Students Studying Computer Science Research Articles

Enhancing AI Education at an MSI: A Design-Based Research Approach

While students are often passionate about their chosen fields, they often have limited awareness of the profound impact of AI technologies on their professions. In order to advance efforts in building subject-relevant AI literacy among undergraduate students studying Computer Science and non-Computer Science (Criminal Justice and Forensic Science) it is imperative to engage in rigorous efforts to develop and study curricular infusion of Artificial Intelligence topics. Using a Design-Based Research model, the project team and the external evaluators studied the first iteration of the module development and implementation. Using data collected through surveys, focus groups, critical review, and reflection exercises the external evaluation team produced findings that informed the project team in revising and improving their materials and approach for the second iteration. These efforts can help educators and the AI module developers tailor their AI curriculum to address these specific areas, ensuring that students develop a more accurate understanding of applications of AI in their future career field.

Building Skills and Competences in a Personalized Use of a Linear and Iterative Model of a Software Project

This article examines the role of the project-based method in building skills and competencies among school students. An overview of the digital competencies outlined in the European Strategic Educational Framework and their significance for the successful adaptation of citizens in a globalized world has been provided. The stages and activities of two models for developing software projects in secondary education are described, highlighting the potential to personalize educational objectives. The goals and tasks of a pedagogical study conducted with eighth-grade students studying Computer Science are presented; the results of a quantitative analysis are analyzed, and conclusions regarding the role and place of the two project models in education are drawn.

Effects of students’ perception on self-efficacy in programming courses at the tertiary institution

Programming is a difficult subject to learn and teach. When it comes to students learning basic programming information and skills, university-level introductory programming courses (Java, C++, Visual Basic, and Python) are critical. Students' achievement is negatively impacted by a negative attitude about programming. As a result, the study discovered the impact of students' perceptions in university computer programming courses. The study covered students studying Computer Science from the University of Ghana. A survey descriptive design with a quantitative technique was used in this investigation. The population of the study was 2,030 with 368 sample size. Purposive sampling was utilized to choose University of Ghana, Legon as the study's location. The study's participants were chosen using a stratified random sampling technique. Closed-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. The SPSS version 26 and PROCESS Macro were used to analyze the data. Respondents’ data were examined applying both inferential and descriptive statistics. The study revealed that students see programming as unfamiliar was the highest perception of programming to students. The study found that students see programming as easy with dedication was the lowest perception of programming to students. In conclusion, the significant impact of perception of students in Computer Programming account for 84% of the contribution of factors that influence self-efficacy.

The culturo-techno-contextual approach and students' understanding of computer science education in a developing economy

PurposeThe lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding of concepts. What is bereft in the education literature is its comparative efficiency with the culturo-techno contextual approach (CTCA) in the teaching of computer science education.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted the quasi-experimental design to determine the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of spreadsheets as a difficult concept in the Nigerian computer science education curriculum. Junior high school students studying computer science education participated in the study. The control group had 30 students, with 35 students in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught using CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The spread sheet achievement test, which had 40 items on spreadsheet, was used to collect data.FindingsThe results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group [F (1,60) = 41.89; p < 0.05]. The findings showed the potential of CTCA in improving students' performance in spreadsheets in the computer science education curriculum.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is hinged on its ground-breaking test of the CTCA to the study of the spreadsheet. The findings of this study indicate its efficacy in improving students' understanding of spreadsheet and computer science education.

Do Teamwork Guidelines Improve Peer Assessment Accuracy or Attitudes During Collaborative Learning?

Contribution: Students do not naturally give unbiased, accurate peer assessments (PAs). Hence, giving teamwork guidelines to students can improve their cooperation, understanding of one another, PA attitude, and PA accuracy. Background: During collaborative learning, PA can improve students’ autonomy, evaluation, and communication, which often enhances their task performance and learning outcomes. However, student bias, low effort, or imprecision can bias PA. Hypothesis: This study hypothesized that teamwork guidelines can improve students’ collaboration and hence their: 1) PA accuracy and 2) attitudes toward PA. Design/Method: This comparison study examined the 447 PAs and 143 survey responses of 143 university students studying computer science in 49 teams. 58 students received teamwork guidelines and 85 students did not. PAs and teacher assessments (TAs) were analyzed with a multilevel, structural equation model, and survey responses were analyzed with a multivariate outcome, multilevel, and ordered logit regression. Findings: PAs often exceeded TAs of the same student (positive bias), especialy for low-performing students. Compared to other students, students receiving teamwork guidelines gave PAs that resembled TAs more but had a similar positive bias. The relative and absolute differences in peer and TAs (PA – TA, |PA – TA|) mostly differed across teams rather than students. Also, students receiving teamwork guidelines viewed PA as more supportive of their learning, compared to other students without the teamwork guidelines.

