Education Commons^™

Obstacles In Learning Algorithm Run-Time Complexity Analysis, Bailey Licht

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Algorithm run-time complexity analysis is an important topic in data structures and algorithms courses, but it is also a topic that many students struggle with. Commonly cited difficulties include the necessary mathematical background knowledge, the abstract nature of the topic, and the presentation style of the material. Analyzing the subject of algorithm analysis using multiple learning theories shows that course materials often leave out key steps in the learning process and neglect certain learning styles. Students can be more successful at learning algorithm run-time complexity analysis if these missing stages and learning styles are addressed.

The Minority In The Minority, Black Women In Computer Science Fields: A Phenomenological Study, Blanche' D. Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Krumboltz’s social learning theory of career decision-making, as it provides a foundation for understanding how a combination of factors leads to an individual’s educational and occupational preferences and skills. This qualitative study answered the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States? …

Promoting Computational Thinking To Impact The Implementation Of Computer Science, Mikayla Westhoff

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The researchers drove this action research project to integrate Computer Science into the classroom and the effect it can have on computational thinking. The researcher, a fifth-grade teacher in her third year of teaching, utilized Computer Science activities in a science class of 24 students for two weeks while monitoring their progress through Code.org. The study analyzed the correlation between Computer Science and computational thinking. The findings revealed no correlation between the two variables among students with or without a Computer Science background. This project conducted this research to impact the future classroom practices that may implement Computer Science into …

"Design For Co-Design" In A Computer Science Curriculum Research-Practice Partnership, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway, Mimi Recker

Publications

This paper reports on a study of the dynamics of a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) oriented around design, specifically the co-design model. The RPP is focused on supporting elementary school computer science (CS) instruction by involving paraprofessional educators and teachers in curricular co-design. A problem of practice addressed is that few elementary educators have backgrounds in teaching CS and have limited available instructional time and budget for CS. The co-design strategy entailed highlighting CS concepts in the mathematics curriculum during classroom instruction and designing computer lab lessons that explored related ideas through programming. Analyses focused on tensions within RPP interaction dynamics …

Innovations In The Educational Process And Its Criteria Of Efficiency, Utkir Mirzaqobilovich Farmonov, Nizom Abdurazzakovich Taylanov

Mental Enlightenment Scientific-Methodological Journal

Today, innovative pedagogical processes are becoming one of the important components of the educational activity. Because innovative pedagogical processes not only create the basis for the competitiveness of any educational institution in the market of educational services, but also the intensive development of teacher and student personality, democratization of teacher-student interaction and communication, humanization of the educational process, orientation of students to active learning and self-formation, modernization of educational technologies, methods and tools, as well as the material and technical base of education, professionalism of teachers, their creativity determines the direction of development of their quest, plays an important role …

The School Of Engineering And Computer Science Class Of 2022 Academic Celebration, Cedarville University

Engineering and Computer Science Academic Celebrations

No abstract provided.

The Past, Present, And Future Direction Of Computer Science Curriculum In K-12 Education, Steven Floyd

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated article thesis provides an analysis of the past, present, and potential future state of Computer Science (CS) in K-12 education. Once implemented in optional courses at the secondary level, CS concepts and skills are now being integrated into other subject areas such as mathematics, science, and technology and other grades including K-8. This new state of K-12 CS education is explored through an analysis of 1) related theory reflected in the literature, 2) historical secondary school CS curriculum, 3) enrolment data and important issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and 4) K-8 CS-related curriculum approaches currently being …

Cache Code Math Computer Lab Lesson Plans: Exponents And Repeats, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This document entails five computer lab activities for 5^th grade. The activities are intended to be implemented in conjunction with the mathematics lessons “Cache Code Math September Unit: Repeats in Math and Programming.” Here the mathematics concept of exponents as repeated multiplication is explored using the computer coding concept of repeat loop blocks.

