Integration of problem-based learning in elementary computer science education: effects on computational thinking and attitudes

Educational technology research and development - This study investigated how a computer science (CS) problem-based curriculum impacted elementary students’ CS learning and attitudes. Four...     

Peer teaching and higher level cognitive learning outcomes in problem-based learning

Law education at the University of Limburg (Maastricht, The Netherlands) features small-group tutorials alternating with periods of independent study. Every group of 10 students was tutored by a staff member or an undergraduate student from the third or fourth year. Students guided by a staff member scored significantly higher on a test designed to measure higher order cognitive skills than students guided by a student tutor. Student tutors were rated no differently from staff tutors with respect to the way they stimulated learning processes, directed the discussion content and monitored the discussion process. It seems that in a quantitative way, staff tutors and student tutors behave more or less the same. Qualitatively, however, there may be differences in their behavior which the tutor functioning questionnaire is unable to tap. Interventions of staff tutors may be more to the point than those of student tutors due to the fact that they are experts in their fields.     

The exploration of student-centred approaches for the improvement of learning programming in higher education

The author has undergone a major shift in the way of teaching his undergraduate computer programming courses. In the classroom, the teacher＇s computer is connected to a splitter and a video projector that display the computer＇s screen to the entire class. Using this technology, the programming language itself is used live in class to help the students learn how to program. The students are learning in a context by far livelier than those of previous methods. Teaching computer programming is not achieved by lecturing and writing the program instructions on board or by displaying program instructions to the class on transparencies or slides of electronic presentations. With the implementation of student-centered approaches, the students migrated from the state of passive receivers to constructors of computer programming concepts. Students are coached to develop a sense of exploration, individuality and autonomous thinking. The enthusiasm for technology has been facilitating and supporting the learner-centered approach. Everyone in this approach is a learner, including the teacher.     

Influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based course

The results of an experimental study investigating the influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based psychology course are presented. Participants worked with either a familiar or an unfamiliar version of the same problem. The following measurements were taken (1) a measure of problem quality as perceived by students, (2) number of explanations of the problem put forward by the students while discussing it, (3) quality of learning issues derived from the discussion, (4) amount of time spent on self-study, and (5) the amount of knowledge acquired as indicated by a test. The results demonstrate that participants in the familiar problem condition perceived the problem to be of higher quality than the participants in the unfamiliar problem condition. No significant differences in learning were found. The findings do suggest, however, that problems may be improved by making them more relevant to the everyday experience of students.     

基于问题式学习模式在人才培养中的应用

基于问题式学习(Problem-based learning,PBL)的教学模式是一种以问题为核心,以培养学生创新性思维为主要目标的全新教学模式.通过对所检索的国内外知名学术数据库发表的PBL论文分析结果表明,PBL教学模式的应用已经由医学扩展到许多应用性学科.PBL教学模式在我国高等教育中发展迅速,正由课程体系改革向人才培养模式的改革方向发展.     

Reconceptualising higher education pedagogy in online learning

The purpose of this collaborative inquiry project was to examine teacher education practices in two early childhood degree programmes in a school of education at a regional university in Australia. All students are enrolled in these online courses as distance learners. The reconceptualised online pedagogy immersed students, peers and their lecturers in ‘teaching through assessment’ (Edwards, 2010) in a collaborative online environment that mirrors the complexity that students are experiencing in their workplaces. This article describes the pedagogical and conceptual underpinnings we used to reconceptualise our degree programmes. It also outlines our evolving conceptualisations of learning as knowledge creation (Hong & Sullivan, 2009) in the context of our teaching and learning in online courses.     

关于当前高校就业教育的思考

高等教育大众化使大学毕业生的就业矛盾日益突出。高校就业教育可以从大众教育与精英教育相结合,选修课设置与社会需要相结合,学生综合素质培养和就业指导相结合,拓宽就业门路与社会保障相结合等各个层面出发,提高学生的竞争力、就业力、职业素质,以增强社会的稳定因素,确保社会生活的动态平衡。     

基于情景平台的经济管理类PBL教学模式的实践探索

问题情境的创建、教师角色的转换以及如何处理PBL教学与原有教学体系之间的关系,既是教学实践中有效实施PBL的关键环节,也是实施PBL的瓶颈因素。该文以浙江万里学院为例,探讨了在教学实践中PBL的应用模式,提出突破课程的限制,建立相对独立的PBL教学平台与教学管理体系,实现从“情境问题描述设计”向“创建自动生成问题的情境”的转换,并通过团队方式促进教师角色转换等,实施PBL教学的思路。     

中世纪骑士教育对英国高等职业教育的影响

中世纪(公元476^公元1640)欧洲封建战乱,又称为"黑暗时代",封建贵族子弟组成的骑士为当时的主要武装力量,经过发展演变为一另个阶级即骑士阶级。因此骑士教育得以重视与发展。本文通过分析骑士教育在英国的背景与制度,得出其对英国高等职业教育所产生的影响、启示与借鉴。     

高等职业教育"研究性学习"教学实验报告

在高职学院课堂教学中进行“研究性学习”教学实验,通过实验得出如下结论:接受研究性学习教学模式的学生实践能力和自学能力明显高于接受传统教学模式的学生;研究性学习教学模式可以在课堂中开展,不会降低学生的理论知识水平。     

Does higher education promote independent learning?

