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An in-depth analysis of learning goals in higher education: Evidence from the programming education
Abstract
p class="JLDAbstract">Previous research has shown that, despite the importance of programming education, there is limited research done on programming education experiences from the students’ point of view and the need to do so is strong. By understanding the student behaviour, their learning styles, their expectation and motivation to learn, the quality of teaching can be improved. The goal of this paper is to examine the connection between educational theories and student-centred pedagogy via an empirical study. While research results have confirmed student difficulties in learning programming in terms of the retention and completion rates of the programming courses, we will propose some of the solutions to overcome these challenges. We will also classify the various definitions of learning goals both theoretically and empirically in order to further our understanding in the subject field. New research opportunities are opened in the applied work of a personalised learning environment.</p
... CT can be taught within the context of various subjects, but it is preferred to be taught through programming (Lye & Koh, 2014) as students are directly exposed to CT when they engage in programming (Sabarinath & Quek, 2020). However, students often face challenges in reading and writing codes, tracing the codes in a systematic order, learning programming concepts and associating them, and writing programs (Xia, 2017). In order for students to learn programming (Sabarinath & Quek, 2020) and computing proficiently (Guzdial, 2008), teachers need to support their students with alternative teaching strategies in their studies. ...
This study investigated the effect of video lecture types on the performance of students in computational problem-solving practices. A total of 19 university students participated in the computational problem-solving practices that mostly required declarative knowledge, and 22 university students participated in the computational problem-solving practices that mostly required procedural knowledge. The practices were implemented in the Algorithm and Programming course and the Computer Programming II course. Three video lecture types (instructor-whiteboard, instructor voice-handbook, instructor-slides) were used in both courses. The one-way repeated measures ANOVA test was employed to determine if there was a significant difference between the problem-solving performances of the students based on the video lecture type. In the Algorithm and Programming course that required mostly declarative knowledge, the problem-solving scores of the students were significantly higher after the instructor voice-handbook video practice than those after the instructor-whiteboard video practice. On the other hand, in the Computer Programming II course that required mostly procedural knowledge, the problem-solving scores of the students were significantly higher after the instructor-whiteboard video practice than those after the instructor voice-handbook video practice. The students showed higher performance in the video lecture types they preferred in both courses. The students listed the factors that affect their video preferences as (a) the effect of the presence of an instructor in the video lecture on their attention, (b) the efficiency of the video lecture in examining many and various examples in a limited time, (c)the opportunity provided by the video lecture to revise the content and procedure, and (d) the efficient presentation of the knowledge. It is recommended that an instructor should be present in the video that includes mostly procedural knowledge, while there is no need for an instructor in the video that includes mostly declarative knowledge regarding computational problem-solving activities
... Tujuan dari pembelajaran adalah mengembangkan dan mengasah potensi siswa dan membuat siswa fokus terhadap apa yang ingin mereka pelajari (Dotson, 2016;Xia, 2017). Secara teori memang terdengar mudah namun membutuhkan strategi yang matang antar seluruh komponen. ...
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in educational management. Specially in this social media era. This article presents an exhaustive review of educational management studies and suggests a direction for future developments. This research was conducted by comparing several articles (literature study) from educational management journals. This literature study was conducted by analyzing forms of educational management in the era of Social media. From the results of the literature study, it can be seen how the documentation technique in management education in the era of Social Media. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the educational field. The presence of technology makes management in the field of education was easy to run. In the data documentation section, there are many applications that can be used to streamline school administration time and personnel. In addition, information dissemination is easier and class management makes students more active in asking questions and getting fast feed back from the teacher
... One of form of the tests is to write manual output of a syntax. Generally, the main purpose of teaching basic programming is to support students on learning programming concept and to achieve a beneficial skills that can be implemented when they become teachers (Xia, 2017). Students that have learned programming language found that VBA is an exciting and fun programming language for their skills (Ribando, 2018). ...