Computer-Based Scaffolding In Computer Science Education, Rebecca Trinh, Simone Levy

Summer REU Program

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of Virtual Reality For General Education Purposes, Amit Lal

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in a variety of professional, military, governmental, and educational fields has continued to expand over the past several decades, and the recent Covid-19 pandemic has brought attention to this field. This study surveys 154 college students over 23 questions that include various demographics that can be used to look for discriminators, multiple-choice VR-related questions, as well as a few free-form questions about use of VR in learning environments. The students’ experience with, interest in, and thoughts on how to best use VR vary considerably. The Covid-19 pandemic is found to have limited impact thus …

Gender Differences In High School Students’ Perceptions Of Math And Science Identity, Self-Efficacy, And Utility, Lauren Mauel

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative dissertation examined the differences between young men and women’s perceptions of mathematics and science identity, self-efficacy, and utility. There are gender norms and stereotypes that impact identity, self-efficacy, and perceived utility of mathematics and science. The secondary data analyzed were drawn from the follow-up High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS:09). The survey was administered to 20,594 11th-grade students enrolled at 904 eligible public, charter, and private schools from all states and the District of Columbia. The study investigated whether there are gender-based statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences in 11th grade students’ perceptions of mathematics and science identity, mathematics and science self-efficacy, and mathematics and science utility. The results of the study suggest that there are statistically significant differences between the genders in mathematics identity, science identity, mathematics self-efficacy, and science self-efficacy, but not statistically significant differences in mathematics utility and science utility. Continued research could prove useful to continue analyzing the gender gaps present.

Pedagogical And Psychological Conditions For The Formation Of Professional Competencies Of Future Teachers Of Computer Science, Jasur Amirddinovich Mardonkulov Researcher

Central Asian Journal of Education

In this article analyses pedagogical and psychological conditions for the formation of professional competencies of future teachers of computer science. Computer science is the study of computers and computing as well as their theoretical and practical applications. Computer science applies the principles of mathematics, engineering, and logic to a plethora of functions, including algorithm formulation, software and hardware development, and artificial intelligence. As we know the issue of forming the cognitive competencies of students, recognized as one of the key factors in the development of education in the world, is reflected in the implementation of the International Education Concept 2030 …

Increasing Gender Balance Across Academic Staffing In Computer Science - Case Study, Susan Mckeever, Deirdre Lillis

Articles

As at 2019, Technological University Dublin* Computer Science is the top university in Ireland in terms of gender balance of female academic staff in computer science schools. In an academic team of approximately 55 full-time equivalents, 36% of our academic staff are female, 50% of our senior academic leadership team (2 of 4) are female and 75% of our School Executive are female (3 of 4), including a female Head of School. This is as a result of our seven year SUCCESS programme which had a four strand approach: Source, Career, Environment and Support. The Source strand explicitly encouraged females …

Impacts Of Unplugged Activities In Computer Science, Chad Bergmeier

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Computer Science is a fast-growing subject amongst schools. Inside of the program, Computer Science, programming or coding is generally taught. Students will typically learn to code by first using a computer and following instructions. The purpose of this literature review is to research different ideas about unplugged activities used while teaching coding in Computer Science. Unplugged activities are projects that are conducted in hands-on activities instructing students how to code before using a computer. The question that this paper is looking to answer is “What impacts do unplugged activities have on students learning to code?” The research conducted will give …

The School Of Engineering And Computer Science Class Of 2021 Computer Science Academic Celebration, Cedarville University

Engineering and Computer Science Academic Celebrations

No abstract provided.

Product, Process, And Professionalism: An Analysis Of Industry Practices In Senior Design, Samuel Anderson

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

One of the biggest problems facing fresh Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering graduates intending to start their post-college careers is their lack of experiential learning and practical skills in real-world software development. From the UNL CSE Senior Design Mission Statement and Core Values, the goal of Senior Design is to “provide a project-based capstone course that gives students a design-centered educational experience,” in order to “prepare students for the most challenging, innovative, and fastest-growing careers of the 21st Century.” In short, the CSE Senior Design project is meant to be UNL students’ first “real” design-centered project experience, with …

