Undergraduate Computer Science Courses Research Articles

Teaching Data Science with Literate Programming Tools

This paper presents a case study on using Emacs and Org-mode for literate programming in undergraduate computer and data science courses. Over three academic terms, the author mandated these tools across courses in R, Python, C++, SQL, and more. The onboarding relied on simplified Emacs tutorials and starter configurations. Students gained proficiency after undertaking initial practice. Live coding sessions demonstrated the flexible instruction enabled by literate notebooks. Assignments and projects required documentation alongside functional code. Student feedback showed enthusiasm for learning a versatile IDE, despite some frustration with the learning curve. Skilled students highlighted efficiency gains in a unified environment. However, the uneven adoption of documentation practices pointed to a need for better incorporation into grading. Additionally, some students found Emacs unintuitive, desiring more accessible options. This highlights a need to match tools to skill levels, potentially starting novices with graphical IDEs before introducing Emacs. The key takeaways are as follows: literate programming aids comprehension but requires rigorous onboarding and reinforcement, and Emacs excels for advanced workflows but has a steep initial curve. With proper support, these tools show promise for data science education.

How are websites used during development and what are the implications for the coding process?

Websites are frequently used to support the development process. This paper investigates how websites are used when writing code and programmers’ perceptions of the potential impact of this on their behaviour and the quality of the resulting software. We interviewed 18 programmers (13 students enrolled in undergraduate computer science courses, and 5 experienced professionals), and analysed the data thematically. The findings were used to develop a survey, which was distributed to 276 programmers (251 students, 25 experienced professionals). The results indicate that use of websites, especially Stack Overflow, is viewed as an essential part of programming by both students completing coursework and professionals developing code in industry.We also found that developers have experience of encountering a diverse set of problematic code snippets online, that copying code from websites without checking its quality or understanding how it worked is common, and that using online resources in this way had a potentially counter-productive effect on learning. Based on these findings, we make a number of recommendations, including better consideration of online code reuse in taught programmes, co-development and code-reuse practices in professional settings, and software licensing training for professional developers.Editor’s note: Open Science material was validated by the Journal of Systems and Software Open Science Board.

Relationship Between Implicit Intelligence Beliefs and Maladaptive Self-Regulation of Learning

Objectives . Although prior research has uncovered shifts in computer science (CS) students’ implicit beliefs about the nature of their intelligence across time, little research has investigated the factors contributing to these changes. To address this gap, two studies were conducted in which the relationship between ineffective self-regulation of learning experiences and CS students’ implicit intelligence beliefs at different times during the semester was assessed. Participants . Participants for Studies 1 (n = 536) and 2 (n = 222) were undergraduate students enrolled in introductory- and upper-level CS courses at a large, public, Midwestern university. Race-ethnicity information was not collected due to IRB concerns about possible secondary identification of participants from underrepresented groups. Study Method . Participants completed a condensed version of the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale [ 16 , 54 ] and the Lack of Regulation Scale from the Student Perceptions of Classroom Knowledge Building scale [ 51 , 53 ] at the beginning (Studies 1 and 2), middle (Study 2), and end (Studies 1 and 2) of semester-long undergraduate CS courses. Survey responses were analyzed using path analyses to investigate how students’ lack of regulation experiences throughout the semester predicted their implicit intelligence beliefs at the beginning (Study 2) and end (Studies 1 and 2) of the semester. Findings . Results from Study 1 indicate that undergraduate CS students come to more strongly believe that their intelligence is a fixed, unchanging entity from the beginning until the end of the semester. Moreover, participants’ responses to the lack of regulation scale were predictive of their implicit intelligence beliefs at the end of the semester. Results from Study 2 indicate that ineffective self-regulation experiences early in the semester enhance CS students’ belief in the unchanging nature of intelligence (i.e., during the first half of the semester). Taken altogether, these findings provide evidence that self-regulation experiences influence students’ beliefs about the malleability of intelligence. Conclusions . Findings align with Bandura's [ 4 ] contention that students’ behaviors and experiences influence their values and beliefs. Students who experienced poor self-regulated learning came to view intelligence as more of a fixed, unalterable entity than their more successfully self-regulated peers. Findings suggest that CS instructors can positively affect student motivation and engagement by embedding self-regulated learning strategy instruction into their courses and helping CS students adopt an incremental-oriented (e.g., growth-oriented) belief system about their intellectual abilities.

