Computational Thinking and Flipped Classroom Model for Upper-Division Computer Science Majors

There has been much debate in the past few years about the appropriate mathematics requirements for an undergraduate computer science major. The discussion has focused primarily on two issues: (1) the underlying mathematical content of computer science courses and (2) the content of mathematics courses which would serve as appropriate cognate requirements for computer science major programs. While this discussion has been helpful, it has been too narrowly focused--it has not started from an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science, but rather has sought to identify mathematical prerequisites that computer science majors need in order to take existing computer science courses. This paper is a small step in seeking to apply an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science to the undergraduate computer science curriculum.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify how Advanced level Mathematics and Mathematics course units offered at university level do impact on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Background: In Sri Lankan state universities, students have been enrolled only from the Physical Science stream to do a degree program in Computer Science. In addition to that, universities have been offering some course units in Mathematics to provide the required mathematical maturity to Computer Science undergraduates. Despite of this it is observed that the failure rates in fundamental theoretical Computer Science course units are much higher than other course units offered in the general degree program every year. Methodology : Academic records comprised of all 459 undergraduates from three consecutive batches admitted to the degree program in Computer Science from a university were considered for this study. Contribution: This study helps academics in identifying suitable curricula for Mathematics course units to improve students’ performance in theoretical Computer Science courses. Findings: Advanced level Mathematics does not have any significant effect on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Even though all Mathematics course units offered were significantly correlated with academic performance of every theoretical Computer Science course unit, only the Discrete Mathematics course unit highly impacted on the academic performance of all three theoretical Computer Science course units. Further this study indicates that the academic performance of female undergraduates is better than males in all theoretical Computer Science and Mathematics course units. Future Research: Identifying other critical success factors contributing to the students’ academic performance of the theoretical Computer Science through empirical studies

At the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), freshman computer science majors were being successful in their first quarter in computer science, but many majors were not completing the year sequence (Programming Concepts and Problem Solving I, II, and III). This study describes a freshman studies program that helps increase student retention in the first computer science course.Two populations were used in this study. The first population (Group A) consisted of 25 freshman computer science majors (16 men and 9 women) enrolled Fall Quarter 85 in freshman orientation General Studies GS1000 for one quarter hour credit. The second population (Group B) consisted of 17 freshman computer science majors (12 men and 5 women) enrolled the Fall Quarter 86 in freshman orientation General Studies GS1001 for two quarter hours credit. Both groups were placed in the first course in computer science using the cutting scores ACT English > 17 or 0.78 (ACT English) + 0.49 (UTM Math Placement) > 33. Both Groups A and B had an average ACT English score of 20 and an average UTM Math Placement score of 55. Each quarter during the freshman year, the computer science major enrolls in calculus (4 hrs.), Programming Concepts and Problem Solving (3 hrs.), a laboratory science (4 hrs.), English (3 hrs.), and a humanities course (3 hrs.).Group A was offered a freshman orientation program that involved a pass/fail one quarter hour credit GS1000 which met one hour each day during freshman studies week. Each section consisted of twenty-five heterogeneously grouped students. The course content was review of study skills. Group B was offered a freshman orientation program that involved a pass/fail two quarter hour credit GS1001 which met one hour each day during freshman studies week, plus one hour each week during the first quarter. Each section consisted of only students of a particular major (computer science) and was taught by a faculty member of that department. The topics of this course consisted of a review of study skills, discussions of student problems, special academic speakers, field trips to professional sites, cultural events, meetings with deans and department heads, and a follow-up on study skills. In the meeting before the final exam week, the faculty member dealt specifically with suggestions on preparing for finals.Groups A and B were enrolled in the same first computer science sequence (Programming Concepts and Problem Solving I, II, and III) their freshman year. Both groups had the same instructors, text (Introduction to Computing and Computer Science with Pascal by H. Walker), and course syllabus for this sequence. Both groups carried the same academic course load their freshman year. However, in Group A only 20% (5 out of 25) of the students completed the first computer science sequence with a grade of C or better, while in Group B 41% (7 out of 17) completed the same sequence with a grade of C or better. Student retention is achieved through the students' integration into the academic and social systems of the college by two factors: (1) faculty-student interaction and (2) peer-group interaction. Although the population of this study was small, I believe GS1001 provides one way of increasing student retention in computer science.

The article is devoted to the problem of optimizing the teaching of a Computer Science course in high school and is aimed at demonstrating the methodology for using blended learning technology in a school Computer Science course using the CLIL approach. A number of blended learning models were studied and the Flipped Classroom model was chosen for our research work. According to the “Flipped Classroom” model, students learn new material and complete assignments using the Internet at home, consolidate and practice the material they have covered during face-to-face learning in the classroom. In addition, given that there is currently a strong demand for a CLIL approach based on a trilingual policy aimed at mastering Kazakh, Russian and English, in a blended learning environment there are opportunities to apply the CLIL approach in a high school computer science course. The article shows the stages of CLIL classes, the actions in which are revealed using specific examples. The results of the study led to the conclusion that the use of two different tools in a school Computer Science course, consisting of the Flipped Classroom and CLIL methods used in educational activities, will help cover voluminous material in English, create conditions for independent study, and facilitate the process of monitoring knowledge for the teacher students and get students interested in learning the subject.

