CS Learning Research Articles

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

Integrated computing curricula combine learning objectives in computing with those in another discipline, like literacy, math, or science, to give all students experience with computing, typically before they must decide whether to take standalone CS courses. One goal of integrated computing curricula is to provide an accessible path to an introductory computing course by introducing computing concepts and practices in required courses. This study analyzed integrated computing curricula to determine which CS practices and concepts are taught, how extensively the curricula are taught, and, by extension, how they might prepare students for later computing courses. The authors conducted a content analysis to examine primary and lower secondary (i.e., K-8) curricula that are taught in non-CS classrooms, have explicit CS learning objectives (i.e., CS+X), and that took 5+ hours to complete. Lesson plans, descriptions, and resources were scored based on frameworks developed from the K-12 CS Framework, including programming concepts, non-programming CS concepts, and CS practices. The results found that curricula most extensively taught introductory concepts and practices, such as sequences, and rarely taught more advanced content, such as conditionals. Students who engage with most of these curricula would have no experience working with fundamental concepts, like variables, operators, data collection or storage, or abstraction in the context of a program. While this focus might be appropriate for integrated curricula, it has implications for the prior knowledge that students should be expected to have when starting standalone computing courses.

Attitude of Medical and Dental Undergraduate Students Towards Learning of Communication Skills at a Medical College: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Proper physician-patient communication has shown to impact patients' satisfaction, and better health outcomes. On the contrary, negative impacts of poor communication have been attributed as one of the causes of increasing workplace violence. It is imperative to identify the attitude of the students towards communication skill learning. The aim of the study was to find out the attitude of undergraduate students towards communication skill learning using the communication skill attitude scale. This cross-sectional study was carried out from October, 2022 to July 2023 among undergraduate medical and dental students. Data was collected after obtaining the ethical approval from Institutional Review Committee (IRC number 2079/80/82) using a preformed proforma and the previously validated communication skills attitude scale questionnaire. Convenience sampling was done. The demographic details, educational characteristics, opinions regarding communication learning and median of positive and negative attitude scale scores were calculated using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The total median (interquartile range) positive attitudes scale (PAS) and negative attitudes scale (NAS) scores were 52.00 (48.00-87.00) and 31.00 (28.00-34.00) respectively. The first year of undergraduates had higher PAS scores 56.00 (50.00-60.00) than final year 48.50 (44.25-55.00). The students who were in favour of CS learning during the clinical years of training had a higher PAS median score, 54.00 (49.00-58.00). The undergraduates had overall positive attitude towards CS learning but negative attitudes were also noted, with deterioration in the scores from first to final year of undergraduation, reiterating the importance of strengthening CS learning in the curriculum early-on in the study period.

Perbandingan Pendekatan Computer Science Unplugged dan Plugged-In Learning pada Pembelajaran Informatika

Currently, informatics learning at Al-Islam Abidin Junior High School in Surakarta is often faced with the challenge of choosing effective and interesting learning methods for students, so that it causes teachers and students to find it difficult to determine which methods are more suitable to be applied in the classroom. There are several kinds of approaches to learning in informatics subject matter, namely by using CS unplugged and plugged-in learning. This study aims to analyze the comparison of CS unplugged and plugged-in learning approaches applied at Al-Islam Abidin Junior High School in Surakarta. The method used in this study is to use a quantitative approach. The participants involved totaled 40 people who would be divided into 2 classes, namely the control class and the experimental class, each class consisting of 20 people. Data collection in this study used pre-test and post-test. The results of pre-test and post-test testing show that learning using computer media (plugged learning) gets higher scores so it can be concluded that the plugged learning method is more suitable for use in informatics subjects. The impact of plugged-in learning method is that students can play and learn using technology, meanwhile unplugged learning makes the student can learn dependence on technology.

Mirror Mentoring: Black Women’s Experiences Serving as Mentors for Black Girls During a Virtual Computer Science Camp

Several studies have reported the positive benefits of informal Computer Science learning programs for Black girls, which include staff, mentors, and peers reflective of the girls in the program; however, we do not know enough about what motivates Black women to sign up to teach in such programs, or how representation in mentoring affects future CS learning for Black girls. Here we report the intersectional experiences of 11 Black women who served as instructors and mentors for the virtual INTech Summer Camp. The women in this study confirm that it is imperative to consider the intersectional experiences of Black women in CS as a whole, without explicating their identities. We found that Black women in CS feel that it is their responsibility to give back to Black girls to pay it forward from their own mentorship experiences. The Black women in our study describe seeking to fill a gap in mentorship that they experienced themselves, to share their knowledge and experiences to support the development of others who can relate to that intersection of identifying as Black and a girl or woman. Providing positive representation to encourage young Black girls to pursue tech careers is imperative to diversifying the tech workforce.