Interrogating the contemporary english language needsfor the ICT industry in the namibian context

New digital technology advances throughout the globe are principally responsible for the impetus behind themodern information and communications technology (ICT) industry’s requirement for English language skills. Thereis a steady increase in highly computerized new machinery, each with more complex, difficult-to-understandinstruction manuals that demand a correspondingly high degree of linguistic proficiency. Thus, students studyingcomputer science need access to subject-specific English for both immediate usage and long-term careerdevelopment. Due to these constant changes and rapid advancements in the technology sector, it was essential toconduct research on the current needs of the ICT industry. It is essential for graduates and professionals in the ICTindustry to be able to communicate fluently with teams working in the same field but located in different parts ofthe world. This can be in the form of written manuals or conversation. The purpose of this study was to interrogatethe contemporary English language demands for the ICT industry and the necessary proficiency required ofundergraduate ICT majors. The theoretical underpinning of this research was the Material Design Model proposedby Hutchinson and Waters (1). A mixed-methods research approach was used. The total number of participantsthat took part were 170 (N= 170), thus that is what the sample size was based on. Using convenience sampling,a sample size of 118 was drawn. The results indicated that ICT students often lacked skills in essay writing. Thestudents’ lack of technical language skills seriously weakens the strength of their scientific argument. Studentsare recommended to attend subject-specific language courses in order to prepare for their present academicand future professional language demands. The study indicated that the existing curriculum for computer sciencestudents does not adequately prepare them for the kinds of work that would be available to them in the ICT sector.The study recommends utilizing education support professionals (ESP) professionals to teach English in Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses, with a focus on using examples from specializedjournals, magazines, and blog channels. The study concludes by suggesting that instructors of computer sciencelanguage be incentivized to increase their usage of specialized scholarly terminology in their classrooms.

Review of the book «Proceedings on the Self-Checking Embedded Control Circuits Synthesis Theory Based on Binary Redundant Codes»

Proceedings on the Self-Checking Embedded Control Circuits Synthesis Theory Based on Binary Redundant Codes. Vol. 1. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2020, 611 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040758-9.Proceedings on the Self-Checking Embedded Control Circuits Synthesis Theory Based on Binary Redundant Codes. Vol. 2. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2021, 527 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040757-2.The first volume of the book includes papers devoted to three main areas of research in the field of synthesis of self-checking discrete systems: study of features of classical sum codes (Berger codes), modular sum codes, as well as their modifications proposed by the authors of the articles; study of features of codes for which check bits are obtained using convolutions modulo М = 2 of a part of data bits (polynomial codes and classical Hamming codes); research of the Boolean Complement method for organisation of self-checking discrete systems based on redundant binary codes. Materials are provided on detailed characteristics of error detection in data bits of redundant binary codes under the condition of errorfree check bits, descriptions of methods for constructing previously unknown modified sum codes and features of methods for synthesizing self-checking discrete systems based on binary redundant codes.The second volume of the book includes papers in the field of constructing binary sum codes weighted bits and transitions between bits occupying adjacent positions in data vectors of code words, as well as the results of studying their characteristics and methods of synthesising coding equipment. The issues of application of features of codes in organisation of self-checking discrete systems are considered. The reader will find on the pages of this volume materials on detailed characteristics of error detection in data bits of weight-based sum codes provided that the check bits are error-free, descriptions of methods for constructing previously unknown weight-based sum codes and features of methods for synthesising self-checking discrete systems based on them.The book can be useful for developers, researchers and engineers working in the field of technical diagnostics of discrete systems and synthesis of systems with fault detection, as well as students studying computer science, computer technology and automation.

Predicting Undergraduate Level Students’ Performance Using Regression

Students’ academic performance in the university environment changes from one academic year to another as they climb up the ladder of their academic programme. Predicting students’ academic performance in higher educational institutions is challenging due to the lack of a central database of students’ performance records. The other challenge is the lack of standard methods for predicting students’ performance and other moderating factors like physical, economic and health that affect students’ progress. In this work, we predicted students’ performance based on previous academic results. A model to predict students’ performance based on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was developed using Linear Regression Algorithm. A dataset of 70 undergraduate students studying Computer Science was analyzed and the results show that the model was able to predict the 4th year CGPA of the Students using the previous Cumulative Grade Point of the past three years with an accuracy of 87.84%, and a correlation of 0.9338. This study also identified students’ second semester CGPA in the first year and their first semester CGPA in the second year as the most important CGPAs that affect the accuracy

Analyzing effectiveness of active learning through project-based learning approach in university level ICT courses

The concept of Active Learning (AL), which has journeyed through multiple research studies over the years, is an important part of the teaching learning process at academic institutions. The present study applies active learning via project-based approaches where students engage in real life projects and solve associated complications with their research, communication, and technical skills. As a case study of effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL), especially in engineering project contexts, the present research is conducted among students studying computer science and engineering at Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal. The key findings of the study suggest that PBL assignments have helped students in their active learning processes. This paper also compares teaching and learning approaches of KU with other IT institutions of Nepal.