Brain Breaks In Computer Science, Bridget K. Adam

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the effectiveness of brain breaks on behavioral engagement in middle school computer science classrooms. The two questions that drove this action research study were: should brain breaks be used in a middle school computer science classroom and do brain breaks help middle school computer science students stay engaged. This action research study was conducted in two middle school computer science classrooms in a Northeast Iowa school. Quantitative data was collected on behavioral engagement in both classes for 15 days which indicated the percentage of students behaviorally engaged and disengaged at …

Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Virginia Computer Science Standards Of Learning: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Valerie Sledd Taylor

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Computer science education is being recognized globally as necessary to better prepare students in all grade levels, K-12, for future success. As a result of this focus on computer science education in the United States and around the world, there is an increased demand for highly qualified teachers with content and pedagogical knowledge to successfully support student learning. As a result, there is a call to include and improve the computer science training offered to pre-service teachers in their educator preparation programs from methods courses to practicum and student teaching experiences. Thus, it is important to understand how pre-service teachers …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Benefits And Barriers Of The Inclusion Of Coding In K-8 Curriculum: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Lynn Dralle-Moreano,

Theses and Dissertations

The 21st century has seen a rapid growth in technological use in schools. Many schools now use computers and other digital devices in order to meet the academic needs of their students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the benefits and barriers that K-8 educators experienced when integrating or teaching coding curriculum in their classrooms. This qualitative phenomenological study, informed by the Zais model of curriculum design (1976), Johnson (1977), and Beauchamp’s curriculum theory (1968), involved data collection through semi-structured interviews with six K-8 teachers, one instructional leader, one middle school principal, one assistant superintendent, and one …

Possible Adventures In Impossible Figures, Knarik Tunyan

The STEAM Journal

This interdisciplinary article aims to engage student into stepping outside traditional disciplinary boundaries by combining the arts, math, and programming. First, we explore a geometric pattern in the Penrose triangle. Then using the fundamental concepts of geometry, we find geometric relationship, calculate the vertices coordinates, and digitally reconstruct the Penrose triangle using coding. Students are encouraged to further explore this topic by finding another pattern, creating modifications of the Penrose triangle by changing measurements, or considering other impossible figures.

Leveraging Local Resources And Contexts For Inclusive Computer Science Classrooms: Reflections From Experienced High School Teachers Implementing Electronic Textiles, Mia S. Shaw, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and context

Promoting open-ended projects presents new opportunities and challenges for inclusive teaching in CS classrooms. While efforts have been made to develop inclusive curricula, little research has focused on ways teachers apply curricula in their classrooms to promote inclusion.

Objective

To understand the challenges faced in facilitating an open-ended unit and the pedagogical strategies enacted to address those challenges, we analyze the self-reported teaching practices that experienced teachers developed in their implementation of a constructionist electronic textiles unit in Exploring Computer Science.

Method

We inductively analyzed and coded 17 experienced teachers’ weekly surveys and post-interviews.

Findings

Teachers …

Computer Science Teacher Survey, Josh B. Mcgee, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

In April/May of 2020, the University of Arkansas’ Office for Education Policy (OEP), in partnership with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson's Computer Science and Cyber Security Task Force, fielded a survey with the 400+ Arkansas educators who at that time held a computer science endorsement (528), computer science approval code (5016), or computer science technical permit (5014) on their educator’s license. The survey received 153 responses, a nearly 40 percent response rate.

About Some Methodological Problems In Teaching Special Sciences, Abdukahor Artikov

Scientific and Technical Journal of Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology

The article outlines some of its own ideas and conclusions regarding the solution of some problems in the teaching of the exact sciences in a secondary school. Despite the fact that although the idea and particular conclusions belong to the author, they are based on the author’s many years of experience and the theories of the classics of pedagogical science.