Assisting in a computer science education centre as a field-based internship for pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT Background and Context To offer more experiences in the field, our study employed secondary school pre-service teachers as assistants in courses for secondary school students learning computer coding with the help of smart textiles. Objective Did pre-service teachers assisting in CS courses have more highly developed pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and more positive attitudes toward computer science teaching than a control group. Method We administered a teacher questionnaire (N = 47) with items related to pre-service teachers’ awareness of CS and attitudes toward CS learning environments. Data on emotional experiences were collected. Findings Two moderate effects helped to explain variances between the groups on measures of belief in effectiveness of CS learning and peer support over time. Their positive experiences were confirmed by their decline in negative emotions. Implications The results of our research might help to expand our not yet very broad knowledge of meaningful educational experiences for pre-service teachers’ CS education.

A Dynamic Interactive Learning Interface For Computer Science Education: Programming Decomposition Tool

When the coding assignments step into more complicated and structured periods for individuals, how to cultivate the skills have become the urgent needs for people who are engaged in sophisticated coding development in both academics as well as industries, especially those who have some basic knowledge in their undergraduate studies. In this paper, a state-of-art interactive tool: Programming Decomposition Tool (PDT) is proposed to help people enhance their complicated coding skills and further to broaden their CS learning horizons. The tools have two unique features: 1. The learning interface is adaptive and dynamic with respect to the detection of the knowledge depth of users. 2. Difficult learning parts will be decomposed into several easier sessions for better acquisition.

Connecting beliefs, mindsets, anxiety and self-efficacy in computer science learning: an instrument for capturing secondary school students’ self-beliefs

ABSTRACT Background and Context Few instruments exist to measure students’ CS engagement and learning especially in areas where coding happens with creative, project-based learning and in regard to students’ self-beliefs about computing. Objective We introduce the CS Interests and Beliefs Inventory (CSIBI), an instrument designed for novice secondary students learning by designing projects (particularly with physical computing). The inventory contains subscales on beliefs on problem solving competency, fascination in design, value of CS, creative expression, and beliefs about context-specific CS abilities alongside programming mindsets and outcomes. We explain the creation of the instrument and attend to the role of mindsets as mediators of self-beliefs and how CSIBI may be adapted to other K-12 project-based learning settings. Method We administered the instrument to 303 novice CS secondary students who largely came from historically marginalized backgrounds (gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status). We assessed the nine-factor structure for the 32-item instrument using confirmatory factor analysis and tested the hypothesized model of mindsets as mediators with structural equation modeling. Findings We confirmed the nine-factor structure of CSIBI and found significant positive correlations across factors. The structural model results showed that problem solving competency beliefs and CS creative expression promoted programming growth mindset, which subsequently fostered students’ programming self-concept. Implications We validated an instrument to measure secondary students’ self-beliefs in CS that fills several gaps in K-12 CS measurement tools by focusing on contexts of learning by designing. CSIBI can be easily adapted to other learning by designing computing education contexts.

Equitable STEM+CS learning experiences for girls of color: nurturing an independent learning approach via a learning ecosystem

PurposeThere is a critical need to understand how to attract Black girls and other girls of color to the science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science (STEM+CS) field. This study aims to look at the design and implementation of a CS learning ecosystem that supports girls of color in acquiring critical CS skills starting in middle school.Design/methodology/approachThis mixed-method case study included 53 girls, between the ages of 11 and 13, in four US middle schools. Study methods included the analysis of a pre-program student survey, longitudinal interviews and focus groups, weekly observations and computing artifacts.FindingsProgram participants were interested in CS, were confident in their ability to learn CS, had prior coding and CS experience and had parents and teachers who encouraged them to learn CS. But some students showed dependent learning behaviors while engaging in CS activities. These included relying on instructors and being reticent to make mistakes–behaviors that limit learning. The CS learning ecosystem supported students as they shifted from applying dependent learning approaches to applying independent learning approaches. Instructors sustained a growth mindset and supported productive struggle as students learned CS skills.Originality/valueA CS learning system supported equitable learning experiences and helped students develop independent learning behaviors that led to deeper engagement in CS.