Exploring and comparing computational thinking skills in students who take GCSE Computer Science and those who do not

This study compares computational thinking skills evidenced by two groups of students in two different secondary schools: one group per school was studying a qualification in Computer Science. The aim was to establish which elements of computational thinking were more prevalent in students studying Computer Science to a higher level. This in turn would evidence those elements likely to be present from their earlier computing education or through their complementary studies in Science or Mathematics, which all students also studied. Understanding this difference was important to identify any increased competence in computational thinking that was present in the Computer Science groups. Artefact-based interviews were carried out using questions and practical computing problems designed to elicit and demonstrate the students’ computational thinking skills based on the Brennan and Resnick (2016) model of computational concepts, practices and perspectives. Analysis of students’ responses showed surprisingly little difference between the computational thinking practices of the two groups in relation to abstraction, decomposition, evaluation, generalisation/reusing, logical reasoning and debugging/testing. The study concludes that general computational thinking skills can be developed either at a lower level of study or in cognate curriculum areas, leaving computer science as the rightful locus of computational thinking for automation.

An alternative to programming contests

Programming contests, such as the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) have many benefits for undergraduate students studying computer science. These include encouraging collaboratio...

Interrogating the contemporary english language needs for the ICT industry in the namibian context

New digital technology advances throughout the globe are principally responsible for the impetus behind the modern information and communications technology (ICT) industry’s requirement for English language skills. There is a steady increase in highly computerized new machinery, each with more complex, difficult-to-understand instruction manuals that demand a correspondingly high degree of linguistic proficiency. Thus, students studying computer science need access to subject-specific English for both immediate usage and long-term career development. Due to these constant changes and rapid advancements in the technology sector, it was essential to conduct research on the current needs of the ICT industry. It is essential for graduates and professionals in the ICT industry to be able to communicate fluently with teams working in the same field but located in different parts of the world. This can be in the form of written manuals or conversation. The purpose of this study was to interrogate the contemporary English language demands for the ICT industry and the necessary proficiency required of undergraduate ICT majors. The theoretical underpinning of this research was the Material Design Model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1). A mixed-methods research approach was used. The total number of participants that took part were 170 (N = 170), thus that is what the sample size was based on. Using convenience sampling, a sample size of 118 was drawn. The results indicated that ICT students often lacked skills in essay writing. The students’ lack of technical language skills seriously weakens the strength of their scientific argument. Students are recommended to attend subject-specific language courses in order to prepare for their present academic and future professional language demands. The study indicated that the existing curriculum for computer science students does not adequately prepare them for the kinds of work that would be available to them in the ICT sector. The study recommends utilizing education support professionals (ESP) professionals to teach English in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses, with a focus on using examples from specialized journals, magazines, and blog channels. The study concludes by suggesting that instructors of computer science language be incentivized to increase their usage of specialized scholarly terminology in their classrooms.

Inclusivity for visualization education: a brief History, investigation, and guidelines

Diversity and inclusion are currently very trendy themes in higher education in science, mainstream culture, and the visualization community. However, the study of diversity with respect to spatial cognition has a long and rich research history extending far beyond the birth of the visualization community. In this brief study, we present a short historical overview of research on the topic of gender diversity and spatial cognition that dates back to the 1940s. We follow this with a small investigation of gender bias in our own data visualization classroom for university students studying computer science. Finally, we round this overview up, with concise recommendations on how to make the visualization classroom more inclusive to support diversity. We believe this educational paper provides a convenient introduction and overview to the topic of diversity in the visualization classroom.

Social Factors Influence on Career Choices for Female Computer Science Students

The low and shrinking numbers of female students studying computer science is a well-known problem in most of the western countries. The dominant perception about computer science field considered it as a masculine domain. In contrast, this study was performed in the IT department where female students are dominant compared to male students. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of different factors on female students in choosing a career in the IT field. A survey was deployed to collect responses of female students in the IT department. The results show that female students are interested in computer science stream and nullify the dominant perception of computer science as a masculine domain. They want to learn technology, become an active member of the digital native world, and interested in coding literacy.

Undergraduate Haredi Students Studying Computer Science: Is Their Prior Education Merely a Barrier?

