Interest In Computer Science Research Articles

"When I started, I wasn't really interested in such things" – Catching and Holding an Interest in Computer Science and Technology

Satellite laboratories, designed to ignite interest in technical and computer science topics, employ cross-age peer tutoring and physical computing platforms. Catering to students from 5th grade onwards, these laboratories are led by tutors from 9th grade onwards. Employing a design-based research approach, the project aims to comprehensively understand teaching and learning dynamics and address well-founded problems. This study investigates the impact of satellite laboratories on (situational) interest and subsequent course choices, recognizing the decline in STEM interest as students age, particularly in computer science. To combat this trend, early stimulation of STEM interest is deemed crucial. Thirteen students were interviewed, revealing that many already held STEM interests before participating. The data, analyzed through structured content analysis, demonstrates alignment with the four-phase model of interest genesis, highlighting situational epistemic and emotional interest. Students view satellite laboratories as valuable introductions influencing future course selections. This research underscores the significance of initiatives fostering early STEM interest to sustain engagement and combat declining interest in computer science.

Weighted fair division of indivisible items: A review

Fair division is a longstanding problem in economics and has recently received substantial interest in computer science. Several applications of fair division involve agents with unequal entitlements represented by weights. We review work on weighted fair division of indivisible items, discuss the range of weighted fairness notions that have been proposed, and highlight a number of open questions.

Teaching computational thinking in grade school requires “just right” individual teacher support

AbstractIn‐service teachers implementing a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum centered on computational thinking (CT) work with unique content and pedagogical experiences. Understanding how curriculum design and teacher professional development affect curriculum implementation can help researchers understand the critical aspects of supporting the teacher in “just right” ways to learn and teach an embedded CT curriculum. We qualitatively analyzed 22 teachers' discourse through a case study approach. We identified how CT is afforded and constrained through curriculum design and teacher professional development support. Teachers expressed that the supports that were critical to their confidence and perceived ability to teach CT were (a) a program that provides “just right” support, (b) a program that provides options and individualization, (c) an internal personal identity that embraces continual innovation and learning, and (d) an educational system that is encouraging and supportive of the effort and creativity it requires to implement innovative and intensive embedded CT programs. These findings can inform how to support teachers to integrate CT within existing STEM curricula as a core scientific and mathematical practice and to foster student interest in computer science.

Training future engineers: Integrating Computational Thinking and effective learning methodologies into education

AbstractThis article examines the effectiveness and interest generated among primary and secondary education students through activities aimed at developing Computational Thinking skills, in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The shift to online or hybrid learning models posed a significant challenge for educators, particularly those lacking digital skills. The study sought to answer several research questions, including the impact of online versus in‐person teaching on preuniversity students and gender differences in Computer Science perception, and Computational Thinking skills performance. The study employed a four‐phase methodology, consisting of pre‐ and posttraining measurements of Computer Science perception and Computational Thinking skills development through specific activities delivered in‐person or online. The results indicate that in‐person training is more effective for developing Computational Thinking skills, particularly at the secondary education level. Furthermore, there is a need to focus on maintaining girls' interest in Computer Science during primary school, as interest levels tend to decline significantly in secondary school. These findings have significant implications for Engineering Education in the context of digital transformation and the increasing importance of Computational Thinking skills in various fields of engineering. This study highlights the importance of developing Computational Thinking skills among preuniversity students and the need for effective training methods to achieve this goal and underscore the significance of investing in Engineering Education to prepare the next generation of engineers for the rapidly changing digital landscape.

Benefits of international collaboration in computer science: a case study of China, the European Union, and the United States

Co-authored publications can bring positive results for those who participate, such as gaining additional expertise, accessing more funding or increasing the publication impact. China, the European Union, and the United States have been collaborating between each other throughout the years in the field of Computer Science. These collaborations varied over time, as well as they impacted the regions in different ways. In this paper, we collected the publications from these territories across 31 years on the topic of Computer Science and studied them focusing on how the regions have approached co-authorship. In particular, we have analyzed the number of collaborations during that period, the impact of those papers measured as the number of citations, and the topics that have been researched. We conclude that China’s focus on Computer Science fields has led it to be the most productive region in recent years; plus, it has benefited from the American and European reputation, by increasing its citation rates when collaborating with them. On the other hand, the EU and the US have benefited from Chinese interest in computer science, increasing the number of publications together.