Debugging inequities: Data use, “gumshoe work,” and problem identification in district-wide computer science education initiatives

As districts across the United States move to implement comprehensive computer science education (CSed) initiatives, there is increasing interest in utilizing data-informed strategies such as continuous improvement to address systemic inequities. However, the specifics of how education institutions move from collecting and monitoring data into processes of systems improvement are not straightforward. This study explores the critical intermediary step of diagnostic problem framing which connects the collection of data to the identification of root causes of inequities so that adequate action can be taken to change an instructional system. Without taking the step of diagnostic problem framing, district leaders run the risk of using data to change systems in ways that simply reproduce or worsen existing inequities. Through four cases from three school districts implementing comprehensive (e.g. K12, at scale) CSed initiatives, we explore the dynamics of diagnostic problem framing around each of the four phenomena related to equitable CSed as specified in the CAPE framework: system and teacher capacity around CSed, student access to CS learning, participation rates in those opportunities by subgroups, and the quality of the experience of those participating. Our findings highlight five factors mediating diagnostic problem framing: conceptualization of equity as a multifaceted phenomenon, problem attribution to systems, not students, ability to analyze data for indicators of inequities, knowledge of local instructional systems, and embeddedness in instructional networks. Our results affirm the importance of developing robust data systems in CSed initiatives, but also show how attention to broader institutional factors can improve the capacity of these systems to address inequities.

Communication skills learning through role models in Nepal; what are medical students really learning? A qualitative study

BackgroundCommunication skills (CS) are important and teachable, however, many Asian medical schools’ curricula do not incorporate them. Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Nepal identifies CS within its’ aims and curriculum. CS are taught from commencement of medical school and re-emphasised throughout preclinical learning (first 2 years). There is no explicit CS teaching in clinical years but placements allow students to learn through observation. These ‘role-modelling’ interactions form part of CS learning and development.MethodsThis study is a qualitative evaluation of CS learning in PAHS, through participants’ experiences. Through purposive sampling, twenty medical students from 2nd, 4th and Intern years were selected for inclusion. Data were collected via audio recorded, semi-structured interviews, employing a piloted schedule. Transcripts were manually coded and analysed thematically. Codes were organised into themes and subthemes. This paper discusses themes related to role-modelling.ResultsThe majority of participants described role-modelling in CS learning, recounting both positive and negative incidents, reflected in the themes of; Positive and Negative experiences. Subthemes of Personal Qualities and Inspiring, emerged from positive experiences, describing students’ desire to imitate or aspire to be like their role models. Learners reported predominantly negative experiences and interns exclusively so. From these emerged subthemes of; Good doctors but.., Contradictory messages, How not to behave, Unprofessional behaviour and Affect-Emotional Distress. Learners received conflicting messages from observing behaviour contradictory to explicit CS teaching. Many identified learning “how not to behave” from such incidents, however, several described feeling distressed.DiscussionRole-modelling is a powerful and important CS learning tool, seen as positively reinforcing or negatively contradicting explicit CS teaching. Negative modelling created internal conflict, confusion and distress amongst learners, despite its’ potential for positive learning. The worldwide problem of negative role-modelling is also prevalent in Nepal.Medical educators need to ensure the explicit curriculum aligns with implicit learning. Clinical tutors must be alerted to their powerful role-model position and supported in developing intentional modelling skills. Learners’ reflections upon their experiences should be facilitated, enabling them to critically evaluate observations and hence consciously adopt or reject role-modelled behaviour and attitudes.

Student Leadership, Systems Change: Opportunities and Tensions for Youth Impact on District-Wide Computer Science Initiatives

Computer Science education (CSed) often aims to position youth as designers, creators, and those with a voice in their world. But do youth have opportunities to design, create, and have voice around the shape of their CSed learning experiences? In this study, we explore ways that school districts engage youth to contribute to the shaping and enactment of their CS instructional systems, efforts districts make to have these leadership roles create impact within these systems, and the tensions associated with these processes. Through in depth analysis of five district case studies, our findings highlight variance around the nature of leadership roles , how access to leadership roles is structured, student autonomy within and ownership over leadership roles, how roles reach into and index differential power over instructional systems , and how district processes of scaffolding and infrastructuring mediate the ultimate impact that students in these roles are able to have on CS instructional systems. Findings also surfaced ways that district actors dealt with a number of tensions associated with student leadership within CS instructional systems. This study provides educators, administrators, and researchers with an expansive view of the potential for students to play legitimate roles within the context of system-wide instructional efforts around CS, and aims to expand conceptions of ‘equitable computer science’—up to this point largely conceived of through the lenses of access to, participation in, and experiences of CS learning—to focus on equity as also being about who has ‘a seat at the table’ when it comes to CS.

