in learning English and motivate them to join. Various materials provided adequate teaching materials and references for computer science learners. The activities could enhance the students’ progress in each skill, and the re-do feature made it easier for learners to correct their mistakes. This study implies that the English4IT platform is recommended as an alternative way to teach English to computer science students. Before using this platform, it is recommended to recognize the strengths and weaknesses so that the English teachers can use it effectively.

OBE: Perception of Computer Science Learners and Teachers in online learning during COVID-19

Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is the most prominent method for teachers to improve student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, achieving OBE in an online learning environment is a challenging task for teachers. In India, the ability to implement OBE with limited online resources

Online Programming Language Learning Using Massive Open Online Courses in Saudi Universities

Severalstudies stated that Computer Science (CS) students at Saudi Arabia universities face difficulties in programming languages learning (PLL) and need more assistance. Fortunately, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been recognized as modern meansthat could be acceptable amongst CS learners. This piece of research aims to clarify the importance of enhancing PLL via MOOCs in Saudi Arabia. This research applied a quantitative research approach that utilized questionnaire as a research instrument. The survey was distributed among CS students to illustrate the current situation of the students’ need and acceptance of MOOCs on PLL. The investigation included 132 participants from different departments in the faulty of Computer Science (CS) at Umm Alqura University and Taif University in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire results show that 98% believe that they need additional courses in PLL and 94% are accepting the idea of utilizing MOOCs on PLL, on the other hand, the results also show that 77% of the participants have not attended a single PLL course via MOOC. Other results and future research are discussed as wel

Exploring the Relationships between Self-Efficacy and Preference for Teacher Authority among Computer Science Majors

Teacher-centered instruction has been widely adopted in college computer science classrooms and has some benefits in training computer science undergraduates. Meanwhile, student-centered contexts have been advocated to promote computer science education. How computer science learners respond to or prefer the two types of teacher authority, student-centered versus teacher-centered, has not yet been fully examined. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to probe how preference for teacher-centered learning or student-centered learning may affect self-efficacy in learning computer science among undergraduate computer science majors. The participants were 804 college computer science majors across Taiwan. They anonymously responded to the “Teacher Authority Scale” (with four subscales: “Preference for autonomy,” “Preference for participative management,” “Preference for dependency,” and “Preference for teacher control”) and the “Self-efficacy in Learning Computer Science Scale.” Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to delineate two sets of variables. The results indicate that preference for autonomy in computer science learning positively predicts selfefficacy in learning computer science with the strongest coefficient. Computer science learner preference for teacher control is also a positive predictor. However, preference for participation in managing the computer class and preference for depending on the teacher did not play a significant role in the students' self-efficacy in learning computer science.