From Concept to Code: A Two-Day Workshop for Secondary Students on Computational Thinking and Programming

Introducing programming and informatics concepts to the next generation of computer scientists is essential. This experience report presents a detailed overview of a two-day informatics workshop for 134 Austrian school kids, ages eleven to thirteen. The workshop program consists of several unplugged activities about algorithms, AI, robotics and coding and block-based programming using Scratch and Sphero BOLT. We evaluated feedback from 110 participants regarding their experience of these two days. Many children reported a significant gain in knowledge. We will also explain the pupils’ favourite activities and educational concepts in detail. This report also covers the experience of the ten workshop leaders of the past two days. The workshop was widely positive received and the participants reported a high interest in computer science.

Palestine at the International Olympiad in Informatics: Advancing Computational Thinking Among K-12 Students

The Palestinian Olympiad in Informatics has been a significant endeavour since its inception in 2017. It has steadily grown, with programming clubs established in all schools to foster student interest and skill development. The milestone of winning the first bronze medal in 2022 marked a notable achievement in our journey. This report provides an overview of Palestine’s participation in the International Olympiad in Informatics, outlining our objectives, preparation efforts, performance, and the profound impact of our involvement on the local and international levels, sparking increased interest in computer science across Palestine and fostering international collaboration and innovation in informatics.

Transforming computer science education: exploration of computer science interest and identity of historically underrepresented youth

ABSTRACT Background and context Historically underrepresented youth in computer science persistently experience barriers making it difficult to see themselves in the computer science field including computer science programs and curricula with consistent stereotypical references focused on competition, individualism, and male-associated topics representing a limited view of computer science. Objective This study explores computer science interest and identity development of historically underrepresented youth. Method One hundred and thirty-five self-identified historically underrepresented students in computer science participated in interviews to understand computer science occupational identity development. Findings Qualitative analysis revealed themes to understand the sources of occupational identity students described after experiencing computer science lessons: opportunity matters, supportive struggle, and collective knowledge and skill-building. Implications This study demonstrates the importance of exposing underrepresented youth to computer science to foster agency, engagement in parallel classroom practices to build confidence in computational thinking mastery, and the importance of communities of practice to increase participatory learning opportunities.

Methods for computer learning in high school

In the digital era, computer technology has become a fundamental skill, not only for individuals pursuing technical careers, but also for professionals in various fields. Learning computer information technology during the high school stage is a promising choice, and the current status and importance of computer education for high school students have become increasingly significant in both social and career development contexts. Many high school campuses still lack comprehensive computer education, often focusing on basic operations and office software usage while lacking in-depth understanding of computer science and programming. Many high school students show a strong interest in computer science, often bridging the educational gaps in school through self-study and online resources. This article shares methods for computer learning at the high school stage.

Increasing Women's Participation in CS at Large Public Universities: Issues and Insights

Despite rapidly growing interest in Computer Science (CS), CS has the second lowest participation rate for women of all science and engineering degrees, according to a recent report by the US National Science Board [16]. The reasons for women's underrepresentation and their experiences may differ from university to university. Universities are very different in terms of types of students, student profiles, students' socio-economic status, race, number of students, admission requirements, and resources. For example, some universities can create gender balance in introductory courses through selective admission. However, typically, admission practices in large public universities are not able to achieve gender balance for CS majors. As a result, there are lower percentages of women in the CS major in large public universities than in selective schools. In addition, large public universities tend to have a larger number of CS students when compared to private universities. To understand women students' experiences and struggles in computer science at a large public university in the United States and to find ways to intervene in favor of gender equity in computer science, we conducted in-depth interviews with women students in introductory programming courses. In this article, we present women students' experiences, struggles, expectations and offer potential interventions based on the findings to encourage women to consider CS as their major and stay in the CS major. Our interview data shows there is a persistent effect of lack of prior programming experience and gender bias that leads to a negative experience for women students in introductory CS courses. This article presents the challenges faced by women in CS and provides their recommendations for attracting and retaining women students in CS at large public universities.

