Computer Science Concepts Research Articles

The impact of a block-based visual programming curriculum: Untangling coding skills and computational thinking

Backgroundand Context: Computer programming is increasingly being taught to young children worldwide. Quality programming curricula are needed to enable students to explore computer science concepts and develop a positive attitude towards programming. However, few studies have been conducted on the available curricula for young learners. ObjectiveThis study aims to provide an evidence-based, public, and free computer science curriculum for early childhood education by investigating the efficacy of the CAL-ScratchJr curriculum, among second graders. MethodA cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 11 schools and 21 second-grade classrooms was conducted to examine the impact of the 24-lesson curriculum on students’ coding proficiency and computational thinking. FindingsThe results indicated that the CAL-ScratchJr curriculum intervention had a medium positive effect on second graders’ coding skills, but no significant impact on computational thinking. ImplicationsResults caution against incorporating disconnected abstract computational thinking practices in education. The features of the curriculum were discussed.

Ai] Explore!: An Educational Game for Developing Programming Skills and Algorithmic Thinking

The game [ai] explore! was developed to introduce the algorithm behind the popular science exhibition. The idea behind the [ai] explore! exhibition was to show the application of mathematics and computer science in solving real engineering problems by creating the exhibit using the mathematical algorithm Heat Equation Driven Area Coverage (HEDAC). The algorithm is based on scientific research and has many applications: exploration and search in unknown space, painting, planning agricultural spraying, scanning 3D objects, etc. The exhibits show the process by which the algorithm paints objects with a virtual brush and explores their shape. By surveying the high school students, it was shown that new mathematical and engineering results can be explained and turned into a playable game. After playing the game, students respond positively to the game presented and state that they have a good understanding of the HEDAC algorithm presented and how it works. This motivated us to investigate [ai] explore! as an educational game for teaching mathematics and computer science. The aim of the research described in this paper is to investigate the potential of the developed game as an educational game. The game-based learning (GBL) approach is increasingly used to increase student motivation and engagement in STEM lessons. The main research question is: How do primary school teachers and students perceive the usefulness of the game [ai] explore! in supporting teaching and learning of computer science concepts? We have developed and implemented teaching scenarios on how the game [ai] explore! can be used as an educational game in computer science lessons. We show that the game has great potential to teach primary school students programming. In addition, the game promotes algorithmic thinking and computational thinking skills in general, which are valuable not only in computer science but also in other fields such as mathematics, where a systematic and analytical approach to problem-solving is required.

Computational musicking: music + coding as a hybrid practice

ABSTRACT While there is a growing body of research that explores the integration of music and coding in learning environments, much of this work has either emphasised the technical aspects of computer language design or music as a motivational context within which to learn computer science concepts. In this paper, we report on a study in which five undergraduate students with experience in both music and coding completed two creative musical tasks: one using conventional instruments and tools and one using Python code in an online music + coding environment. Inspired by the work of Christopher Small (1998. Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening. University Press of New England), we describe music + coding as a set of interlocking processes which we call computational musicking and explore how practices from both domains are reimagined in this new hybrid context. We introduce semiotic theories of translation and transcription to make sense of the computational musicking process and describe strategies that participants devised in their creative process.

Teaching classical machine learning as a graduate-level course in chemical engineering: An algorithmic approach

The demand for engineering graduates with technical skills in data science, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) is now growing. Chemical engineering (ChemE) departments around the world are currently addressing this skills gap by instituting AI or ML elective courses in their program. However, designing such a course is difficult since the issue of which ML models to teach and the depth of theory to be discussed remains unclear. In this paper, we present a graduate-level ML course particularly designed such that students will be able to apply ML for research in ChemE. To achieve this, the course intends to cover a wide selection of ML models with emphasis on their motivations, derivations, and training algorithms, followed by their applications to ChemE-related data sets. We argue that this algorithmic approach to teaching ML can help broaden the capabilities of students since they can judge for themselves which tool to use when, even for problems outside the process industries, or they can modify the methods to test novel ideas. We found that students remain engaged in the mathematical details as long as every topic is properly motivated and the gaps in the required statistical and computer science concepts are filled. Hence, this paper also presents a roadmap of ML topics, their motivations, and bridging topics that can be followed by instructors. Lastly, we report anonymized student feedback on this course which is being offered at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Intent and Extent: Computer Science Concepts and Practices in Integrated Computing