The aim of this study is to describe errors output when pre-service mathematics teachers were writing output of the syntax that given in macro excel manually. This research is a qualitative descriptive research with 101 participants from 2nd year pre-service mathematics teachers from one of state university at Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia. Instrument used consists of one syntax that has 8 outputs when it is run and that will be analysed using Newman’s procedures. The eight outputs come from 3 types of output, namely text, numbers, and count. The result showed that the average percentage of syntax output writing errors was 87.13%. It also indicated to reading errors of 48.51%, comprehension errors of 18.81%, transformation errors of 83.17%, process skill errors of 20.79%, and encoding errors of 87.13%. Based on the result, errors occur when participants incorrectly write output and wrong in writing the result of the count. In addition, factors that caused these errors are 1) participants were not trained in providing information that was in the problem, 2) participants did not read the instructions in the problem correctly, and 3) participants did not pay attention to the suitability of syntax and output as was learned before. This research can be a reference for lecturers to develop learning about programming languages that can make students understand the use of syntax with the emphasis on manual syntax learning which will make their logic easier when applyng the syntax on a computer.
... Other than that, the environment in which students learn is crucial for achievement of better academic success. Due to that, the goals must be set in relation to the tasks to be achieved, learning environment and with faith in the learning process (Xia 2017). Based on the abovementioned, we set the following research hypothesis. ...
The continuous development of information technologies has changed the way in which education is organized. Students are now more likely to choose e-learning in order to achieve better results during their studies. To examine the influence of e-learning application on academic success, the study inspected multidimensional relationships in e-learning. The research is directed towards improvement of students’ academic success. The research was conducted on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and for that purpose a random sample was used. Data from students were collected through a questionnaire while hypotheses were proven with the help of the structural equation model (SEM). Results have shown that metacognitive strategies and computer self-efficacy have a direct significant influence on academic success, while the set goals do not directly influence academic success. In addition to that, this research has proved that online environment and social interactions with other participants play a significant role in the achievement of academic success. The results obtained in this research will help higher education institutions improve their e-learning strategies and implementation efforts. Furthermore, the used research model contributes to the improvement of understanding of e-learning, both in practice and in theory.
... Previously conducted researches which were examining the relationship between environments, learning objectives and student motivational outcomes contributed to an understanding of the relation between setting goals and student achievements (Moeller et al. 2011). So as to start using e-learning, different levels of academic goals are set, depending on tasks, learning environment and learning beliefs (Xia 2017). Therefore, the set objectives of e-learning must be in line with the environment in which they are applied. ...
This paper presents an empirical study of multidimensional relations in e-learning. The research is focused on students’ satisfaction with the usage of e-learning. Data for this survey were collected on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By using random sample method, eleven higher education institutions in BIH were selected and the survey questionnaires were sent to their students. The collected data from students were analyzed and confirmed by applying confirmative factor analysis. The structural equations model was used to test the model. The obtained results have shown that Metacognitive strategies variable directly affects the students’ satisfaction when using e-learning, while students’ self-efficacy and goal setting variables indirectly affect the student’s satisfaction, along with the environment structuring and social dimensions. The given results from this research will help other higher education institutions to improve their e-learning platforms in e-learning and by doing so students will continue to use these platforms. The conducted research has given guidelines for the development of this type of learning.
... Learning to program for students is challenging. Some of the challenges encountered in programming were highlighted by Xia (2017) in the following ways: ...
Programming in schools is no longer a novel subject. It is now quite commonly found in our schools either in formal or informal curriculum. Programmers use creative learning tactics to solve problems and communicate ideas. Learning to program is generally considered challenging. Developing and implementing new methodologies in teaching programming is imperative to overcome the current challenges associated with teaching and learning of programming. This case study aims to contribute to the programming education in schools by investigating how students learn in an online programming while involved in peer review of codes. The study subsequently examines students’ perceptions of the pedagogical, social and technical design of the online programming learning environment. When students are involved in providing and receiving feedback and creating their own identity in a programming community, they may be better prepared for learning and applying programming in their undergraduate studies and their future career in the field.