Social information systems have recently emerged as an empowering force for communities, organizations, and businesses. Consequently, new academic programs have been proposed around the globe, aiming at establishing a framework within which students gain experience in the socio-technical process of designing information systems in business, libraries, health, government, education and beyond. These new interdisciplinary programs often regard computer science (CS) as one of their supporting pillars and therefore include some core CS courses, aiming at educating broad-minded practitioners rather than expert programmers in the field of information systems. This paper presents some thoughts on incorporating CS education in academic programs intended for non-CS majors and proposes an approach called `Program by Design' for the first CS course in a new undergraduate program in community information systems.

A one-semester introductory undergraduate course in computer game development is described. The freshman-level course has been taught for five years. The course was designed and implemented in the context of a new curriculum in computer game development. Goals of the course were to retain undergraduate computer science (CS) majors, attract new students to CS, and expose students to the content creation pipeline used in advanced courses. A significant aspect of the course is the end-of-semester project to create a machinima - a video created using computer game technology. Besides the initial goals for the course, other benefits were discovered including fostering a sense of community. Results, both quantitative and anecdotal, show the course has exceeded expectations in meeting the goals originally established. The course has been integral to the growth of the CS program, enabling the program to nearly triple in size over four years.

The number of undergraduates entering computer science has declined in recent years. This is paralleled by a drop in the number of high school students taking the CS AP exam and the number of high schools offering computer science courses. The declines come at a time when career opportunities in CS continue to grow and computer science graduates are seen as crucial in building a globally competitive workforce for the 21st century. Efforts aimed at reversing the declining interest in computer science include curriculum revisions at the undergraduate level at many institutions, a re-design of computer science AP courses [1], and the inclusion of computational thinking into disciplines outside computer science [3].This panel discusses four projects of computer science researchers collaborating with high school teachers on integrating computing and computational thinking into their courses. The majority of the high school teachers involved is teaching science and math courses. They are teaching a diverse group of talented and college-bound students. The goal of all projects is to integrate computing into disciplines represented in the high school curriculum and to raise the awareness of computer science as an exciting and intellectually rewarding field.This panel will outline recent and on-going activities and interaction with high school teachers. Each panelist will describe how he/she got involved and the nature of the interaction. The panelists will talk about their individual projects, outline their visions for future interactions, and how their effort can be replicated by others. The session will briefly describe NSF's RET program which provided teacher support for three of the four projects. The session will then be opened for discussion; the audience will be encouraged to ask questions and contribute additional ideas for the inclusion of computational thinking in high school courses.

This study investigates the impact of two teaching methods – face-to-face traditional teaching and the flipped classroom model – on fifth-grade students’ self-efficacy towards computational thinking skills, conceptual learning, and perspectives on programming within a block-based environment. Seventy-seven students participated in this mixed-method research with an exploratory sequential design. The quasi-experimental phase involved administering the Self-Efficacy Perception Scale for Computational Thinking Skills as a pretest and posttest to both experimental and control groups, along with weekly achievement tests during the treatment. Additionally, focus group interviews were conducted with 24 students after the treatment. The findings revealed that students in both groups improved their conceptual learning and self-efficacy in computational thinking. Moreover, both groups reported that discovery learning was particularly effective in enhancing their game and animation design skills during the treatment.

The adoption of innovative online teaching tools in Computer Science (CS) courses provides opportunities for data-informed instruction as a regular teaching practice in CS classrooms. In this paper, we present a design study for an interactive visual analytics dashboard, called UserFlow, that supports feedback collection from teaching documents and assists instructors in interpreting feedback and acting on it in a timely manner. The design study is conducted with eight domain experts comprising of four teaching instructors, two learning analytics (LA) experts and two instructional designers. UserFlow offers a set of novel visualization designs for presenting the four interleaving aspects of document engagement (i.e., annotations, document traversal path, reading/focus time and student information). We evaluated UserFlow in an undergraduate computer science course with over 700 students. Our results demonstrate the usefulness and need for such a tool for CS educators to inform teaching approaches and courseware improvement.

Computational thinking (CT) has gained more value for individuals in a world reshaped by digital transformation in the last decade. Therefore, educators and researchers are trying to integrate CT into teaching practices. Efforts to teach CT are increasing, especially in basic courses widely included in school curricula. The focus of this study is the integration of CT into science teaching in the flipped classroom model. In this context, the effects of flipped computational science laboratory (Flipped-CSL) activities carried out with teacher candidates on CT skills, laboratory entrepreneurship, and attitude were investigated. An intertwined mixed research design, in which quantitative and qualitative data were evaluated together, was used in the study. Findings showed that flipped-CSL activities were effective for teacher candidates and improved their CT skills, laboratory entrepreneurship, and attitudes significantly and positively. The results of this study include the practical use of flipped-CSL activities when planning laboratory activities for school science subjects to improve CT skills. Implications for using of flipped-CSL activities in science education were discussed, and suggestions were made regarding the results.