Analysis of Cryptography in Information Technology

Cryptography is the practice of securing information through the use of codes, ciphers, and other methods of encryption. It is an essential aspect of modern communication, enabling the secure transmission of data over networks and protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access. Cryptography has been used throughout history to protect messages from interception and decipherment. In ancient times, cryptography was used by military leaders and diplomats to communicate confidential information. Over time, cryptographic techniques have become more sophisticated, and modern cryptography now employs complex algorithms and mathematical principles.Today, cryptography is used in various applications, including online banking, e-commerce, secure messaging, and government communication. Cryptography also plays a critical role in securing sensitive information such as medical records, personal data, and intellectual property.As technology continues to evolve, the importance of cryptography will only increase. Cryptography ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data, and it is an essential tool for protecting digital assets and maintaining trust in the online world. Literature Review: Cryptography has been a subject of interest in computer science and mathematics for decades. The literature on cryptography is vast and covers a wide range of topics, including encryption algorithms, key management, and protocols for secure communication. One of the earliest and most well-known encryption algorithms is the Caesar cipher, which was used by Julius Caesar to encode his messages. Since then, numerous encryption techniques have been developed, including symmetric-key cryptography and public-key cryptography.Symmetric-key cryptography involves the use of a single key for both encryption and decryption, while public-key cryptography uses two keys, one for encryption and one for decryption.In recent years, research on post-quantum cryptography has gained significant attention due to the potential threat quantum computers pose to current encryption methods. Post- quantum cryptography aims to develop algorithms that are resistant to quantum attacks.

Validation of a Spanish-language Version of a Computer Programming Aptitude Test for First-year University Students

There is increasing interest in computer science and computing bachelor programs due to the growing importance of technology in the globalized world. Thus, as higher education institutions strive to serve a diverse student demographic, it is salient to gauge their programming abilities to improve guidance on learning processes regarding their initial knowledge state. Despite the availability of certain instruments to measure student programming skills, these are traditionally aimed at younger populations and do not accurately discriminate the different levels of ability among university students. This article introduces a translation into Spanish and validation of an existing English-language aptitude test for computing jobs that can be used to measure the programming abilities of students with no prior experience in the field. Following a cyclic research methodology, two iterations were carried out in this article. First, the aforementioned test was translated and validated via expert judgment and focus groups, in which certain items were removed subsequent to a quantitative analysis. The resultant instrument underwent a second validation using a larger population of students. Analysis conducted after the second iteration showed this instrument to deliver good internal consistency, good difficulty and discrimination indices, and a moderate correlation with the grades of the midterm exam of a programming course undertaken by first year engineering students. This work contributes to both increasing the number of tests available in the Spanish language with which to assess programming abilities, as well as to the broader literature regarding test adaptation, translation and validation.

Gender equity and motivational readiness for computational thinking in early childhood

Learning coding during early childhood is an effective way for children to practice computational thinking. Aspects of children's motivation can increase the likelihood that children approach computational thinking activities with enthusiasm and deep engagement. Gender inequities may interfere with children's readiness to take advantage of opportunities to build computational thinking skills through activities such as coding. Societal stereotypes can reduce young girls’ motivation to engage with computer science, preventing them from gaining benefits from coding activities designed to support computational thinking. This study examined children's gender stereotypes as well as children's own motivation for computer coding in 363 first- through third-grade children. We assessed gender differences in both stereotypes and motivation, as well as links between the stereotypes that individual children held and their own motivation. Children generally endorsed stereotypes about interest and ability for computer coding that favored their own-gender group, although third-grade girls reported gender-egalitarian beliefs about interest in coding. There were no gender differences in children's motivation for computer coding in terms of their own interest, sense of belonging, or ability self-concepts. Children's stereotypes about their own-gender group were significantly positively correlated with their own motivation for computer coding. These findings suggest that early childhood represents an excellent age for children to begin building computational thinking skills, before girls endorse negative stereotypes about their gender's interest in computer science.

DIGITAL GAME DEVELOPMENT AS A COMPUTER SCIENCE LEARNING TOOL FOR VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Indonesia has a shortage of professionals in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Therefore, to increase the pool of electrical experts who are also qualified in the field of computer science, it is necessary to boost interest in computer science at an early year of upper secondary level. The Game Based Learning (GBL) approach increased investment in computer science for vocational high school learners. The two-dimensional (2D) game named Jack into Woods (JIW) was developed to teach fundamental concepts of C++ programming and influence the view in the computer science fields of electrical engineering of vocational high school students. The research involved the instructional design procedure, particularly the ADDIE model, to build and observe the computer game prototype and whether the product contextually fulfills the feasible and practical standard. The quantitative research method study was used to analyze the measurement. A total of 4 experts, 32 students from the pilot study group and 64 students from the control and experiment groups, participated in the research. The data was collected from research participants through pre-test–post-test, and pre-survey–post-survey responses. The quantitative data was collected, and feasibility was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Although participants scored significantly different between experiment and control groups’ post-survey responses, the focus and control groups’ post-test performances were not significantly different.

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Resilience of Well-structured Graph Transformation Systems

Resilience is a concept of rising interest in computer science and software engineering. For systems in which correctness w.r.t. a safety condition is unachievable, fast recovery is demanded. We investigate resilience problems of graph transformation systems. Our main contribution is the decidability of two resilience problems for well-structured graph transformation systems (with strong compatibility). We prove our results in the abstract framework of well-structured transition systems and apply them to graph transformation systems, incorporating also the concept of adverse conditions.