... Media ini mengembangkan konsep visualisasi dan learning by doing. Konsep learning by doing ini telah diterapkan di berbagai universitas seperti, Universitas Jinan di Cina untuk mata kuliah Software Engineering (Ma dkk, 2014), pada Universitas Aalto di Finland untuk mata kuliah introductory programming (Xia, 2017), di Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology untuk mata kuliah Programming Introductory dan Procedural Programming (Stephen dkk, 2011). Gambar 1 berikut adalah ilustrasi teori Dale yang menjelaskan pengaruh penggunaan berbagai variasi media pembelajaran dalam dunia pendidikan, dimana mahasiswa akan mendapatkan lebih banyak informasi jika mereka melakukan apa yang mereka dengar, baca, dan tuliskan. ...
p class="Judul2">Pembelajaran bahasa pemrograman adalah salah satu mata kuliah dasar untuk mengembangkan kompetensi keahlian pemrograman di bidang teknik Informatika, salah satunya adalah mata kuliah Algoritma dan Pemrograman. Sesuai dengan analisis instruksional, mata kuliah ini memberikan kompetensi tentang konsep dasar Algoritma Pemrograman yang akan menjadi dasar bagi pengembangan dan penerapan mata kuliah-mata kuliah selanjutnya. Banyak mahasiswa kurang memahami dasar-dasar pemrograman, sehingga menemui kesulitan ketika mengerjakan tugas-tugas mata kuliah yang membutuhkan keahlian pemrograman.
Melalui inovasi pembelajaran ini, dikembangkan sebuah media pembelajaran baru dan interaktif bagi mahasiswa dengan mengintegrasikan berbagai faktor yang mempengaruhi permasalahan yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya. Aplikasi learning by doing interaktif untuk mendukung pembelajaran bahasa pemrograman ini dibangun menggunakan pendekatan Web Framework menggunakan Codeigniter . Aplikasi ini juga memanfaatkan fitur share kode pemrograman yang dikembangkan oleh Trinket .
Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa kebermanfaatan aplikasi ini mampu membuat ketertarikan tehadap belajar pemrograman sebesar 79%. Ketertarikan yang tinggi ini membuat mahasiswa sering mencoba kode-kode program secara mandiri sehingga jumlah mahasiswa yang lulus dengan kemampuan baik selisihnya 14% dibandingkan dengan pembelajaran biasa.
Kata kunci : bahasa pemrograman, pembelajaran, learning by doing, trinket
Abstract
Learning programming language is one of the basic courses to develop the competence of programming skills in Informatics engineering, one of which is the course of Algorithm and Programming.Based on instructional analysis, this lectures provides competence on the basic concepts of Programming Algorithm which will be the basis for the development and application of further lectures. Many students do not understand the basics of programming, so they have difficulty when get assignment that require programming skills.
This learning innovation, developed an interactive new learning media that can minimize several factors that affect student learning problems.Application "learning by doing Interactive" to support Learning Programming Language was built using a Web Framework approach using Codeigniter.This application also utilizes the programming code share feature developed by Trinket.
The results showed that the usefulness of this application is able to make an interest in learning programming by 79%.This high attractiveness makes students often try the program codes independently and result the ability of the number of students who graduated with a good is 14% compared with ordinary learning.
Keywords : programming language, learning, trinket
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This chapter reviews the recent research on motivation, beliefs, values, and goals, focusing on developmental and educational psychology. The authors divide the chapter into four major sections: theories focused on expectancies for success (self-efficacy theory and control theory), theories focused on task value (theories focused on intrinsic motivation, self-determination, flow, interest, and goals), theories that integrate expectancies and values (attribution theory, the expectancy-value models of Eccles et al., Feather, and Heckhausen, and self-worth theory), and theories integrating motivation and cognition (social cognitive theories of self-regulation and motivation, the work by Winne & Marx, Borkowski et al., Pintrich et al., and theories of motivation and volition). The authors end the chapter with a discussion of how to integrate theories of self-regulation and expectancy-value models of motivation and suggest new directions for future research.
Among the many studies focusing on the effect of learner and instructional variables on learning outcomes, few studies have investigated the effect of these variables and their mediating mechanisms influencing students' learning within a blended learning environment. This study examined the influence of instructional and learner variables on learning outcomes for a blended instruction course offered for undergraduate students. Data analysis indicated that age, prior experiences with distance learning opportunities, preference in delivery format, and average study time are those learner antecedents differentiating learning outcomes among groups of college students. From a regression analysis, the influence of learner, instructional, and motivational variables on learning outcomes found to be consolidated around one variable in learning application. © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS).
