Veijo Meisalo

Resources, tools, and techniques for problem based learning in computing

In a problem-based learning (PBL) environment, students work in groups on real-life problems and have the opportunity to determine for themselves what they need to learn in the relevant subject area(s). A common feature of problem-based learning is to provide students with a range of resources that assist them in solving the problems. This paper attempts to classify resources according to the educational functions and activities for which they will be used. It also discusses communication patterns, assessment, and evaluation with respect to problem-based learning. Finally, it presents two case studies, one that illustrates a progression of problem development within the PBL environment and one that describes a practical application of PBL, with appropriate use of resources, for a first-year course in Java.

A Professional Development Project for Improving the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Science Teaching

This article describes a professional development project aiming to develop practical approaches for the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) into science education. Altogether, 13 two‐day face‐to‐face seminars and numerous computer network conferences were held during a three‐year period. The goals for the project were based on the general goals of the Finnish national framework curriculum and ICT strategy. Self‐evaluation data showed that participating teachers had used ICT extensively and integrated it into their science education programmes during the project. The ICT competence of the participating teachers increased substantially. Based on the results of the project, it can be suggested that professional development projects for science teachers in the use of ICT should emphasise the following: (i) empowerment (co‐planning of the project and its activities, and dissemination, allocation of resources, and authentic evaluation); (ii) communication (ensuring a flow of ideas and creativity, allowing communication and reflection in small groups and in optimal locations); and (iii) context (integration of ICT into teaching methods and cumulative development of competencies in the teachers who use it).

A visualisation tool as a demonstration aid

As algorithms have been seen to be hard to teach and learn, teachers have tried to look for help in algorithm animation. While the effect of algorithm animation on learning has been studied, but not reliably evidenced, this study tries to approach the problem from a different perspective. Sixty hours of assignment sessions in an introductory programming course were observed to determine the kind of demonstration and explaining strategies teachers and students tend to use. The results show that although the variation of different visualisation types is large, there are certain common properties describing the explanation of the programs. Guidelines for demonstration tools are presented based on the results.

Collaborative Problem Solving in a Control Technology Learning Environment, a Pilot Study

We have investigated collaborative problem solving in a teaching experiment, which was organised for 34 eighth-grade pupils in a control technology learning environment. The participating teacher was trained by us and pupils had available kits, interfaces and computers equipped with a novel icon oriented programming tool, Empirica Control. Pupil activities were video recorded and the analysis proceeded through writing video protocols, edited into episodes and then classified into categories. Categories were mainly derived empirically. In the analysis, we used concepts such as collaboration and problem solving, in accordance with social constructivism. The data showed that typical learning processes were collaborative (62% of all episodes) as well as dynamic problem-solving processes, in several stages. Pupils worked quite independently of the teacher, as they learned to use the programming tool autonomously in their technology projects. It appears, however, that more teacher support, such as introducing handbooks, planning tools and advanced programming skills, would have been an advantage. Some ideas about further development of study processes in modern learning environments are discussed.

CLAP: teaching data structures in a creative way

CLAP is a pedagogical approach for Computer Science education, applied here especially to laboratory courses. CLAP or Creative Lab with Active Participation provides an open learning environment, utilizing creative problem solving methods. For successful learning, CLAP emphasizes group processes. Pilot courses using CLAP were carried out during the Fall Semester of 1996 and the Spring Semester of 1997.

Concretising the programming task: a case study in a secondary school

Empirica Control (EC) is a visual programming platform designed primarily for technology education. Students can use ECs visual tools to construct programs for controlling technological processes or systems, as well as to show graphical representation of program functions on a control flow diagram (flowchart). This means that EC is also a useful tool in learning programming. EC unifies flow diagrams with concrete semantics: each program structure corresponds to a factual event in the learners physical environment, not just as a visual representation on the screen. A teaching experiment for 34 eighth grade (14 years old) students using EC in a learning environment was intended to promote active, co-operative, and problem-centred learning. The data were gathered by teacher interview, observations during a teaching experiment, a questionnaire with a Likert scale instrument, and a test with open tasks. The results indicate that control technology, as implemented in EC, serves as a useful tool for learning principal elements of programming, like control structures, with minimal teaching effort. However, for more complex structures, teacher intervention is clearly required to achieve advanced outcomes. Thus, EC has suggested an important subject for further research: approaching the balance between student-centred exploration and teacher-guided instruction in learning environments.

Classification of exercises in a virtual programming course

The ViSCoS program (virtual studies of computer science) provides Finnish high school students with an opportunity to study first-year university level computer science courses over the Internet. For the time being, the fourth group of high school students participates in this program. Almost half of the content in ViSCoS deals with programming. Programming has proven to be the most difficult part of our on-line study process. Of the students who dropped out of the ViSCoS program, the majority dropped out in the programming I or II courses. A more focused analysis of the exercises submitted in the programming I course highlighted the main problem in the course: the difference between the expected and observed level of difficulty of the exercises. Teachers were not able to recognize the internal difficulty of the exercises, which prevented unconfident students from solving or submitting them and subsequently, led them to give up the course. Our findings will help us to improve course settings in several ways. We are presently working to further develop a certain group of tasks in order to minimize the number of dropouts. We are creating a larger pool of tasks to offer both teachers and students the possibility of selecting the best ones for each authentic learning situation. There is also a need for more open and creatively designed exercises.

Using computers in science and technology education

This working group wishes to promote interaction of computer scientists and educational researchers. Such an interaction would benefit not only educational sciences and computer science education but also contribute to computer science e.g. through behaviour metaphors in robotics. We have initiated an analysis of computer uses in education starting from applications especially in science and technology education. Having analysed various roles of computers in educational processes in the above area we have also identified technological requirements of modern learning environments and defined the concept of a rich learning environment. We use the Open Market metaphor to concretise this concept in two different cases. Finally, we present as an outcome of our cooperative analysis basic goals for technological literacy and a description of a technology literate student.

Pragmatic Design-Based Research – Designing as a Shared Activity of Teachers and Researches

Answering the problems arising from the school context, science education research engages in diminishing the gap between educational theory and practice. Design-based research aims to develop an educational innovation, i.e. a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) that helps teachers and students in science classes to reach the objectives indicated in a curriculum. A pragmatic design-based research project starts in a situation where neither teachers nor researchers know how to act in certain settings. Design-based research constructs novel situations in order to research these situations and better understand teaching and learning. We emphasise the importance of engaging ordinary teachers in collaborative designing and validation of teaching-learning sequences. This collaborative design and validation of TLS is a way to seriously take into consideration the requirements of the school site. Therefore, we argue here that engaging teachers in shared design and validation activities would make it plausible that designed teaching-learning sequences would be widely adoptable.

Phenomenographical Approach to Design for a Hypertext Teacher’s Guide to MBL

We have researched teachers’ needs for a MBL guide through Web-based MBL guide design and development process. In-service teachers (N=23) were asked to write their ideas about MBL, three student teachers were interviewed and five student teachers and a training school teacher were asked to evaluate a designed prototype. We used a phenomenographical approach on data analysis. Teachers need an MBL guide that offers guidance for different pedagogical approaches. They wish for sample experiments that are not only recipes, but well stated chemically, physically and, especially, pedagogically. Furthermore, a guide has to introduce novel — computer aided — ways to do practical work.