Engagement And Computational Thinking Through Creative Coding, Dana Hoppe

Honors Theses, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Rising enrollments in Computer Science pose an opportunity to engage students from diverse backgrounds and interests; and a challenge to deliver on positive learning outcomes. While student engagement is the driving factor for increased learning performance and retention, it has been declining to new lows for Computer Science students in recent years. In order to further explore the potential of contextualized computing as a tool for increasing engagement in computing and developing Computational Thinking aptitude in students, we have developed an introductory computing course contextualized with Art and Design with modules centered around guiding pedagogical principles and aimed at middle …

Codeva Elementary Coaches Academy : Impact Of Computer Science Implementation In K-5, Mark A. Fowler Dr., Bryan Hicks Dr, Kenneth White Dr, John Ringstaff Dr

Doctor of Education Capstones

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of CodeVA’s elementary coach’s academy (ECA) on computer science implementation in elementary schools across the state of Virginia. The research took a multimethod qualitative and quantitative approach through surveys, focus groups, interviews and observations of ECA coaches and participants, along with the analysis of historical data provided by CodeVA. The capstone research questions were: “What is the impact of the elementary coaches academy?” and “What impacts the effectiveness of CodeVA’s elementary coaches academy?” In general, the data collected suggested that CodeVA has been effective in reaching its intended audience and meeting the needs of …

Voices Of African American Women In Computer Science: Implications For K-12 Stem Education And Beyond, Yolanda B. Sanders

Dissertations

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science is a qualitative dissertation about African American women who have successfully completed a computer science degree. This research explored how computer science education departments in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) contribute to the oppression of African American females. Critical race feminism (CRF) provides the platform that places the voices of women of color who have successfully obtained a computer science degree despite difficulties that have been imposed by the reality of racial biases that are present throughout the American education system and American culture at large. This research was guided by the following …

An Initial Look Into The Computer Science And Cybersecurity Pathways Project For Career And Technical Education Curricula, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Murat Kuzlu, Otilia Popescu, Abdul Rahman Badawi, Deborah Kay Marshall, Salih Sarp, Spyridoula Tsouganatou, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Linda Vahala, Hongyi Wu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Computer science and cybersecurity have gained the attention of various stakeholders, industry representatives, educators, parents and students who are thinking about their future careers. Teaching computer science courses has moved into K-12 education, no longer introduced in the college classroom. There are various reasons for this trend. One is that in this way more children have access to the curriculum that integrates computer science principles, not just those undergraduate students in specific STEM majors. Other industries need different levels of computer science and cybersecurity education. There are various programs across the nation that are focusing on introducing these topics as …

Widening The Pipeline: Identifying Practices And Structures That Effectively Recruit And Retain African-American Females In Undergraduate Computer Science Programs At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Martha Haigler

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The underrepresentation of women and women of color in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is of little surprise to those of us who have kept abreast of the statistical data supporting this phenomenon. In order for the United States (U.S.) to remain “economically and globally competitive” (Ong, 2011, p. 32), it needs to increase its “advanced domestic science and technology workforce” (Ong, 2011, p.32). Perhaps, it is not a coincidence that the majority of students attending U.S. colleges are female, and the number of minority students entering college is on the rise. However, when one looks …

Introducing Coding Into Teacher Education: An Interdisciplinary Robotics Experience For Education And Engineering Students, Jennifer Kidd, Krishna Kaipa, Sam Sacks, Lilian Almeida

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Despite nationwide mandates to integrate computer science into P-6 curriculum, most P-6 preservice teachers (PSTs) are not exposed to coding or computational thinking during their professional preparation, and are unprepared to teach these topics. This study, conducted as a part of an NSF-funded project, explores a teacher preparation model designed to increase PSTs’ coding knowledge and coding self-efficacy. PSTs in an educational technology course partnered with engineering undergraduates (EUs) in a computational methods course and worked side-by-side on robotics activities to develop skill and confidence with basic programming concepts and block coding. Students utilized experience gained from these interdisciplinary partnerships …

Teaching K-6 Computer Science: Teacher And Student Attitudes And Self-Efficacy, Stacie Lee Mason

Theses and Dissertations

This article-format dissertation addresses elementary student and teacher attitudes and self-efficacy for computer science. The first article (Mason & Rich, in press) describes what the literature says about preservice and inservice training to help K-6 teachers increase knowledge and self-efficacy to teach computer science. The second article (Mason, West, & Leary, under review) describes an effort to provide training for local elementary school teachers to teach computational thinking with robots. The third article (Mason & Rich, under review) describes how we developed and validated an instrument to assess K-8 students' coding attitudes and beliefs, including perceived self-efficacy, interest, utility value, …