Learning to program is notoriously dicult. A substantial minority of students fails in every introductory programming course in every UK university. Despite heroic academic eort, the proportion has increased rather than decreased over the years. Despite a great deal of research into teaching methods and student responses, we have no idea of the cause. It has long been suspected that some people have a natural aptitude for programming, but until now there has been no psychological test which could detect it. Programming ability is not known to be correlated with age, with sex, or with educational attainment; nor has it been found to be correlated with any of the aptitudes measured in conventional 'intelligence' or 'problem-solving-ability' tests. We have found a test for programming aptitude, of which we give details. We can predict success or failure even before students have had any contact with any programming language with very high accuracy, and by testing with the same instrument after a few weeks of exposure, with extreme accuracy. We present experimental evidence to support our claim. We point out that programming teaching is useless for those who are bound to fail and pointless for those who are certain to succeed.
A motivational science perspective on student motivation in learning and teaching contexts is developed that highlights 3 general themes for motivational research. The 3 themes include the importance of a general scientific approach for research on student motivation, the utility of multidisciplinary perspectives, and the importance of use-inspired basic research on motivation. Seven substantive questions are then suggested as important directions for current and future motivational science research efforts. They include (1) What do students want? (2) What motivates students in classrooms? (3) How do students get what they want? (4) Do students know what they want or what motivates them? (5) How does motivation lead to cognition and cognition to motivation? (6) How does motivation change and develop? and (7) What is the role of context and culture? Each of the questions is addressed in terms of current knowledge claims and future directions for research in motivational science.
Since a number of quantitative studies of pair programming (the prac- tice of two programmers working together using just one computer) have pro- duced somewhat conflicting results, a number of researchers have started to study pair programming qualitatively. While most such studies use coding schemes that are fully or partially predefined, we have decided to go the long way and use Grounded Theory (GT) to ground each and every statement we make directly in observations. The first intermediate goal, which we talk about here, was to produce a coding scheme that would allow the objective conceptual description of specific pair programming sessions independent of a particular research goal. ThepresentarticleexplainshowourinitialattemptsatusingthemethodofGrounded Theory failed and which practices we developed to avoid these difficulties: pre- determined perspective on the data, concept naming rules, analysis results meta- model, and pair coding. We expect these practices be helpful in all GT situations, in particular those involving very rich data such as video data. We illustrate the operation and usefulness of these practices by real examples derived from our coding work and also present a few preliminary hypotheses regarding pair programming that we have stumbled across.
In this paper we report on a multi-institutional investigation into the reading and comprehension skills of novice programmers. This work extends previous studies (Lister 2004, McCracken 2001) by developing a question set within two key pedagogical frameworks: the Bloom and SOLO taxonomies. From this framework of analysis some interesting emergent patterns relating the cognitive level of the questions to student performance have been identified.
We examine the association between student use of a unique, interactive, on-line learning system known as MarlinaLS™ and the learning outcomes achieved by students in a major second year undergraduate accounting subject over the period 2002–2003. Primarily, we explore the relationship between students’ use of MarlinaLS™, an on-line system developed specifically to enhance reciprocal learning, and the examination performance of those students. Our results show that students’ use of MarlinaLS™ is positively associated with their examination performance and also with the internal assessment result achieved. We also find that the extent of usage of the MarlinaLS™ system by students varies systematically based on a number of defined characteristics. The study enhances our understanding of the role of teaching strategies generally, and, more specifically, the role of interactive on-line learning systems in improving student learning outcomes.
In the traditional norm-referencing approach to grading, all students in a CS1 class attempt the same programming tasks, and those attempts are graded "to a curve". The danger is that such tasks are aimed at a hypothetical average student. Weaker students can do little of these tasks, and learn little. Meanwhile, these tasks do not stretch the stronger students, so they too are denied an opportunity to learn. Our solution is two-fold. First, we use a criterion-referenced approach, where fundamentally different tasks are set, according to the ability of the students. Second, the differences in the nature of the tasks reflect the differing levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Weaker CS1 students are simply required to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension; the ability to read and understand programs. Middling students attempt traditional tasks, while the stronger students are set open-ended tasks at the synthesis and evaluation levels.