Intent and Extent: Computer Science Concepts and Practices in Integrated Computing

Essential Aspects of Gender-inclusive Computer Science Education

Computer science is a higher education domain that still show a significant male dominance. Many research studies have highlighted the importance of diversity and gender balance in computer science related areas such as software engineering and system development. However, there is still a well-identified problem that university programmes and courses on computer science fail to attract the female audience. The objective of this study is to investigate the concept of gender-inclusive computer science (CS) education with the aim of broadening participation in CS courses and programs. This is conducted through a literature study, initially focusing on keywords and research areas, and subsequently searching into existing research. The research question that guided the study was: "What concepts can be found in literature to make computer science education more gender-inclusive?". Data were analysed thematically in a two-step analysis process inspired by the grounded theory methods of Open coding and Axial coding. Findings suggest that there is significant room for learning in this field, particularly from Critical CS education studies. The Open coding analysis showed that the findings can be categorised into eight main themes. In the Axial coding the themes were merged, refined, renamed, and centred around the main axial theme of 'Epistemological pluralism'. Other essential themes that all are related to the axial main theme were: 'Design and creativity', 'Bias awareness and ethics', 'Collaboration and communication', 'Self-regulated learning', 'Real-world applications', and 'Role models and mentorship'. The result of this study is presented through a visual model that illustrates essential aspects of inclusive computer science education. The paper also proposes various directions for future research.

An improved clustering method using particle swarm optimization algorithm and mitochondrial fusion model (PSO-MFM)

Computational models are foundational concepts in computer science; many of these models such as P systems are based on natural biological processes. P systems represent a wide framework for a variety of concepts of data mining, as models of data clustering approaches. Data clustering is a technique for analyzing data based on its structure that is widely utilized for many applications. In this paper, the proposed model (PSO-MFM) has combined the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) with Mitochondrial Fusion Model to overcome some constraints of clustering techniques. The solving of clustering problem based on particle swarm is investigated in the proposed model when mutual dynamic rules are used. It can find the best cluster centers for a data set and improve clustering performance by utilizing the distributed parallel computing concept of mutual dynamic rules of mitochondrial fusion model. The comparative results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms competition models when it comes to clustering accuracy, stability and the most efficient in time complexity.

Broadening Participation of Teachers in Computing: Examining Postsecondary Educational Experiences and Prospective Educators’ CS Teaching Interests

Teacher shortages in K–12 computer science (CS) education negatively impact students’ access to CS courses, exposure to CS concepts, and interest in CS-related careers. To address CS teacher shortages, this study seeks to understand factors related to expressing a preference to teach CS among prospective teachers. The study team analyzed data from 27,700 prospective teacher applications accepted into the 2016–2020 Teach For America (TFA) corps (cohorts). The TFA corps is an alternative teacher development program that recruits and prepares participants to obtain their teaching certification while they work for at least two years in underserved communities on a temporary teaching license. Study results show that earning at least one postsecondary CS credit and majoring in CS are positively associated with these prospective teachers’ preference to teach CS. Findings indicate that among these accepted TFA applicants, a larger proportion of male applicants and racially minoritized applicants earned a postsecondary CS credit, majored in CS, and preferred to teach CS compared with female applicants and racially non-minoritized applicants. This study lays the foundation for future explorations of whether early exposure to CS could increase prospective teachers’ interest in teaching CS and reduce CS teacher shortages in K-12 settings. Findings from this study can also serve as a precursor to developing policies that result in a CS teacher workforce that is more representative of students enrolled in K-12 public schools.

Debugging in Computational Thinking: A Meta-analysis on the Effects of Interventions on Debugging Skills

Computational thinking (CT), an essential 21st century skill, incorporates key computer science concepts such as abstraction, algorithms, and debugging. Debugging is particularly underrepresented in the CT training literature. This multi-level meta-analysis focused on debugging as a core CT skill, and investigated the effects of various debugging interventions. Moderator analyses revealed which interventions were effective, in which situations, and for what kind of learner. A significant overall mean effect of debugging interventions ([Formula: see text] = 0.64, CI = (0.32, 0.96), p < .001), was found based on 62 effect sizes from 18 source articles. Significant between-studies variation indicated that true effects could range from −0.54 to 1.82. In addition, sensitivity analyses and checks on confounding provided further understandings of intervention features and their impacts. Interventions using enhanced debuggers and systematic instruction were particularly effective in fostering debugging skills. Debugging intervention effects varied by participant population and potentially by publication type. Moreover, debugging interventions had impact regardless of how debugging skills were measured, programming medium used, control-group type, and whether the study was randomized. Future studies should investigate the best practices for improving debugging abilities for whom and under what circumstances.