Interactions between self‐regulated learning and assessment for learning in an undergraduate introductory computer science course

AbstractMany introductory computer science (CS) courses are intended to address the increased demand for computer literacy and the development of cross‐cutting concepts and practices of computational thinking (CT). Colleges and universities offer introductory CS courses every semester toward this end. The issue is centered on how to support CT learning in a large introductory CS course. To do it, an introductory CS course was designed to enrich CT by embedding short episodes of assessments to facilitate learning (AfL) and to support students’ self‐regulated learning (SRL). This chapter begins by articulating the intricacies of the underlying processes of SRL, principles of AfL, and computational thinking practices in CS. Using the undergraduate introductory CS course referred to above, key practices of SRL and AfL will be illustrated to demonstrate how student learning of CS programming is structured with various online and offline supports. The chapter then concludes by appraising aspects of this CS course with practical suggestions for supporting student SRL and their learning of CS programming.

Backward design: Integrating active learning into undergraduate computer science courses

This study was undertaken to address an issue of student retention and learning in undergraduate computer science (CS) courses. To improve students’ CS learning experience, the goal of this case study was to support five CS faculty’s integration of active learning into their teaching, using the Understanding by Design framework. We explored the CS faculty’s considerations and experiences with active learning integration. The data included video conferencing recordings, syllabi data analysis, teacher interviews, and a focus group. The results showed that CS faculty considered three aspects in their active learning integration: (a) course structure and delivery format, (b) instructional approaches, and (c) authentic learning experiences for students. The CS faculty’s primary challenge was ways to assess individual students’ knowledge gained in team-based activities. We found a gradual adaptation of active learning in CS faculty’s teaching practices and recognized that their development and change in pedagogies need time and personalized support.

Learner-generated YouTube presentations for formative assessment

<abstract><p>The purpose of the present research was to study the efficacy of learner-generated videos published on YouTube as a formative assessment method. The impact of the assessment method on students' learning and satisfaction, peer learning, group dynamics and skill development was analyzed. An emerging innovation within assessment was done with the students of an undergraduate computer science course during the COVID pandemic. Fifty-four students (teams of three to four) were instructed to create YouTube videos explaining the database design of a case study, peer-reviewed by views and likes. A mixed-method approach with a sequential study design was employed. A questionnaire with 25 questions on learners' and groups' attributes and four open-ended questions was administered. This was followed by a semi-structured interview comprising 19 questions. The quota sampling method was used for selecting a sample of students for interviews. Content analysis of interview transcripts was performed with the NVivo software.</p> <p>During the experiment, we faced a challenge due to a lack of confidence among some students in public speaking. However, the innovative and engaging assessment resulted in the active participation of learners. Development of new skills like communication, peer bonding, teamwork and resolving conflicts was observed. Additionally, a fair and transparent grading methodology was a satisfying experience. Subject learning and video editing knowledge were enriched by peer learning. The results of the study revealed that publishing learner-generated videos on YouTube had a positive impact on students' learning and satisfaction. We therefore recommend the same as an effective tool for formative assessment.</p></abstract>

An exploration of course and cohort communication spaces in Discord, Teams, and Moodle

This research examined the impact of supplementing a learning management system, Moodle, with communication tools, Discord and Teams, to support communication in blended and distance undergraduate courses in computer science, information technology, mathematics and statistics at a New Zealand university with well-established use of Moodle. Nineteen students participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings show that adding Discord or Teams increases information and knowledge exchange and helps students to connect with peers and teachers in their courses. Teams was beneficial particularly in settings with formal group work. Discord, which enables both students and staff to set up additional communication channels that are not restricted to course enrolments, was instrumental in connecting students across year levels with peers and alumni. This enabled discussions on course selection, career options and disciplinary topics beyond the course curriculum. Importantly, these beyond-course communication spaces nurtured belonging to wider discipline and study communities. The research establishes the importance of the increased levels of communication by highlighting the effects on student learning and connections to others. Looking beyond the specific tools, the level of formality and the degree of student co-ownership are identified as key factors in supporting the within- and beyond-course communication spaces. Implications for practice or policy: Learning management systems provide valuable course support but do not meet all learning and teaching communication needs, partly due to their formal and university-controlled nature. Educators and students benefit from using strong chat tools with improved information and knowledge exchange. Both educators and students experience enhanced belonging when using collaboration and chat tools. Students value Discord’s informality and student-led characteristics. Educators who use Teams to support formal group work must carefully manage integration with Moodle.

