This dissertation describes an experiment to investigate how learners with different levels of background in computer science learn core concepts of computer science, in particular, algorithms. We designed a study to focus on cognitive task analysis for eliciting the empirical mental elements of learning two graph algorithms. Cognitive workload…

Not all educational institutions encourage creativity and it is therefore vital that more attention be placed on the importance of understanding specific strategies that foster creativity at all levels in the classroom. Creativity conferences and workshops have become internationally common and have resulted in positive change-based initiatives in…

Ask-Elle is a tutor for learning the higher-order, strongly-typed functional programming language Haskell. It supports the stepwise development of Haskell programs by verifying the correctness of incomplete programs, and by providing hints. Programming exercises are added to Ask-Elle by providing a task description for the exercise, one or more…

Women continue to be underrepresented in computer science and technology related fields despite their significant contributions. The lack of diversity in technology related fields is problematic as it can result in the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and closed-minded, unchecked biases. As technology tools become integral to our daily lives…

With the rapid adoption of internet-connected and driver-assist technologies, and the spread of semiautonomous to self-driving cars on roads worldwide, cybersecurity for smart cars is a timely concern and one worth exploring both in the classroom and in the real world. Highly publicized hacks against production cars, and a relatively small number…

This paper examines the effectiveness of programming in pairs in the Scratch environment in primary school. The motivation for tackling this issue is based on the successful use of Scratch as a learning environment for any students of programming. The analysis has shown that that programming in pairs produces better results for beginners in…

Problem solving skills are considered an integral part of grasping the precise concepts of the programming domain for novices in introductory programming (IP) courses. But these skills are mostly covered only in early lectures of such courses or are included in just a few early chapters of some relevant textbooks. Consequently, high failure and…

The study aims to identify the effect of a flipped classroom approach designed according to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning on the academic achievements of eighth-grade students (aged 14 years) in Saudi Arabia in computer science. To this end, a quasi-experimental design was used, with a sample of 67 students; 33 students were assigned…

Contribution: This paper employs the automatic scoring of short essays as a novel way to determine pre-service teachers' knowledge of and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) from their written reflections. Implications about designing CT courses for pre-service teachers are discussed. Background: CT is an essential 21st-century competency…

The expansion of the LMS system triggered the spread of MCQs as an addition, or even substitute for traditional assessment methods. Our goal was to create a question bank, which could be used to evaluate learning at advanced cognitive levels, and aside from examination purposes it could also function as a tool for student practice. In this…

The purpose of the present review was to identify culturally responsive education (CRE) tools and strategies within K-12 computing education. A systematic literature review of studies on CRE across 20 years was conducted. A narrative synthesis was applied to code the final studies into six themes: sociopolitical consciousness raising, heritage…

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the design of a first year introduction to digital fluency course primarily for a library and information technology cohort at a Canadian university using an educational action research method and apply the findings to the second "question-plan-observe-evaluate" cycle of the action…

This paper presents general aspects of the development process for a technology education curriculum in Iceland University of Education during 2007-2008. The background to a research project in the field of using simulation learning tools and other new learning media as a supporting tool for learning and as an essential part of the new learning…

This study, which took place during a 7-week middle school computing course, used structural equation modeling to examine the overall cumulative relationship between self-efficacy, interest, and prior computing experience and students' computer science learning outcomes. The findings indicated that 52% of the variance of student success, measured…

Aim/Purpose: The study examined types of errors made by novice programmers in different Java concepts with students of different ability levels in programming as well as the perceived causes of such errors. Background: To improve code writing and debugging skills, efforts have been made to taxonomize programming errors and their causes. However,…