Sparcl: A language for partially invertible computation

Abstract Invertibility is a fundamental concept in computer science, with various manifestations in software development (serializer/deserializer, parser/printer, redo/undo, compressor/decompressor, and so on). Full invertibility necessarily requires bijectivity, but the direct approach of composing bijective functions to develop invertible programs is too restrictive to be useful. In this paper, we take a different approach by focusing on partially invertible functions—functions that become invertible if some of their arguments are fixed. The simplest example of such is addition, which becomes invertible when fixing one of the operands. More involved examples include entropy-based compression methods (e.g., Huffman coding), which carry the occurrence frequency of input symbols (in certain formats such as Huffman tree), and fixing this frequency information makes the compression methods invertible. We develop a language Sparcl for programming such functions in a natural way, where partial invertibility is the norm and bijectivity is a special case, hence gaining significant expressiveness without compromising correctness. The challenge in designing such a language is to allow ordinary programming (the “partially” part) to interact with the invertible part freely, and yet guarantee invertibility by construction. The language Sparcl is linear-typed and has a type constructor to distinguish data that are subject to invertible computation and those that are not. We present the syntax, type system, and semantics of the language and prove that Sparcl correctly guarantees invertibility for its programs. We demonstrate the expressiveness of Sparcl with examples including tree rebuilding from preorder and inorder traversals, Huffman coding, arithmetic coding, and LZ77 compression.

МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЯ НАВЧАЛЬНОГО ПРОЦЕСУ В УМОВАХ РЕФОРМУВАННЯ ШКІЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ В 1985–1991 РОКАХ

In the conditions of the «perestroika» of 1985–1991, the school in the Ukrainian SSR faced a number of challenges related to the reform of general education institutions. The difficulty was the contradictory nature of the Soviet period, when on paper there is only one thing, and in practice – something else, which ultimately led to the incompleteness of a huge number of reforms. The process of restructuring the educational field was, in fact, ambiguous. Secondary schools faced a number of new tasks: reconstruction of education in the conditions of NTR, in particular, the involvement of schoolchildren in computer knowledge and computer science concepts; strengthening the relationship between the school and practical production; new approaches in education and upbringing in the direction of glasnost and democratization. De facto, this led to experimentation in the search for new forms and methods of teaching and education in the Soviet school. The reconstruction of the school began with the computerization of the educational space, which was characterized by the lack of a professional methodical base, low qualification level of teachers and problems with technical support. According to the new curriculum of 1985/86 pupils was obliged to master a computer. Therefore, a new subject «Fundamentals of informatics and computer technology» was introduced. On the other hand, the lack of scientific and methodological support stimulated the search for new forms and methods of learning, which contributed to the development of pupil`s creative activity in the direction of scientific research. According to the reform, it was necessary to create a perfect program and textbooks on Ukrainian literature, and then, based on them, a complete educational and methodological complex, both for pupils and for teachers. The school subject – the literature of the previous period – had to serve as the foundation. The reform in secon­dary schools also affected the lesson of physical culture. An improved program «Comprehensive program of physical education of pupils of grades I–XI», was introduced. which included all forms of school physical culture, which constituted a complex system based on the All-Union Physical Comp­lex «Ready for Work and Defense of the USSR». As for the teachers of exact disciplines, they had to have a good command not only of scientific and theoretical material, but also to have ideological and political training.

Wdrażanie nowoczesnych technologii informatycznych w administracji publicznej – kilka refleksji

The aim of the article is to justify the tfhesis that coputerization of administration is a reponse to the challenges of changes in its environment. The article consists of two parts. The first part, discusses the grid of concepts of computer science, while presents the evolution of legal bases in the fied computerization of public administration as essential, was presented as fundamental and the most important of the priciples and instruments of computerization of administration i.e. the principle of knowledge-based administration providing intelligent services.