Emergency Remote Teaching Based on Education 4.0: an Experience Report about the Methodology adopted in the Experimental HCI Class

In Education 4.0, the professor is challenged to teach more than curriculum content, prompting the development of 21st-Century competencies and skills. Thus, this paper presents the Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) methodology used in the Experimental Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on Education 4.0. This class was taught to final year students of the undergraduate courses in Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics and graduate students in Informatics at a University. The teaching methodology adopted in this discipline sought to develop skills considered relevant for a researcher, such as recognizing research problems and learning new processes. The classes were guided by the Flex learning model, which consisted of synchronous and asynchronous classes. Thus, the schedule of classes needed to be adapted, including collaborative and diversified activities. We collected the student’s opinions about the teaching methodology and the skills developed in the class and analyzed the results qualitatively. The results showed the difficulties and problems faced by students with the resources and materials in ERT, such as students having internet connectivity problems. However, the teacher made the recorded classes available, and this problem was overcome. The results also show that the deficit of skills, such as autonomy, initiative, and independence, hampered students' performance in ERT. The findings can help other teachers to improve the remote teaching of this class and indicate the possibilities of ERT in the Education 4.0.

Do project-based learning, hands-on activities, and flipped teaching enhance student's learning of introductory theoretical computing classes?

The need for computer science (CS) education, especially computer network education, is increasing. However, the challenges of teaching students with diverse backgrounds and engaging them in hands-on activities to apply theories into practices exist in CS education. The study addressed the challenges by using project-based learning (PBL) and flipped teaching approaches to cover both theoretical and hands-on learning aspects in CS education. This study aims to demonstrate the design and development journey of a CS course and examine whether using PBL, hands-on activities, and flipped teaching approaches improves students’ learning. The design-based research study was conducted in an undergraduate CS course from 2014 to 2020 at a midwestern university. The design and development trajectory in the six years were described. The descriptive statistics were used to analyze the trends of the course evaluation results, and ANOVA were conducted to examine whether the evaluation differs from each semester. The results indicated that using PBL, hands-on activities, and flipped teaching increased students’ learning motivation and their perceptions of their learning. Combining PBL and flipped teaching appropriately can enhance students’ learning motivation and perceived learning in CS education, but further research is needed to examine how each individual intervention influence students’ learning motivation and learning outcomes.

The 2022 undergraduate database course in computer science

research-article The 2022 undergraduate database course in computer science: what to teach? Authors: Mikey Goldweber Xavier University Xavier UniversityView Profile , Min Wei Microsoft MicrosoftView Profile , Sherif Aly The American University in Cairo The American University in CairoView Profile , Rajendra K. Raj Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of TechnologyView Profile , Mohamed Mokbel University of Minnesota University of MinnesotaView Profile Authors Info & Claims ACM InroadsVolume 13Issue 3September 2022 pp 16–21https://doi.org/10.1145/3549545Published:23 August 2022Publication History 0citation126DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations0Total Downloads126Last 12 Months126Last 6 weeks19 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteGet Access

Industry Connect Initiative Experience Report: Undergraduate Computer Science Courses

Southeastern Louisiana University is a medium sized university located in Hammond, Louisiana with approximately 14,000 students and ranks 59th best affordable Information Technology Program in the United States. Over the course of many years, what is now known as the "Industry Connect Initiative" (ICI) has been developed. The ICI is a four-pronged approach to connect students to real-world-ready skills and relevant topics. The four prongs of the ICI are the industry advisory board (IAB), internship program, distinguished lecturer series (DLS), and real-world curriculum opportunities (a.k.a. "Project classes"). In addition to the ICI, support from the university's Career Services Department and Workforce Talent Initiative completes the suite of resources resulting in graduates being highly sought after for employment. While numerous implementations of real-world ready courses and project courses are widely available, the focus is only on the "capstone" or "major project". Even if the capstone course is multi-semester, this approach is limited as the real-world application occurs only at the end of the degree program. This paper details the ICI curriculum opportunity, a unique approach that incorporates these real-world experiences throughout a student's educational experience at a variety of difficulty levels, beginning in the third semester and culminating in the final semester in the Capstone course.