The impact of an issue-centered problem-based learning curriculum on 6th grade girls’ understanding of and interest in computer science

Many stakeholders have suggested that if girls are not engaged in computer science at an early age, the field of computer science (CS) (and computing-related fields) will continue to lack gender diversity. We need more explorations of how curriculum impacts girls’ interest in computer science at the elementary level. The focus of this research project was to examine how an elementary problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum impacted girls’ understanding of and interest in CS. By utilizing a curriculum focused on a problem that emphasized social activism, we hypothesized that PBL CS could increase interest in CS for girls. This study used a mixed-method sequential explanatory research design to examine the implementation of a CS PBL curriculum with four 6th grade teachers and their 263 students. We collected student CS knowledge pre-tests and post-tests, student attitude surveys, student focus group interviews, teacher interviews, and researcher observation reflection notes. The knowledge tests were analyzed using a mixed measures ANOVA. The survey responses were analyzed using ANOVAs and effect sizes for each comparison were calculated using partial eta squared. The qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic approach that required four researchers to come to a consensus. Results suggested that although girls had less understanding of CS at the beginning, by the end of the curriculum, girls and boys performed similarly. However, there were still elements that were not successful. Girls’ attitudes towards computer science were significantly lower than the boys at the end of the curriculum. Conceptually, the curriculum needs to specifically address how CS could impact values held by girls.

Saldırı Tespit Sistemi İçin İstifleme Topluluk Öğrenme Yaklaşımı

Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) have received great interest in computer science, along with increased network productivity and security threats. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the incoming network traffic is normal or an attack based on 41 features in the NSL-KDD dataset. In this paper, the performance of a stacking technique for network intrusion detection was analysed. Stacking technique is an ensemble approach which is used for combining various classification methods to produce a preferable classifier. Stacking models were trained on the NSLKDD training dataset and evaluated on the NSLKDDTest+ and NSLKDDTest21 test datasets. In the stacking technique, four different algorithms were used as base learners and an algorithm was used as a stacking meta learner. Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Trees (DT), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) are the base learner models and Support Vector Machine (SVM) model is the meta learner. The proposed models were evaluated using accuracy rate and other performance metrics of classification. Experimental results showed that stacking significantly improved the performance of intrusion detection systems. The ensemble classifier (DT-LR-ANN + SVM) model achieved the best accuracy results with 90.57% in the NSLKDDTest + dataset and 84.32% in the NSLKDDTest21 dataset.

비버챌린지를 활용한 고등학교급의 빅 데이터 분석 개념 탐구 수업안 설계: ‘소셜 데이터 분석’ 개념을 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to support and expand developing educational cases by applying big data analysis to informatics(SW·AI) education as part of basic research. The Bebras Challenge is an international educational innovation and content developed to increase interest in computer science and cultivate computational thinking skills based on tasks that students of all ages can understand without special prior knowledge. In this study, to support the development of educational cases for applying basic concepts related to big data analytics to informatics(SW·AI) education, based on the Bebras Challenge tasks, a lesson plan to explore the concept of ‘Social Network Analytics’ applicable at the high school level was designed. To this end, the tasks were selected based on the previous research that explored the tasks dealing with the concepts related to big data analytics in the Bebras Challenge 2017-2019. The lesson plan was designed based on the problem based learning model, to achieve performance expectations and goals related to the ‘Big Data’ content element presented in the high school intensification stage of the artificial intelligence education content standard. The results of this study contribute to field-based lesson study in that they can be used as basic data for developing teaching and learning cases using the Bebras Challenge in classes to learn the principles of informatics(SW·AI) concepts.

The Application of Action Oriented Teaching Method in the Computer Teaching Reform of Colleges and Universities

In the computer teaching reform of colleges and universities, teachers combine their different learning characteristics with the teaching materials structure of National University, and create a variety of teaching situations for students by means of modern simulation teaching method, and stimulate students' interest in computer science and technology research. Then, the teaching methods of task, project and brainstorming are taken as action guidance to guide students to explore the relationship between computer operating system and scientific and technological work in various forms of teaching activities, so that they can find more scientific and technological knowledge in the process of computer operation exercise and accumulate more computer operation experience in the ocean of scientific and technological knowledge. It is not only conducive to improve the students' communication ability of cooperation with people, to train the students' computer practical operation ability, but also to cultivate students' self-study consciousness, to develop good learning habits, and to consolidate their comprehensive ability.