Attacking cryptosystems by means of virus machines

The security that resides in the public-key cryptosystems relies on the presumed computational hardness of mathematical problems behind the systems themselves (e.g. the semiprime factorization problem in the RSA cryptosystem), that is because there is not known any polynomial time (classical) algorithm to solve them. The paper focuses on the computing paradigm of virus machines within the area of Unconventional Computing and Natural Computing. Virus machines, which incorporate concepts of virology and computer science, are considered as number computing devices with the environment. The paper designs a virus machine that solves a generalization of the semiprime factorization problem and verifies it formally.

Elementary teachers’ experiences in online professional development for literacy-focused computer science instruction for all learners

ABSTRACT Background & Context This research focused on an online professional development (PD), the Inclusive Computer Science Model of PD, to support integrating computer science and computational thinking for all learners into K-5 literacy instruction. Objective This research was conducted to understand elementary teachers’ perceptions of the PD. Method We used a qualitative case study methodology to collect multiple sources of perception-focused data from 10 purposefully selected participants in the PD and used a general inductive approach to data analysis. Findings Three themes emerged that focus on teachers’ perceptions, with multiple considerations for how teachers viewed the concept of computer science, the potential for students with disabilities to participate in computer science instruction, and how they considered UDL in this instruction Implications Findings have implications for the potential of computer science integration into elementary literacy instruction and how teachers may independently use computer science instruction that supports all learners in their future teaching.

Synchronization Possibilities and Features in Java

Abstract In this paper we have discussed one of the greatest features of the general-purpose computer programming language –Java. This paper represents concepts of Synchronization possibilities and features in Java. Today’s operating systems support concept of “Multitasking”. Multitasking achieved by executing more than one task at a same time. Tasks runs on threads. Multitasking runs more than one task at a same time. Multitasking which means doing many things at the same time is one of the most fundamental concepts in computer engineering and computer science because the processor execute given tasks in parallel so it makes me think that are executing simultaneously. Multitasking is related to other fundamental concepts like processes and threads. A process is a computer program that is executing in a processor, while a thread is a part of a process that has a way of execution: it is a thread of execution. Every process has at least one thread of execution. There are two types of multitasking: process – based and thread – based. Process-based multitasking, means that on a given computer there can be more than one program or process that is executing, while thread-based multitasking, which is also known as multithreading, means that within a process, there can be more than one thread of execution, each of them doing a job and so accomplishing the job of their process. When there are many processes or many threads within processes, they may have to cooperate with each other or concurrently try to get access to some shared computer resources like: processor, memory and input/output devices. They may have to, for example: print a file in a printer or write and/or read to the same file. We need a way of setting an order, where processes and/or threads could do their jobs (user jobs) without any problem, we need to synchronize them. Java has built-in support for process and thread synchronization, there are some constructs that we can use when we need to do synchronization.This paper, a first phase discussed the concept of Parall Programming, threads, how to create a thread, using a thread, working with more than one thread. Second phase is about synchronization, what is in general and in the end we disscused the synchronization possibilities and feautures in Java.

Wind River Elementary Computer Science Collaborative: Connecting Computer Science and Indigenous Identities and Knowledges on the Wind River Reservation

Three Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone–serving districts formed a researcher–practitioner partnership with the Wyoming Department of Education, the American Institutes for Research®, and BootUp Professional Development to advance the computer science (CS) education of their elementary students in ways that strengthen their Indigenous identities and knowledges. In this paper, we share experiences from 2019 to 2022 with our curriculum development, professional development (PD), and classroom implementation. The researcher–practitioner partnership developed student and teacher materials to support elementary CS lessons aligned to Wyoming’s CS standards and “Indian Education for All” social studies standards. Indigenous community members served as experts to codesign culturally relevant resources. Teachers explored the curriculum resources during three 4-hour virtual and in-person PD sessions. The sessions were designed to position the teachers as designers of CS projects they eventually implemented in their classrooms. Projects completed by students included simulated interviews with Indigenous heroes and animations of students introducing themselves in their Native languages. Teachers described several positive effects of the Scratch lessons on students, including high engagement, increased confidence, and successful application of several CS concepts. The teachers also provided enthusiastic positive reviews of the ways the CS lessons allowed students to explore their Indigenous identities while preparing to productively use technology in their futures. The Wind River Elementary CS Collaborative is one model for how a researcher–practitioner partnership can utilize diverse forms of expertise, ways of knowing, and Indigenous language to engage in curriculum design, PD, and classroom implementation that supports culturally sustaining CS pedagogies in Indigenous communities.