VIVÊNCIA NO ESTÁGIO SUPERVISIONADO I: RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA VIVIDA E OBSERVAÇÃO DE ESCOLA DE ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL DOS ANOS FINAIS NA CIDADE DE MOMBAÇA-CE

The objective of this work is to present and ponder the experience lived in the Supervised Internship I of the Undergraduate Computer Science course - UECE, in a qualitative way, which was carried out in an elementary school, located in the city of Mombaça, in the central hinterland of Ceará, with emphasis on the final years of elementary school. As a mandatory component of the Undergraduate curriculum, this was the first of four mandatory internships. It was directed, in this first stage, to the observation of the operation of the school unit, the interrelationships of its components, the environment, and the school infrastructure. We noticed a worrying level of neglect and technical unpreparedness when it comes to the introduction of technologies in municipal education and the maintenance of the laboratories' infrastructure. Finally, the observation showed several challenges in the use of technologies in municipal education. Educational software to help teachers is not used because there are no professionals (monitors or teachers) in the computer labs who are qualified to use it. Having someone qualified is essential to unite the technical and pedagogical environments, guiding how to use the available resources. I hope that with this report of experiences that occurred during the internship, other students and the educational community can contribute something to their training.

Peer Instruction in Computing Higher Education: A Case Study of a Logic in Computer Science Course in Brazilian Context

One of the challenges of Computing Education Research is the proposition of new learning methods. Researches indicate active learning methods are more effective than traditional ones. Peer Instruction is one of these learning methods that promotes a student-centered class, enabling (s)he constructs his/her comprehension through a structured approach with questions and peer discussions, used in Computing in the last years. Nevertheless, researches about the use of this method are very scarce in South America. Accordingly, this research aims to discuss the impact of Peer Instruction use on higher education from a Logic in Brazilian Computer Science course. The research context is an undergraduate course in Computer Science in the first term of 2018 at the Federal University of Jataí. Sufficient evidence was found for the veracity of two propositions related to this study: (i) Peer Instruction use guarantees a learning gain of students, and (ii) Peer Instruction is well accepted by students. Therefore, it concluded that Peer Instruction use is suitable for Logic courses in Computing Higher Education in Brazil, with good acceptance from students.

Perceptions of students about Problems in Computing Higher Education

Female students face various problems in the undergraduate computer science environment. In this paper we investigate undergraduate computer science students' perceptions of discrimination, harassment, drop out intention, gender devaluation, sense of belonging, gender stereotype, and self-efficacy. It also collects information about unpleasant facts that happened to students. A questionnaire was applied to two hundred and fifty students from undergraduate computer science courses from more than twenty universities in Brazil. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using statistical methods. A comparison between men and women experiences is provided. In addition, we examine correlations between issues reported by the female students and their intentions to leave university. The results show that the majority of students in both sexes have a low sense of belonging and also that men bear some of the problems. Nevertheless, women suffer more from discrimination and gender stereotype than men.

Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in Computer Science: Lessons Learned From a Multiyear Program of Classroom Research

Contribution: This article presents a synthesis of the findings and implications from the IC2Think program of research in undergraduate computer science (CS) courses examining student motivation and self-regulated learning (SRL). These studies illuminate both the difficulty and potential for motivating CS students, as well as the uniqueness of CS as a context for studying undergraduate motivation. Background: Computing disciplines are increasingly important in preparing the future workforce. It is imperative that CS educators understand how to motivate students and enhance student outcomes. Synthesizing findings across multiple studies allows for the emergence of new insights into student motivation and SRL. Research Questions: Which aspects of students' motivation and SRL are predictive of achievement and retention in CS and how can findings inform CS education? Methodology: The primary methodology is a comprehensive review of seven years of research on undergraduate CS education. Studies use a variety of analysis techniques, examine a range of constructs, and include multiple introductory and advanced CS courses. Studies of relationships between variables and change over time were conducted. Findings: The present synthesis of studies on motivation and SRL highlights the complex, counter-intuitive, and positive aspects of student motivation in CS.