We have recognized that the natural tendency to teach according to the structure of one's own understanding runs contrary to established models of cognitive development. Bloom's Taxonomy has provided a basis for establishing a more efficacious pedagogy. Emphasizing a hierarchical progression of skill sets and gradual learning through example, our approach advocates teaching software development from the inside/out rather than beginning with either console apps or monolithic designs.
The learning (and teaching) of programming in Higher Education is a perennial problem, and is the subject of much attention and innovation.One way in which the problem can be addressed is for instructors to investigate and thus better understand the ways in which students learn to program.We present the results of investigations carried out at the Universities of Kent and Leeds into the ways in which gender influences the learning approach of students in programming. The research shows that gender is a significant factor in determining the way in which students approach learning to program. A better understanding of the issues raised would lead to more effective teaching and thus better learning.
In this paper we present a new learning environment to be used in an introductory programming course for students that are non-majors in computer science, more precisely for multimedia students with a liberal arts background.Media-oriented programming adds new requirements to the craft of programming (e.g. aesthetic and communicative).We argue that multimedia students with a liberal arts background need programming competences because programmability is the defining characteristic of the computer medium. We compare programming with the creation of traditional media products and identify two important differences which give rise to extra competences needed by multimedia designers as opposed to traditional media product designers. We analyze the development process of multimedia products in order to incorporate this in the learning process, and based on this we present our vision for a new learning environment for an introductory programming course for multimedia students.We have designed a learning environment called with the new skills of media programming in mind that hopefully can help alleviate the problems we have experienced in teaching programming to liberal arts students.
The article describes an approach of systematic, rule guided qualitative text analysis, which tries to preserve some methodological strengths of quantitative content analysis and widen them to a concept of qualitative procedure. First the development of content analysis is delineated and the basic principles are explained (units of analysis, step models, working with categories, validity and reliability). Then the central procedures of qualitative content analysis, inductive development of categories and deductive application of categories, are worked out. The possibilities of computer programs in supporting those qualitative steps of analysis are shown and the possibilities and limits of the approach are discussed. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002204
This paper describes an analysis of facilitation of a student-centered problem-based learning group. The focus of this analysis was to understand the goals and strategies of an expert facilitator in support of collaborative learning. This was accomplished through interaction analysis using video data and stimulated recall to examine two PBL group meetings. In this paper, we examine how specific strategies were used to support the PBL goals of helping students construct causal explanations, reason effectively, and become self-directed learners while maintaining a student-centered learning process. Being able to articulate these strategies is an important step in helping others learn the art of PBL facilitation.
In this paper, the relations between academic goals and various indicators that define the quality of the learning process are analyzed. The purpose was to determine to what extent high, moderate, or low levels of academic goals were positively or negatively related to effort regulation, the value assigned to academic tasks, meta-cognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, beliefs about learning control, and management of time and study environment. The investigation was carried out with a sample of 632 university students (70% female and 30% male) and mean age of 21.22 (SD=2.2).The results show that learning goals, or task orientation, are positively related to all the indictors of learning quality considered herein. Although for other kinds of goals-work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals-significant relations were not found with all the indicators, there was a similar tendency of significant results in all cases; the higher the levels of these goals, the lower the levels of the indicators of learning quality.
This paper introduces PigWorld, a tool for teaching Java to novice programmers, via the objects-early style . Three design guidelines forobject-early assignments are discussed : (1) emphasize message passing between instances of the same class; (2) use only simple loops that search for smallest or largest values in a sequence; (3) teach linked lists before collections and collections before arrays. The paper offers a first step to resolving the dilemma over whether procedural programming must be taught before objects , via the following principle: in the procedural style, algorithms are encoded explicitly within the methods of an object, but in the object oriented style, algorithms emerge implicitly from the interactions between objects .