Motivationally Appealing Computer Science e-Learning Games: An Inclusive Design Approach

Research has shown that e-learning games do not have the same level of appeal to girls, as they do to boys; particularly in the crucial 11-14 age group. In the United Kingdom, this is typically when they start to make subject choices that impact their future studies and careers. Given the shortage of females who choose computer science as a career, this study explores how e-learning games can be designed to be motivationally appealing to young learners. It further explores the role of game representations and its appeal to this age group. This empirical study addresses the research question: “Can we develop e-learning games which appeal and motivate girls of age 11-14 to study computer science concepts?” Two e-learning games were developed: one included game representations such as game colour, graphics, character, age appropriateness, storyline, number of players, violence, identified as appealing to young females and the other game included antithetical or neutral representations. The two developed prototypes were used to explore key e-learning game representations as used to teach computer science concepts. A total of 304 participants, comprising of 152 girls and 152 boys from a combination of same sex and mixed secondary schools in Southeast England, engaged with both experimental games. The experiment also elicited information on how learners interact with these games and the resulting game appeal, motivation and learning. The insight gained from the analysis of data captured during the experiments, provide the evidence to demonstrate that inclusive e-learning games which motivate and appeal to girls of age 11-14 can be developed. This can have a positive influence on their willingness to use such games to learn computer science concepts. This implies that the study found positive outcomes related to e-learning game appeal, motivation and the learning of girls of this age group. A follow-up longitudinal study could investigate the impact of significant e-learning game representations that appeal to the target group. This could provide additional evidence on the changes in the appeal of the investigated significant game representations over time, due to the influence of other factors such as socio-economic and socio-cultural differences. This understanding can further enhance inclusive e-learning strategies to improve diversity in computer science education and consequently the career pipeline.

The Integration of Coding and Computer Science Concepts in Canadian K-8 Curriculum

The Integration of Coding and Computer Science Concepts in Canadian K-8 Curriculum

Significance of Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Detection for Overall Development

Abstract: With the rapid development of human civilization, the capability of the human brain is also increasing with the fast pace of development which is eventually leading to mental health issues varying from young stage students to working professionals. Mental health is the least concerning issue in the life of today’s generation when compared to physical health. One of the main concerns about which very few are aware is that mental problems can lead directly to several other physical problems and several terminal diseases. Such cases can affect a person’s normal life adversely in various ways from affecting day-to-day routine, the standard of living, and relationship trauma. Early-stage detection is significantly important for the cause but gets delayed due to irresponsible handling or ignorance of the situation, where artificial intelligence can play a vital role. In today’s era, everything can be predicted using complex mathematical calculations which can be promptly paced up when integrated with computer science and programming concepts. Numerous pieces of research are being done in the dimension of artificial intelligence and machine learning for early-stage detection of issues related to mental health with optimized accuracy. This can lead directly to the early treatment required with the concerned patient with the help of a counsellor or a psychiatrist if required. This study concluded the implementation of AI for early detection of the mental health issues focuses in dimension of AI and its sub fields such as, machine learning for early-stage detection of issues related to mental health with optimized accuracy. A nation like India is a great way to become a developed nation and implementing AI-based technology will accelerate the developing phase for overall sustainable development.

Achieving Effective Learning Outcomes through the Use of Analogies in Teaching Computer Science

Analogy-based learning methods map the concept being learned to a concept well understood by the learner. An analogy is primarily useful when learners do not know the topic being studied. Computer science is an area where the concepts exhibit a high level of abstraction and, hence, are hard for students to comprehend. The use of analogies in instruction can significantly reduce the cognitive load a student faces in learning abstract computer science concepts. The role of analogies in helping students learn computer science topics has not been explored adequately. This paper presents our efforts related to using analogy-based teaching in computer science. Over the last several years, we have developed extensive analogies for many advanced computer science concepts. We have used these analogies extensively in classroom teaching at our institution. We list the analogies that we have developed and used in our classroom teaching and, as illustration, discuss two analogies: one from the field of operating systems and another one in modular software design. We have also conducted experiments to evaluate the impact of using these two analogies on student learning outcomes. Our results confirm our hypothesis that analogy-based instruction techniques are effective and result in improved student learning outcomes.