Flipping Laboratory Sessions in a Computer Science Course: An Experience Report

Contribution: This article presents an experience report on the application of flipped classroom (FC) to the laboratory sessions (henceforth lab sessions) of an undergraduate computer science course. Background: Hands-on work in computer science lab sessions is typically preceded by technical instructions on how to install, configure, and use the software and hardware tools needed during the lab. In the course under study, this initial explanation took between 14% and 50% of the lab time, reducing drastically the time available for actual practice. It was also observed that students missing any of the labs had trouble catching up. Intended Outcomes: The application of FC is expected to increase the time for hands-on activities, and improve students' performance and motivation. This improvement is expected to be more noticeable in those students who are unable to attend all lab sessions. Application Design: The study compares the application of FC and a traditional methodology. It encompasses two academic courses and involves 434 students and six lecturers. Findings: The FC is suitable for lab sessions in computer science. Among other results, flipping the labs resulted in 24 more minutes of practical and collaborative work on average at each lab session. It was observed a significant improvement in the motivation of students, with 9 out of every 10 students preferring it over traditional methodologies. Also, the FC made it much easier for students to catch up after missing a lab, making the final grades less dependent on lab attendance.

Cybersecurity Index for Undergraduate Computer Science Courses in the UK

The paper proposes a novel index to classify how well UK Computer Science courses articulate cybersecurity-related content through their course/module pages. The aim of this work is to raise awareness among British Universities to pay more attention to include and standardize cybersecurity content in computer science courses. Our results show that 80% of analyzed courses scored 1 or 2-stars on a 5-Stars scale. The results also suggest the need for a formal delivery of cybersecurity content from the first year of the courses and possibly in a collaborative manner with the British Computer Society (BCS). To emphasize cybersecurity education in mitigating security lapses, the analogy is: it is better if most people know how to use a match than to train many fire-fighters.

Engaging Students in a Peer‑Quizzing Game to Encourage Active Learning and Building a Student‑Generated Question Bank

Games are a great source of entertainment and are used by people of all ages; they motivate and engage people and affect their behavior. Therefore, games have been widely studied in many non‑game contexts. Education is one of those areas where gamified, and game‑based learning strategies have been implemented and explored. To engage and motivate students to quiz each other, and as a side effect, build a question bank, as well as to study the gaming and learning behavior of students, we used a peer‑quizzing game called "Tower of Questions" (ToQ). The game uses some themes and mechanics found in tower defense (TD) games. The students received points for posing and answering the questions in the game in the form of gems. Students played the game with pseudonyms for one academic term and were told not to disclose their identities to anyone. We conducted a 3‑month long study for two consecutive years in the same first‑year undergraduate computer science course. In this paper, we present the findings from our studies using ToQ, specifically findings related to the students’ self‑monitoring and quizzing activities based on the game logs and two self‑reported surveys from data collected in the second year of the study.

The empirical study: encouraging students’ interest in software development using test-driven development

The supply is not matching the demand on the market for software developers. While the enrolment in undergraduate computer science courses is increasing, few students are interested in and committed to becoming software developers. It could be that students are overwhelmed by the software development methodology that they are taught. We are consequently looking for a constructivist approach to software engineering able to effectively engage learners. We empirically evaluated whether test-driven development (TDD) is able to improve the quality of both learning and of software development in the classroom. Although numerous studies have outlined the benefits and effects of TDD in the classroom, none of those studies have focused on measuring students' interest in and attitudes toward using TDD in the classroom. We present a study evaluating the impact of TDD on the engagement and focus of learners of software development in the classroom. The results illustrate that the use of TDD in the classroom encourages learners to engage and focus.

An Early Feedback Prediction System for Learners At-Risk Within a First-Year Higher Education Course

Identifying at-risk students as soon as possible is a challenge in educational institutions. Decreasing the time lag between identification and real at-risk state may significantly reduce the risk of failure or disengage. In small courses, their identification is relatively easy, but it is impractical on larger ones. Current Learning Management Systems store a large amount of data that could help to generate predictive models to early identification of students in online and blended learning. The contribution of this paper is twofold: First, a new adaptive predictive model is presented based only on students’ grades specifically trained for each course. A deep analysis is performed in the whole institution to evaluate its performance accuracy. Second, an early warning system is developed, focusing on dashboards visualization for stakeholders (i.e., students and teachers) and an early feedback prediction system to intervene in the case of at-risk identification. The early warning system has been evaluated in a case study on a first-year undergraduate course in computer science. We show the accuracy of the correct identification of at-risk students, the students’ appraisal, and the most common factors that lead to at-risk level.