Edurne Larraza-Mendiluze

Game-Console-Based Projects for Learning the Computer Input/Output Subsystem

The input/output (I/O) subsystem is an important topic within computer architecture (CA) because it determines how the computer interacts with its environment. For this reason, computer scientists and engineers must understand how the computer manages this interaction, which is usually taught in introductory CA courses. Of course, there are many different styles of teaching, ranging from purely theoretical to completely practical. The CA course considered in this paper has already applied a practical approach for some time. For the I/O subsystem, students must be able to describe what polling and interrupts are and handle them through low-level programming. However, programming at this level in operating system (OS)-driven computers is not possible without being familiar with the kernel and drivers, which is not usually the case for students in an introductory course. Fortunately, there are many bare and specialized embedded systems around that are not OS-driven. In this proposal, the Nintendo DS (NDS) console was used in a classroom setting. It proved to be an appropriate infrastructure for developing attractive and engaging projects and was useful in providing a better understanding of the mechanisms related to the I/O subsystem. At the same time, the teaching methods were altered to make the transition from classical, passive, lecture-based classes to an active project-based learning (PBL) approach. It has been a very rewarding experience to see students learning to control the NDS devices on their own. In addition to describing the implementation of the proposed changes in two subsequent school years, this paper also presents some data and conclusions.

A comparison between lecturers' and students' concept maps related to the input/output topic in computer architecture

The Input/Output topic is mandatory in the Computer Architecture branch of the computing curricula. However. in our experience it is a rather complex topic for students to understand. This paper presents the process followed to produce some concept maps that represent the theory we, as lecturers, would like students to learn, and shows the differences found between these concept maps and the concept maps produced by several representative students selected among the students attending the course during the school year 2011-2012. There is also a comparison made between the scores obtained by these representative students in the exam and the results of the concept maps. Finally, a discussion is proposed. This type of study is new to the researchers and the objective of the discussion is to gather knowledge on how well the research has been developed so far, and how to continue.

The Learning Outcomes of the Exam Question in the Input/Output Topic in Computer Architecture

The Input/Output (I/O) topic as a branch of the Computer Architecture field has been considered a key topic in both the Computer Science and the Computer Engineering curricula. Years of teaching have demonstrated this topic to be difficult for students to understand. Having made some changes to the methodology used to teach the topic and to the infrastructure used for practice, we have analysed the results and concluded that the research should be more expert-centric than novice-centric. In this turnaround some exam questions have been analysed in order to determine the real learning outcomes achieved.

Approaches and Tools Used to Teach the Computer Input/Output Subsystem: A Survey

This paper surveys how the computer input/output (I/O) subsystem is taught in introductory undergraduate courses. It is important to study the educational process of the computer I/O subsystem because, in the curricula recommendations, it is considered a core topic in the area of knowledge of computer architecture and organization (CAO). It is also a basic knowledge to be acquired in order to work in areas such as human-computer interaction (HCI) or embedded systems. Examination questions, course syllabi, and textbooks were analyzed to identify which teaching approaches are being used. Individuals teaching the I/O subsystem could choose between the options explained here, according to their intended learning outcomes. In addition, a literature survey was conducted on the development and use of tools to improve student understanding of I/O and to make the topic less abstract and more attractive. A goal is to indicate to computing education researchers that the majority of the literature reports experiences in developing or using different resources or educational methodologies, but that these are not based on a theory of learning.

Changing the learning process of the input/output topic using a game in a portable console

The issue addressed in the following lines is that of the learning of the Input/Output (I/O) subject in computer engineering. It is a subject that is taught in many different ways, although it appears in virtually every curriculum. The next two sections aim to describe the changes applied to this topic due to the introduction of a collaborative game for portable consoles, and the three different parts of the game itself.