There is general consensus in the literature that the goal of education is to increase the students' capacity to learn, to provide them with analytic skills and to increase their ability to deal with new information and draw independent conclusions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the extent to which higher education does promote these abilities which can be summarised as independent learning. Quantitative data from the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) and qualitative data (semi-structured student interviews) from a tertiary institution in Hong Kong are compared with similar findings from institutions in other parts of the world. The relationship between demographic variables and the SPQ sub-scales appears to follow a pattern consistent with results from elsewhere. As students become older they are less likely to adopt a surface approach and more likely to adopt a deep one. However, there is a decrease in the use of a deep approach from first to third year of a course, suggesting that education at this tertiary institution does not promote independent learning. Possible explanations are derived from the literature and the student interviews. Implications for the structure of tertiary education in Hong Kong are discussed.     

高职计算机教育网络化管理方法

高职计算机教育管理是高职教育管理中的重点内容,但一直以来高职计算机教育管理采用传统的管理方式,不仅无法提升管理的效率,同时也影响管理的质量和水平。在高职计算机教育管理中,运用先进的信息技术管理手段,实现高职计算机教育网络化管理,不仅能够实现信息资源的共享和互通有无,同时还能够在一定程度上提升管理的效率,推动高职计算机教育的快速发展。     

Individual differences in graduate students' help-seeking process in using a computer coach in problem-based learning

There is a scarcity of research regarding help seeking in the context of computer learning environments providing on-demand help, a context in which help-seeking skills appear critical for learning [Aleven, V., Stahl, E., Schworm, S., Fisher, F., & Wallace, R. (2003). Help seeking and help design in interactive learning environments. Review of Educational Research, 73 (3), 277–320]. Whereas a cognitive model of help seeking has been suggested and tested in this context [Mercier, J., & Frederiksen, C. H. The structure of the help-seeking process in using a computer coach in problem-based learning. Computers and Education, submitted for publication], individual differences remained to be studied from this perspective. Participants were 18 graduate students, who solved a challenging statistics problem in pairs, with the help of a computer coach providing on-demand help. Log linear analyses found individual differences in help seeking with respect to (a) its relative importance in problem solving, (b) the relative importance of its component processes, (c) the modulation of help seeking over a series of sub-tasks, and (d) the relationship between help seeking and the quality of the solutions that the student elaborated. Theoretical implications are discussed.     

Exploring the effects of gender and learning styles on computer programming performance: implications for programming pedagogy

Computer programming has been taught in secondary schools for more than two decades. However, little is known about how students learn to program. From the curriculum implementation perspectives, learning style helps address the issue of learner differences, resulting in a shift from a teacher-centred approach to a learner-focused approach. This study aims to investigate the effects of gender and learning styles on computer programming performance. The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) was employed to measure learning styles. A test was administered to assess students' programming performance. Two hundred and seventeen secondary school students of age from 14 to 19 participated in this study. Results indicated that no gender differences in programming performance were found after controlling for the effect of student ability. Academic ability had a differential effect on programming knowledge. Sequential learners in general performed better than random learners. These results suggest the importance of the ordering dimension of the GSD in influencing programming performance. Implications of the findings in relation to programming pedagogy are discussed in this paper.     

关于高等职业教育的战略发展规划研究——以泉州黎明职业大学为例

目前，我国的高等职业教育具有良好的政策环境和社会基础，但也面临着一些挑战。要求在制定战略规划时要统筹考虑内外部各种因素。本文以黎明职业大学为例，对其内外部环境、优劣势、机会与挑战等进行了分析，从而得出其发展战略，并在此基础上提出了短期和长期战略实施的建议。     

Anticipating the experience of higher education through computer simulation

In industry the advantages of realistic job preview have been much discussed, but lit-tle is currently done in British schools to prepare students for higher education. This article describes the development stages of a principled adventure game to simulate the experience of higher education. Playing this game is intended to provide realistic role preview for prospective students.The simulation has been developed out of an earlier board game derived, to some extent, from research findings. More recent research on student learning has provided the principles on which the new simulation game is being based. The game not only allows students to try out different study strategies, it also provides advice tailored to the specific strategies used by the individual stu-dent in interacting with the computer. This simulation can be seen as a simple expert system providing a form of intelligent tutoring.The architecture of the computer simulation is described, together with the strategies used to ensure that the game, and the advice provided, are both controlled by principles derived from the research on student learning. Illustrations are used to indicate how a student would experience the interactions with the computer, and how the rules produce tailored advice.