Teaching programming efficiently to students in the first year of computer science education is challenging. It is especially cumbersome to retain the interest of both groups, when the student group consists of novice (i.e., those who have never programmed before) and expert programmers in the same crowd. Thus, individualized teaching cannot be…

Contribution: A problem-solving approach (PSA) model derived from major computational thinking (CT) concepts. This model can be utilized to formulate solutions for different algorithmic problems and translate them into effective active learning methods. Background: Different teaching approaches for programming are widely available; however, being…

Introduction to Computer Science is traditionally the first course that all computer science and software engineering majors take. The course introduces many problem-solving techniques which can be challenging for many freshman students. In order to mitigate some of the issues of this course, we, at the Higher Education Institute, introduced a new…

The contents taught in the programming subjects have a great relevance in the formation of computing students. However, these subjects are characterized by high failure rates, as they require logical reasoning and mathematical knowledge. Thus, establishing knowledge through the subject of algorithms can help students to overcome these difficulties…

Contribution: This work presents a teaching and learning process for human-computer interaction (HCI) courses, combining traditional lecture-based classroom (TLBC), active learning (AL) and project-based learning elements, such that students can increase their understanding over HCI. Background: In undergraduate science computing, the academic…

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review that sought to identify the studies that relate the different pedagogical techniques by which active learning is developed in the context of the teaching/learning of computer programming, with the objective to characterize the approaches, the pedagogical techniques…

User Experience Design (UXD) is an often-neglected area of the information systems (IS) curriculum. UXD classes specifically designed for IS students are still uncommon in IS programs and this study aims to add to the body of knowledge to prepare a more well-rounded future generation of IS professionals. With this goal in mind, this study…

The development of communication and other soft skills among computer science students is not usually an easy task. Often, curricula focus on technical skills, with team projects being used for the improvement of communication skills. However, these teams usually comprise solely of computer science students. In this paper, we present a didactical…

Traditionally, cognitive skills in mathematics and language have been described as key indicators for success. However, the social, technological, and economic changes that have occurred in the 21st century have made critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration, key competences to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world.…

The computer-aided 3D modelling which is one of the innovative technologies can offer great opportunities to improve students' skills. The aim of this research was to examine the effects of computer-aided 3D modeling activities on pre-service teachers' spatial abilities and attitudes towards 3D modeling and the relevant course. The study group of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to address the challenges of teaching sustainable development to computer engineering students. Part of the problem is that they perceive the topic as irrelevant for their future profession. Design/methodology/approach: To address this challenge, we introduced a project element into a course on sustainable…

The technology works as a catalyst through which many changes occur in the learning approaches, teaching methodologies, research arena, in the work environment and in the use of information and knowledge. Helping students to learn using technological tools rather than using conventional techniques has become more popular in the 21st century in…

Although past research has sought to identify the factors of student engagement in traditional online courses, two questions remained largely unanswered with regard to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): do the factors that could influence student engagement in traditional online courses also apply to online courses that are massive and open?…

This paper focuses on a design based research study about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) learning by making through collaboration and production. This study examines learning by making by students to explore STEM using a constructionist approach with a particular focus on computer science and engineering. The use of IoT as a…

"Thriving in Our Digital World" is a technology-enhanced dual enrollment course introducing high school students to computer science through project- and problem-based learning. This article describes the evolution of the course and five lessons learned during the design, development, implementation, and iteration of the course from its…