Physiological Data Acquisition System Based on Mobile Computing

The way to achieve enough data for data mining is by accessing existing databases or directly acquiring data with the aim of creating new databases. In this paper we present the DAFIESKU system built to acquire different types of physiological data via experiments and the factors taken into account when developing it, in order to facilitate the creation of new datasets by means of mobile and wearable devices. DAFIESKU has been evaluated on a case study associated to non-classroom learning.

Early Developmental Activities and Computing Proficiency

As countries adopt computing education for all pupils from primary school upwards, there are challenging indicators: significant proportions of students who choose to study computing at universities fail the introductory courses, and the evidence for links between formal education outcomes and success in CS is limited. Yet, as we know, some students succeed without prior computing experience. Why is this? Some argue for an innate ability, some for motivation, some for the discrepancies between the expectations of instructors and students, and some -- simply -- for how programming is being taught. All agree that becoming proficient in computing is not easy. Our research takes a novel view on the problem and argues that some of that success is influenced by early childhood experiences outside formal education. In this study, we analyzed over 1300 responses to a multi-institutional and multi-national survey that we developed. The survey captures enjoyment of early developmental activities such as childhood toys, games and pastimes between the ages 0 --- 8 as well as later life experiences with computing. We identify unifying features of the computing experiences in later life, and attempt to link these computing experiences to the childhood activities. The analysis indicates that computing proficiency should be seen from multiple viewpoints, including both skill-level and confidence. Our analysis is the first to show, we believe, that particular early childhood experiences are linked to parts of computing proficiency, namely those related to confidence with problem solving using computing technology. These are essential building blocks for more complex use. We recognize issues in the experimental design that may prevent our data showing a link between early activities and more complex computing skills, and suggest adjustments for future studies. Ultimately, we expect that this line of research will feed in to early years and primary education, and thereby improve computing education for all.

Searching for Early Developmental Activities Leading to Computational Thinking Skills

Drawing on the long debate about whether computer science (CS) and computational thinking skills are innate or learnable, this working group is based on the following hypothesis: The apparent innate ability of some CS learners who succeed in CS courses despite no prior exposure to computing is a manifestation of early childhood experiences and learning outside formal education.

DAFIESKU: A System for Acquiring Mobile Physiological Data

Gathering physiological data when they are performing experiments requires a great effort from researchers. Very often, a considerable time is required to prepare the signal acquisition equipment, conduct the experiments, and properly label the data of each participant. Nevertheless this data is valuable for the analysis of personal characteristics, such as behavior, health conditions, and preferences. With the aim of assisting researchers with such tedious tasks, we have developed the DAFIESKU system. This system serves to acquire several types of physiological data. DAFIESKU facilitates the creation of new datasets with physiological data by means of mobile and wearable devices. The usability of the system was evaluated in two case studies in a two-step iterative process. Before conducting the second case study, the whole system was improved using the feedback obtained from the first case study. The results achieved show that usability was enhanced in the second version of DAFIESKU.

Using a Real Bare Machine in a Project-Based Learning Environment for Teaching Computer Structure: An Analysis of the Implementation Following the Action Research Model

The computer input/output (I/O) subsystem and its functioning are very abstract concepts that are difficult for undergraduate freshmen to understand. However, it is important that freshmen assimilate these low-level concepts if they are going to be taught about the operating systems (OS) working over that architecture layer, or working directly with them in embedded systems, real-time systems, or in the area of human--computer interaction (HCI). This article describes the use of a game console (Nintendo® DS, NDS) in a project-based learning (PBL or PjBL) environment in which the design of a game is the basis of the project in order to encourage the students to get more involved with the computer I/O subsystem abstraction. A 4yr experience is reported in which the action research model (planning, acting, observing, and reflecting) has been followed. The general procedure for the 4yr and the specific characteristics and achieved results for each year are reported. The aim of the study was twofold: to assess the learning effectiveness of the active PjBL educational approach and some related factors, and to analyze the motivation toward the subject fostered by the game console. The first aim is analyzed using the scores achieved by the students; the second aim is analyzed via satisfaction questionnaires.