Programme - Day One

7 mins

Abstract: "Has anyone considered the possibility that it's just not fun any more?
-- Don Knuth, October 2006

Over the last five years, computing education in most developed countries has faced a seeming paradox: despite projections that the field offers tremendous employment opportunities and extraordinary growth potential for the foreseeable future, student interest in pursuing computing degrees has plummeted. In response, many educators have called for a massive overhaul of computing curricula to increase its attractiveness to students. In this talk, I argue that such efforts are misdirected in that they fail to respond to the underlying causes of the enrollment decline, which are the following:

1. Fears about the long-term economic stability of employment in the computing industry continue to have a profound effect on student interest in our discipline.
2. The kind of exposure students get to computing at the elementary and secondary level tends to push people away from the discipline long before they reach the university.
3. The image of work in the field -- and, more importantly, all too much of the reality of work in the field -- is unattractive to most students and no longer seems fun, particularly in comparison to other opportunities that bright students might pursue.

I will conclude the talk with suggestions as to what universities, schools, industry, and government can do to address this problem. "

Abstract: "Nationally, in addition to falling recruitment, Computing/ICT undergraduate courses are known to have high drop-out percentages, particularly at the end of the first year. The results to date from the project reveal that: students leave their courses early in their first year due to their inability to manage the transition from school to HE, this is particularly problematic for first generation students; students’ expectations of their courses are on the whole met but there are issues with some of the more technical aspects of their course; motivation and engagement tends to be subject specific. To address these issues a number of school and university based activities have been undertaken or planned, these include focus groups, short courses, A level conference, support tools for specific subject areas."

Abstract: "This paper discusses the new department led undergraduate induction process at Worcester Business School in 2007. Worcester Business School is made of up of two main areas: Business and Computing. Prior to 2007 the induction process was organized centrally. Using a decentralized system therefore gave the department the opportunity to implement an innovative and fresh approach to induction. We were particularly keen to incorporate some of the recent research findings from the Student Transition and Retention Project coordinated by the University of Ulster. Particular areas of interest were the development of improved social interactions between the students and improved communication between departments and students. Early indications suggest the induction week was a success. This paper outlines our approach, which culminated in the department being seen as exemplar by the University, and suggests further area for research."

Abstract: "In 2006, the School of Computing at the Robert Gordon University redesigned its First Year with the twin key aims of engaging students in the academic life and empowering them to make progress on the difficult process of becoming autonomous learners. The changes sought to place recent curricular developments and pedagogical best practice at the heart of the student experience, and to engage, at a deep level, with the findings of the Scottish Enhancement Themes, especially those coming from the First Year Experience, and Assessment studies.

We describe the main feature of the RGU First Year development project – an integrated structure which emphasises an active-learning pedagogy coupled with a range of assessment practices aimed at promoting student reflection on their learning experiences. We also make some observations on the relationship between the results of the Enhancement Themes and evaluation methodologies. "

Abstract: "This paper describes a project whose purpose is to investigate the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) to provide opportunities for distance learners to support each other through online study groups. The specific area under investigation was the development of academic literacy skills by postgraduate computing students. A pilot study was carried out with a group of Open University (OU) students taking a course in software requirements engineering. These students are expected to read and critically evaluate recent work in this field. In a pilot study online activities were provided for a group of volunteers who had access to a VLE that incorporated tools such as wikis and discussion forums. Such an environment presents rich opportunities for various kinds of feedback. An initial exploration provides evidence that students employ a variety of strategies to tackle activities online, including an element of vicarious learning."

Abstract: "This paper considers some of the aspects and issues involved in including group work within Higher Education Computing courses. These include the context as to why group work is important, the approaches that can be used including different types of learning and some of the problem issues that can arise. The paper reports on some research in to prior experience of and perceptions of group work by students, and also gives details of the use of some recent technologies which can support group work and deal with some of the aforementioned problems. "

Abstract: "This paper looks at the types of development activities that take place over the lifetime of a collection of software projects in an academic environment. Because these projects are not open-ended, nor are they expected to receive any maintenance after submission, it is expected that the patterns of developer activities will not be the same as for a real-world project. This paper uses the process of thematic analysis to investigate the development processes used by the students in collaborative, cross-site software development projects carried out by 2nd year Durham and Newcastle University students to determine development patterns, whether these change over time, and whether they are affected by the campus of the developers. In the process, students' usage of software tools provided to facilitate development and groupwork are evaluated."

Abstract: "Group-work plays a significant part in computing courses and is one of the most important common skills students need to gain at university in preparation for their future working lives [1]. In this paper we consider the challenges presented by the extrinsic factors that impact on the success of group-based assignments against the background of formal summative assessment of group-based assignments on BSc Computing courses in the Department of Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University."

Abstract: "Revision control software is an important tool in any team-based software development project. In academic group projects however, there is little emphasis on the use of these tools to provide additional information on students’ work habits, group dynamics, application of skills or use of technologies. This paper presents Perceive, a system to data-mine version repositories and to generate a range of information from them. This system has been used to assist in the management and assessment of group projects at Durham and Newcastle Universities, and this paper describes the use of Perceive in the context of academic group software development projects for a range of tasks including development, project management, maintenance and academic assessment."

Abstract: "A partnership project investigated if pairing university computing students and learning disabled students in a practical project can benefit both sets of students. After a social introduction, partner student pairs met fortnightly over a four month period in an IT area in the University’s School of Computing. They developed computer-based material about a topic of mutual interest, and demonstrate the completed product to each other and involved staff. Skills development and perceptions of the project’s benefit by all participants were observed and measured via questionnaire and interview. A range of benefits were identified for both sets of students, including those relating to transferable skills relevant to computing."

Abstract: "In this paper, we describe how we have attempted to synthesize developments from a number of national agendas through a virtual business concept called the Venture Matrix (VM). This concept is now embedded in a number of courses in the Computing Division at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and will meet the requirements for Work-Based Learning as well as promoting enterprise and links with employers. The concept is currently being broadened to encompass all 4 Faculties, local employers and partner colleges. A dedicated team is now in place to administer the Venture Matrix Agency and to disseminate ideas nationally. "