This study investigates the effectiveness of a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot to enhance learning and engagement in a self-paced, asynchronous online R programming course. To contextualize the development and potential of RAG chatbots, we conducted a literature review on existing approaches and their use in educational settings.…

Recently, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been offering a new online approach in the field of distance learning and online education. A typical MOOC course consists of video lectures, reading material and easily accessible tests for students. For a computer programming course, it is important to provide interactive, dynamic, online coding…

Teaching and learning in introductory programming courses is an overwhelming task for many course instructors and learners. Given the rise of digital and technological advancements, it is only wise to use these affordances for education. Microlearning is a successful technology-enhanced learning format with many features that might help…

This book presents 28 practical case studies in detail and 49 case studies in brief. The collection of these case studies focuses on one or more aspects of exploration and practice on the following topics: smart campus and smart classroom, resource construction and sharing, new teaching mode, comprehensive quality evaluation of students, teacher…

With ongoing efforts in the United States to further develop the availability of computer science education in the public schools, federal, state, and local educational agencies are increasing efforts to encourage and promote the inclusion of computer science and programming skills in the middle school curriculum (Grover, Pea, & Cooper, 2015).…

There are millions of MOOC participants who vary in gender, age, educational level, employment status, intentions, etc. Although MOOC participants' characteristics have been studied, there is still a lack of knowledge of the divergence between the participants and completers of MOOCs with different levels of difficulty. The term 'level of…

Educational Technology is the right couple to a radical innovation. Thanks to the appropriate technology in the right context with the best fit to the target audience, education can be drastically improved, meaning a better performance, competence achievement, match with the user's expectations and with the market needs. Serious games, Virtual…

This article draws on a semester design study to evaluate the quality of an online from the point of e-learning. Adobe Connect web conferencing system was used as a delivery platform in an Introductory Programming course. The course content was specifically sequenced and elaborated in terms of elaboration theory (ET). Thirty pre-service computer…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, including instruction in the higher education system. In this sudden and stressful change, faculty had to explore different opportunities and technologies to continue to deliver quality instruction to their students. Instructional design has always been an important topic for education…

One of the characteristics of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is that the overall number of social interactions tend to be higher than in traditional courses, hindering the analysis of social learning. Learners typically ask or answer questions using the forum. This makes messages a rich source of information, which can be used to infer…

With ongoing efforts in the United States to further develop the availability of computer science education in the public schools, federal, state, and local educational agencies are increasing efforts to encourage and promote the inclusion of computer science and programming skills in the middle school curriculum (Grover, Pea, & Cooper, 2015).…

The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has enabled new research to analyze typical behaviors of learners. In this paper, we investigate whether this research is generalizable to other courses that are backed by a learning management system (LMS) as MOOCs are. Building on methods developed by others, we characterize individual…

This study aims to compare the social presence and motivation of students taking a database II course using either the virtual world Second Life (SL) or the Enocta learning management system (LMS)/Adobe Connect. The study group consisted of 60 undergraduate sophomore students enrolled in a fully online computer programming program. Students were…

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have changed the way in which OER (Open Educational Resources) are bundled by teachers and consumed by learners. MOOCs represent an evolution towards the production and offering of structured quality OER. Many institutions that were initially reluctant to providing OER have, however, joined the MOOC wave.…

Making construals is a practical approach to computing that was originally developed for and by computer science undergraduates. It is the central theme of an EU project aimed at disseminating the relevant principles to a broader audience. This involves bringing together technical experts in making construals and international experts in…