Promoting computational thinking is a priority in CS education and other STEM and non-STEM disciplines. Our innovative, NSF-funded IC2Think project blends computational and creative thinking. In Spring 2013, we deployed Computational Creativity Exercises (CCE) designed to engage creative competencies (Surrounding, Capturing, Challenging and Broadening) in an introductory CSI course for engineering students. We compared this CCE implementation semester (80 students, 95% completing 3 or 4 CCEs) to the Fall 2013 semester of the same course (55 students) without CCEs. CCE implementation students had significantly higher scores on a CS concepts and skills knowledge test (F(1, 132) = 7.72, p < 01, partial Eta2 = .055; M=7.47 to M=6.13; 13 items) and significantly higher self-efficacy for applying CS knowledge in their field (F(1, 153) = 12.22, p < .01, partial Eta2 = .074; M=70.64 to M=61.47; 100-point scale). CCE implementation students had significantly higher study time (t(1, 136) = 2.08, p = .04; M=3.88 to M=3.29; 7-point scale) and significantly lower lack of regulation, which measures difficulties with studying (t(1, 136) = 2.82, p = .006; M=2.80 to M=3.21; 5-point scale). The addition of computational creativity exercises to CS courses may improve computational thinking and learning of CS knowledge and skills.

In the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century, computing and other necessary skills have become imperative for today's learners. Memorizing a book or one-way communication is incapable of fully developing all the skills required. Along with changes in the new curriculum structure in the computational science courses which are aimed to improve computational thinking skills. In Thailand, students do not have enough experience in calculation methods. Teachers must therefore provide instruction in a format that promotes computational thinking and the skills necessary for the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century. The sample was 400 students from public and private schools in the same amount to develop the model, which was calculated based on the population of high school students throughout Bangkok, Thailand. It was found that the current learning model was unable to develop computational thinking concepts and 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century skills. Therefore, the researchers have the concept of developing a teaching model that focuses on problem-solving along with the use of a design thinking approach in a virtual learning environment. To enable students with no experience with computational thinking skills to develop computational thinking skills to a competent standard. The objective is to also develop other skills, which are essential skills in the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century at the same time.

ABSTRACTMuch has been made of the flipped classroom as an approach to teaching, and its effect on student learning. The volume of material showing that the flipped classroom technique helps students better learn and better retain material is increasing at a rapid pace. Coupled with this technique is active learning in the classroom. There are many ways of “flipping the classroom.” The particular realization of the flipped classroom that we discuss in this article is based on a method called “Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT).” However, JiTT, in particular, and the flipped classroom, in general, is not just about watching videos before class, or doing activities during class time. JiTT includes assigning short, web-based questions to students based on previously viewed material. Typically, Internet-based questions are constructed to elicit common misunderstandings from the students, so that the instructor can correct such misunderstandings immediately in the next class period, hence the name, “Just-in-Time Teaching.” The addition of these pre-class questions is what separates JiTT from a general flipped classroom model. Even as the research on the superiority of JiTT as a learner-centered pedagogical method mounts, aids for the instructor have not, at least not as quickly. This article is focused on the instructor—with aids to help the instructor begin using the JiTT flipped classroom model in statistics courses.

With the recent surge in interest in Computer Science, many challenges have emerged, ranging from faculty turnover to providing adequate resources and an inclusive environment for students throughout their academic journey. As part of our ongoing efforts, we introduce the concept of "Undergraduate Learning Assistants" (ULAs) - undergraduates carefully selected and trained by our department to serve as peer tutors for core Computer Science courses, such as CS1, CS2, and CS3. This program, driven not only by technical considerations but also by the goal of fostering a more inclusive and accessible learning community, seeks to enhance students' sense of belonging and encourage undergraduates to explore potential teaching roles. In this article, we share our experiences and present our assessments of this program.

This integrative review research’s aim is to compare the eight studies that explore the effects of flipped classroom model on developing the speaking skills of the students. In order to analyze the data, this integrative research adapts an inductive content analysis approach because the data gathered from each of the articles are described through tables by grouping the data through themes and categories. Students’ attitudes towards the flipped classroom model and positive and negative effects of the flipped classroom model and its strengths and weaknesses in terms of developing speaking skills are explored in this study because the research questions are centered on these issues. The results show that the flipped classroom model enhances the speaking skills of the students because it provides an environment for the students to become confident and autonomous in their own language learning and they are exposed to language both inside and outside of the classroom. However, flipped classroom’s negative impacts are expressed in several studies. Some of the negative impacts are related to the long learning process and affective factors. Although there are both negative and positive effects of flipped classroom model on the development of speaking skills, nearly all of the studies indicate that it provides a meaningful, collaborative and active learning environment where students can engage with one another and speak English all the time by engaging in meaningful activities through collaboration.