Computer Science Undergraduate Courses Research Articles

Problemas enfrentados por alunas de graduação em ciência da computação: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract This systematic literature review on the issues faced by female computer science undergraduates sought to examine the reported reasons for female evasion from computer science major. A full range of indexed journals was surveyed using the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Springer databases. Of the 818 articles retrieved from the digital libraries, only 24 papers were selected for data extraction. The several issues cited as reasons for female evasion from computer science undergraduate courses were divided into six major categories and described. Initiatives that have been implemented to minimize the dropout rate among undergraduate computer science female students were also addressed. Pointing out the main issues faced by female computer science students and identifying the limitations of the initiatives taken to solve them is the first step for future work, proposing good ways around them and outlining specific solutions for the classroom, making education professionals and even classmates aware of these problem. Attention to these issues may pique the researchers’ interest, while pursuing a graduate STEM degree, in working to make the experience of female undergraduate students more positive, thus decreasing their chances of evasion. Moreover, based on the results of this research, it is possible to make theory-based academic, managerial and administrative decisions concerning gender issues.

Different approaches to the programming languages course

Consider the poor, beleaguered Programming Languages course! Most computer science instructors would recognize this as a not-unusual computer science undergraduate course, usually at the upper division and often a junior-level course. ACM's Computing Curriculum 2001 (CC2001, http://www.sigcse.org/cc2001/) largely left it out. CC2001 included four example implementations of the intermediate level of the Computer Science curriculum in its Chapter 8. Only one of these four, the intensive systems-based example approach, makes mention of something approaching this course, and that example course's title, CS240s - Programming Languages Translation, might be taken by some to not be the same thing at all. And, CS240s's link is not even operational.

ANÁLISE DA AUTOAPRENDIZAGEM DIGITAL DE PROFISSIONAIS DE CIÊNCIA DA COMPUTAÇÃO

There are few available data concerning the self-education culture of informatics professionals through Internet. Aiming at investigating the main continuous (auto)education activities, the main goal of our exploratory research is to identify most used tools by seniors of a Computer Science undergraduate course for autonomous self-development. Data were collected by documental sources and electronic questionnaires. Using a sample of 19 respondents (95% degree of liability), the data were organized so that they will allow further work (a) identifying good practice of continuing education; (b) assisting the construction of policies of access to Internet resources that encourage self-learning.

Teaching Web Application Development: A Case Study in a Computer Science Course

Teaching web development in Computer Science undergraduate courses is a difficult task. Often, there is a gap between the students' experiences and the reality in the industry. As a consequence, the students are not always well-prepared once they get the degree. This gap is due to several reasons, such as the complexity of the assignments, the working environment, the frameworks used and the time-frame constraints. In this paper, we report on a case study on how we taught web application development using extreme tutoring and in an apprenticeship manner. The assumption was to take two real web applications as basis for practical teaching. We present the different issues that we faced: the setup of the development framework, the heterogeneity of human resources and the volatility of the environment. We describe how the process evolved positively. The students became independent, and implemented two applications. We conclude with the lessons learned.

Introducing ICT in a Traditional Higher Education Environment

Traditional higher educational learning practise is based on the information transfer model where knowledge is passed from the experts (tutors) to the learners (students) by means of lectures and text books. New educational models based on constructivism can be used in parallel with traditional learning introducing a blended (or enhanced) learning approach. In such a blended environment, organisational, educational and technological issues need to be considered as a whole. In this work, we describe our experience and evaluation results from the introduction of such an enhanced model in a traditional higher education institute. The focus of this effort is to build a flexible and cost-effective model based on three key concepts: Web technology, simulation and adaptation. Initial evaluation has showed that the traditional learning process has boosted student productivity and resulted in a more relaxed educational experience. Results were based on access log analysis in the frame of a computer science undergraduate course. The evaluation sought to measure the impact of this pilot application on current practises and pedagogy.

Atitudes com relação à educação a distância em uma universidade

Este artigo descreve os resultados de uma pesquisa exploratória que investigou as atitudes de alunos com relação à educação a distância. A população-alvo foi de 22 alunos matriculados em uma disciplina a distância do curso Ciência da Computação de uma instituição de ensino superior do Sul do Brasil, oferecida no primeiro semestre de 2003. A pesquisa foi de natureza descritiva e aplicada, realizada sob uma perspectiva predominantemente quantitativa. Os resultados revelaram atitudes negativas dos alunos, especialmente nas categorias desempenho, flexibilidade e conveniência, preparação para a educação a distância, material didático e dinâmica de grupo na lista de discussão. Esses resultados indicam que o impacto positivo esperado da educação a distância pode não se efetivar quando a instituição desconsidera tanto a complexidade do processo educacional a distância quanto as variáveis envolvidas no processo de adoção e aceitação de inovações educacionais pelos alunos.

Discrete and continuous probability for the computer scientist

Simulation is an important topic in any computer science programme. If it is to be taught correctly, the student must be given an introduction to both discrete and continuous probability. This paper surveys the material required for a first year computer science undergraduate course. Techniques for sampling from various probability distributions are given.