Aim/Purpose: Our research focuses on a unique group a students, who study CS: ultra-orthodox Jewish men. Their previous education is based mostly on studying Talmud and hence they lacked a conventional high-school education. Our research goal was to examine whether their prior education is merely a barrier to their CS studies or whether it can be recruited to leverage academic learning. Background: This work is in line with the growing interest in extending the diversity of students studying computer science (CS). Methodology: We employed a mixed-methods approach. We compared the scores in CS courses of two groups of students who started their studies in the same college in 2015: 58 ultraorthodox men and 139 men with a conventional background of Israeli K-12 schooling. We also traced the solution processes of ultraorthodox men in tasks involving Logic, in which their group scored significantly better than the other group. Contribution: The main contribution of this work lies in challenging the idea that the knowledge of unique cultures is merely a barrier and in illustrating the importance of further mapping such knowledge. Findings: The ultraorthodox group’s grades in the courses never fell below the grades of the other group for the duration of the five semesters. Due to their intensive Talmud studies (which embeds Logic), we hypothesized they would have leverage in subjects relating to Logic; however this hypothesis was refuted. Nevertheless, we found that the ultraorthodox students tended to recruit conceptual knowledge rather than merely recalling a procedure to solve the task, as novices often do. Recommendations for Practitioners: We concluded that these students’ unique knowledge should not be viewed merely as a barrier. Rather, it can and should be considered in terms of what and how it can anchor and leverage learning; this could facilitate the education of this unique population. Impact on Society: This conclusion has an important implication, given the growing interest in diversifying higher education and CS in particular, to include representatives of groups in society that come from different, unique cultures. Future Research: Students’ unique previous knowledge can and should be mapped, not only to foresee weaknesses that are an outcome of “fragile knowledge” , but also in terms of possible strengths, knowledge, values, and practices that can be used to anchor and expand the new knowledge.

The influence of achievement goals on online help seeking of computer science students

AbstractThis study investigated the online help‐seeking behaviors of computer science students with a focus on the effect of achievement goals. The online help‐seeking behaviors investigated were online searching, asking teachers online for help, and asking peers or unknown people online for help. One hundred and sixty‐five students studying computer science from a large research university in the south‐eastern United States participated in the study. It was found that students searched online significantly more frequently than they asked people online for help. Contrary to prior findings on face‐to‐face help seeking, no achievement goals were found to be significant in predicting the tendencies of students to seek help online. These findings provide evidence to support the role of online searching as an integral part of online help seeking and demonstrate that research findings on face‐to‐face help seeking should not be assumed to be naturally extendable to online help seeking.

Fostering the Creative Development of Computer Science Students in Programming and Interaction Design

This study explores the enhancement of creativity in undergraduate students studying computer science. We assume that everybody has creative potential. As a teacher, we can explicitly encourage creative thinking, providing space to let students collaboratively discover and explore their creativity. This paper presents a dialogical framework to help the teacher fostering creativity among students of computer science in programming and interaction design. The framework presented here involves underlying dialogic processes from seven collaborative and creative dimensions that allow students to develop creativity. The use of the pedagogical framework makes it possible to teachers create significant interaction design and computer programming experiences to students, motivating them to activate mental processes underlying creativity. Students can simultaneously activate two or more ideas, images, or thoughts and have them interact, prompt thought experiments, change cognitive perspectives, raise new points of view, and risk category mistakes.

Comparison of Examination Methods Based on Multiple-choice Questions Using Personal Computers and Paper-based Testing

Computer-based testing, by facilitating the interaction between teaching and learning, can improve the quality of learning through improved formative feedback which is a key aspect of formative assessment. This study makes a contribution to the research on computer-based testing by examining the mode differences between the paper-and-pencil test and computer-based test. The previously conducted researches in this area dealt with the students of primary and secondary schools. In those researches the points of observation were the students’ successes in mathematics, English and social sciences; no research was done in field of programming languages such as C++ with post-secondary students. The main aim of this study was to find out whether there are differences in the achieved results in two ways of testing: computer-based testing and paper-and-pencil test. Also, the intention was to detect those characteristics of computer based test, which may have a negative effect on students’ achievements. The participants were a representative sample of the population of all engineering students studying computer science at Subotica Tech. The findings of this study led the authors to reach the conclusion that there are no significant differences in scored results for the paper-and-pencil testing and the computer-based testing.

Designing value sensitive social networks for the future

With the dramatic increase in popularity and growth of social networks it has never been more important to teach our students studying computer science to be mindful of the values they impart into ...

Improving Student Engagement and Retention Through Small Group Tutorials

AbstractFor some time now retention has become a major issue in terms of the number of students failing to progress or dropping out from their studies. In addition to this lecturers are also concerned at the lack of student engagement they experience in the classes. This is particularly evident among first year students and, consequently, has a knock on effect for subsequent years. Staff at the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems (SCIS) in University of Ulster have addressed this issue by the implementation of small group tutorials for first year students studying computer science, computer games and electronics engineering. Students exhibited a willingness to participate and were appreciative of the individual attention they received. The results show that these small group tutorials are an effective teaching tool, as its use can enhance student engagement by increasing their participation in class, give lecturers valuable feedback on student understanding, make the classroom more ‘enjoyable’ whi...