In this paper we present a new learning environment to be used in an introductory programming course for students that are non-majors in computer science, more precisely for multimedia students with a liberal arts background.Media-oriented programming adds new requirements to the craft of programming (e.g. aesthetic and communicative).We argue that multimedia students with a liberal arts background need programming competences because programmability is the defining characteristic of the computer medium. We compare programming with the creation of traditional media products and identify two important differences which give rise to extra competences needed by multimedia designers as opposed to traditional media product designers. We analyze the development process of multimedia products in order to incorporate this in the learning process, and based on this we present our vision for a new learning environment for an introductory programming course for multimedia students.We have designed a learning environment called Lingoland with the new skills of media programming in mind that hopefully can help alleviate the problems we have experienced in teaching programming to liberal arts students.
One of the central topics in the research of higher education is the degree of match between education and work as measured by earnings. Traditional literature has shown the correlation between the duration of studies and earnings in the work life. The authors' present study aims to enlarge this scope by evaluating the impact of competence and skills learned in the university with that of the skills demanded in the work life in an empirical study. In this paper, the authors have collected elementary data from the Finnish university graduates with a respectively high response rate. Consequently, using the data of these university graduates they aim to demonstrate the mismatch between the demand for academic knowledge and the professional demand in the work life and draw policy implications on the findings. The authors will also show how these phenomena affect higher education and earnings through the analysis of skills and competence. New research opportunities are opened in the survey evidence on skills learned at the university.
This article uses data from a major international survey to construct earnings functions in terms of learning outcomes and variables related to working life in different European countries. In order to complement the extended earnings regression model, the authors have used partial correlation analysis and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to discover the relevant competences appreciated by employers. Whilst one of the authors' focus countries is Finland, research results from comparison European Union countries with similar education systems have also been analysed. Consistent with previous research, the study outlines the correlation between the competences taught in universities and performance in working life, and thus quantifies the effect of higher education on earnings. In line with the theory of human capital, those who have invested more in higher education also seem to achieve higher return from the job market. However, the analysis also shows how a few of the competences taught in universities correlate negatively with the demands of working life in contrast with initial expectations. Consequently, this research offers new insights with regard to existing literature on higher education and earnings functions. The authors also open up new research avenues within the theory of human capital.
Learning outcomes, as a conceptual base, are a recognised phenomenon in higher education. Advances in technology, such as web-based technologies in teaching, have facilitated learning efficiency, while such technologies relation to learning outcomes remains a popular topic of research. In this article, we have employed the feedback of 312 Finnish university and polytechnic students in forest study programmes in order to assess alternative modes of learning using content analysis. In addition, we will evaluate learning outcomes and the level of knowledge sharing using web-based technologies in teaching under different educational experiences based on the interview results from the selected samples. Consequently, we aim to consolidate the concept of learning outcomes through a discussion of a virtual learning environment and the role of a facilitator in an optimal educational experience. We conclude that the concept of learning outcomes is multifaceted and the benefits of using web-based technologies in teaching are potentially great in Finnish forest education.
This study examined the impact of three alternative types of goals (specific learning, general “do your best” learning, and specific performance) on team performance. Eighty-four-person teams engaged in an interdependent command and control simulation in which the team goal and task complexity were manipulated. Contrary to research at the individual level, teams with specific learning goals performed worse than did teams with general “do your best” learning goals or specific performance goals. The negative effects of specific learning goals relative to general “do your best” learning goals and specific performance goals were amplified under conditions of increased task complexity and were explained by the amount of coordination in the teams.
More and more business schools are offering classes online or classes using a mix of face-to-face and online elements. In this article, we focus on how technology readiness and learning-goal orientation influence students' preference toward these mixed classes. We conducted a large-scale survey to determine whether students who are technology ready would place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes and/or whether there exists a participation bias such that students with low learning-goal orientation place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes. We found that overall students who are more technology ready do place higher utility on enrolling in mixed classes, but that learning-goal orientation does not influence this decision. We conclude with implications and recommendations for business schools that are interested in offering mixed classes.