Race and gender in silicon valley

I am a Lecturer of Computer Science, and typically teach programming (CS2 and systems) and theory (discrete math and automata) course. This autumn, I introduced a new seminar course, Race & Gender in Silicon Valley, offered in the Computer Science Department but in a format more typical of a humanities or social science course. One of the primary feedbacks from students about the course was that every computer scientist should be required to learn this material! I believe that presenting the syllabus and an overview of the students' class projects would be useful for attendees of the mini-symposium, either to inspire similar courses at other universities, or simply to give faculty ideas for individual readings and modules that they might insert into other courses at different levels, such as a CS Principles or Machine Learning. Some of the student projects were also on the topic of repackaging the course for a target audience of high school students, so K12 educators at the mini-symposium would also have directly actionable takeaways. (Course syllabus on the web: http://bit.ly/racegenderinsiliconvalley)

Containerizing CS learning environments

This work describes an attempt to create a containerized platform to support various computing resources for hands-on activities throughout the CS curriculum. Via containerization, students will ha...

Artifacts Removal in EEG Signal Using a NARX Model Based CS Learning Algorithm

Artifacts Removal in EEG Signal Using a NARX Model Based CS Learning Algorithm

Student developed computer science educational tools as software engineering course projects

In a one semester course on software engineering for upper level computer science students, students typically learn the fundamental software processes spanning the software development lifecycle --- from requirements specification through architectural design, implementation, testing, and evolution, along with the software tools that support the development activities. Courses in software engineering often incorporate semester long team projects, where students collaborate on a software development project. Thus, in addition to developing the technical skills associated with software development, the software engineering course is a common place where computer science students develop their skills in teamwork and collaboration, as well as in communications. The nature and type of projects in such courses varies. Some integrate projects where students develop software for clients such as on campus departments, or local non-profits, while others have been increasing exposure to open source development with students contributing to existing open source projects. In our software engineering course, we have recently introduced course projects where teams of students specify, design, and implement software that assists computer science students in learning fundamental computer science topics. In this paper, we present our experience with such CS learning tool projects, including a discussion of the impact on student outcomes in a senior-level course on software engineering. We compare this experience to our prior use of projects for real clients in this same course. We find that students who participate in the CS learning tool projects perceive an increase in learning progress on fundamental principles, theories, and factual knowledge, as compared to their peers in course sections with projects for real clients, with an equivalent effect on teamwork and collaboration skills. Most surprisingly, the students who develop CS learning tools report a significantly higher level of progress on industrial relevant skill development as compared to the students who develop so called projects for real clients.

Ontogenetic differences in ethanol-induced impairment of context and CS learning

A hypothesized action of ethanol is that it reduces processing of contextual stimuli. Given previous reports of age-related differences in stimulus selection, in the present study we utilized a conditioned suppression paradigm within an enhanced sensory context to examine the effects of ethanol on context and tone learning in preweanling and adult Sprague-Dawley rats as a function of tone-footshock interval. Although ethanol had some impairing influence on both context and tone conditioning in adults, tone responding nevertheless remained evident, whereas context conditioning was abolished regardless of the tone-footshock interval. In preweanlings, both context and tone responding were abolished by ethanol unless training occurred with contiguous tone-footshock pairings. It is suggested that age-specific modes of encoding are differentially sensitive to the effects of alcohol.

Ontogenetic differences in conditioning to context and CS as a function of context saliency and CS-US interval

A series of experiments examined ontogenetically the effects of context saliency and CS-US interval on the learning of CS-US and context-US associations. Although adult rats generally showed an inverse relationship between CS and context learning that depended upon CS-US interval and context saliency, the opposite relationship held for preweanlings. Consistent with many contemporary learning theories, adult rats expressed CS-context competition in learning about the US. Preweanlings, on the other hand, exhibited potentiated responding to either the context or the CS as a result of strong learning about the other element. These results suggest that adult and infant rats process information in a qualitatively different manner.

AMOUNT OF RESPONSE-PRODUCED CHANGE IN THE CS AND AVOIDANCE LEARNING.

AMOUNT OF RESPONSE-PRODUCED CHANGE IN THE CS AND AVOIDANCE LEARNING.

EFFECTS OF POSITIONAL RELATIONS BETWEEN SUBJECT, CS, AND US ON SHUTTLE-BOX AVOIDANCE LEARNING IN CATS.

EFFECTS OF POSITIONAL RELATIONS BETWEEN SUBJECT, CS, AND US ON SHUTTLE-BOX AVOIDANCE LEARNING IN CATS.