Studying worked examples has been found to be effective for learning problem solving, especially among students. However, students need to actively process example content to benefit from it and content must be structured in a manner that facilities knowledge construction. This study investigated the use of worked examples for teaching and…

Background and Context: Computer Science attrition rates (in the western world) are very concerning, with a large number of students failing to progress each year. It is well acknowledged that a significant factor of this attrition, is the students' difficulty to master the introductory programming module, often referred to as CS1. Objective: The…

In this paper, we present our experience with redesigning an introductory computer science course for (electrical) engineers with blended learning concepts. It is a large mandatory course with eight credit points over the course of two semesters, where first year electrical engineers learn how to program with Arduino, C and Python. Additionally,…

Recent years have witnessed a growing demand for business analytics-oriented curricula. This paper presents the implementation of an introductory Python course at a business university and the attempt to elevate the course's relevance by introducing data analytics topics. The results from a survey of 64 undergraduate students of the course are…

This study implemented a data-driven approach to identify Chinese high school students' common errors in a Java-based introductory programming course using the data in an automated assessment tool called the Mulberry. Students' error-related behaviors were also analyzed, and their relationships to success in introductory programming were…

Contribution: This paper provides evidence for the benefits of pair programming early in the curriculum on student performance later in the curriculum. It also confirms the short term benefits of partnerships at scale. Background: Engineers often work in teams, both in industry and in academia. Previous work has shown that partnered programming…

With the expansion of computer science (CS) education, CS teachers in K-12 schools should be cognizant of student misconceptions and be prepared to help students establish accurate understanding of computer science and programming. Digital tools, such as automated assessment systems, can be useful and supportive in teaching CS courses. This…

Computer Science students need to acquire knowledge about both the hardware and software aspects of computing systems. It is necessary for them to understand how each layer interacts with one another. However, since Graphical User Interfaces have become ubiquitous, the opportunities to interact with the computer via a command prompt as part of…

Contribution: There exist software tools designed for professional or research purposes that may serve for grounding the learning of real-time scheduling within introductory courses. This article contributes with a hardware and software infrastructure aimed at improving the learning process of the essentials of real-time scheduling in…

Wheel-spinning refers to the failure to master a skill in a timely manner or after a considerable number of practice opportunities. Several past studies have developed wheel-spinning models in the areas of Mathematics and Physics. However, no models have been made for the context of novice programming. The purpose of this study was to develop…

Everyday, technology in our life changes quickly. Every development made by humans in the field of technology affects the way of our life, and education is not an exception. We now have a variety of learning methods in addition to conventional, in-person instruction. This research was carried out in the "Computer for Low" (ITEC190) and…

We performed a controlled experiment comparing a C and a Python Introductory Programming course. Three faculty members at University of Campinas, Brazil, taught the same CS1 course for the same majors in two different semesters, one version in Python and one in C, with a total of 391 students involved in the experiment. We measured the dropout…

Learning programming has become more and more popular and organizing introductory massive open online courses (MOOCs) on programming can be one way to bring this education to the masses. While programming MOOCs usually use automated assessment to give feedback on the submitted code, the lack of understanding of certain aspects of the tasks and…

Past research has shown that student problem-solving skills may be used to determine student final exam performance. This study reports on the relationship between student perceived problem-solving skills and academic performance in introductory programming, in formative and summative programming assessment tasks. We found that the more effective…

Curb cuts and automatic doors are a commonplace in the physical world as they provide access to our buildings for persons with disabilities. In the world of the web, millions of individuals have the legal right to rely on electronic curb cuts so they too can access the web. To this end, a new generation of information systems graduates must…