ABSTRACT Goal-setting theory is summarized regarding the effectiveness of specific, difficult goals; the relationship of goals to affect; the mediators of goal effects; the relation of goals to self-efficacy; the moderators of goal effects; and the generality of goal effects across people, tasks, countries, time spans, experimental designs, goal sources (i.e., self-set, set jointly with others, or assigned), and dependent variables. Recent studies concerned with goal choice and the factors that influence it, the function of learning goals, the effect of goal framing, goals and affect (well-being), group goal setting, goals and traits, macro-level goal setting, and conscious versus subconscious goals are described. Suggestions are given for future research.
Compared to other subjects the typical introductory programming (CS1) course has higher than usual rates of both failing and high grades, creating a characteristic bimodal grade distribution. In this paper I explore two possible explanations. The conventional explanation has been that learners naturally fall into populations of programmers and non-programmers. A review of decades of research, however, finds little or no evidence to support this account. I propose an alternative explanation, the learning edge momentum (LEM) effect. This hypothesis is introduced by way of a simulated model of grade distributions, then grounded in the psychological and educational literature. LEM operates such that success in acquiring one concept makes learning other closely linked concepts easier (whereas failure makes it harder). This interaction between the way that people learn and the tightly integrated nature of the concepts comprising a programming language creates an inherent structural bias in CS1 which drives students towards extreme outcomes.
Demotivation can negatively influence the learner’s attitudes and behaviors, degrade classroom group dynamics and teacher’s motivation, and result in long-term and widespread negative learning outcomes. 900 university EFL learners were surveyed to investigate the demotivating factors in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japan, and the relationship between past demotivating experiences and present proficiencies. Affective states and capacity to self-regulate learning were compared among learners with varying academic interests, experiences, and proficiencies. Demotivating factors were grouped into three categories: external conditions of the learning environment, internal conditions of the learner, and reactive behaviors to demotivating experiences. Internal and reactive factors were shown to correlate with long-term EFL learning outcomes. Findings from this study indicated that beginning, less-proficient learners in non-English majors were least likely to control their affective states to cope with demotivating experiences. Finally, this paper discusses steps that might prevent or minimize demotivation and facilitate remotivation.
This study compares the attitudinal and learning outcomes of sixth grade students programming in either Logo or Scratch. Given proposed affordances of the visual programming language, Scratch, I hypothesized that those students learning Scratch would demonstrate greater competence in interpreting loops and conditional statements and would have more positive attitudes towards programming. However, differences in performance between the two groups appeared only in the greater ability of the students that learned Scratch to interpret conditional statements. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that students that learned Logo had on average higher confidence in their ability to program and students were no more likely to plan to continue to program after the course or view the learning of topics as difficult if they learned Logo or Scratch.
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Higher Education (HE) in the UK has experienced a series of remarkable changes over the last thirty years as successive governments have sought to make the sector more efficient and more accountable for investment of public funds. Rapid expansion in student numbers and pressures to widen participation amongst non-traditional students are key challenges facing HE. Learning outcomes can act as a benchmark for assuring quality and efficiency in HE and they also enable universities to describe courses in an unambiguous way so as to demystify (and open up) education to a wider audience. This paper examines how learning outcomes are used in HE and evaluates the implications for curriculum design and student learning.
The purpose of this study is to compare whether students' learning outcomes would be better in a designed learning environment (WebCT) than in a conventional web site (WWW) with similar course material but without special learning tools.
Third-year medical students in an introductory course on medical informatics at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Students were randomly assigned to a WebCT group (n=39) and a WWW group (n=46). The students in the WebCT group utilized the course material in general discussion groups, special discussions about lectures, quizzes and students' own notes. The WWW group had access only to the course material. The learning outcome was assessed by administering an on-line examination and the learning experience of the students was assessed by an on-line quiz.
The course grade was significantly higher in the WebCT group as compared to the WWW group. This finding was more prominent among females. The students of the WebCT group also experienced significantly more improvement in collaboration with the use of computers than the students in the WWW group.
Based on our results, web-based learning seems to be more effective when students are provided with specially designed learning tools.
Soft sciences are often harder than hard sciences
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Benefit and cost analysis of massive open online courses: Pedagogical implications on higher education
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Introductory programming, criterion referencing, and Bloom
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An Australasian study of reading and comprehension skills in novice programmers, Using the Bloom and SOLO Taxonomies
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