Events archive

Effective learning in object-oriented programming

Date: 21st February 2007
Location: University of Dundee, Dundee
- - Event has taken place --

Presentations/Event material

A practical introduction to Greenfoot
David Barnes
University of Kent

Includes an overview, an introduction to object-orientated programming, BlueJ, Greenfoot, their practical application and other capabilities.
[Download Powerpoint version]

ASSISTing Students to Learn: Learning Approaches and Object-Oriented Programming
Janet Hughes & Ramanee Peiris
University of Dundee

Includes an outline, background, approaches to learning, ASSIST – Approaches & Study Skills Inventory for Students, some examples, calculations, and an analysis.
[Download Powerpoint version]

Programming Aptitude: Testing Materials, Data analysis
Saeed Dehnadi
Middlesex University

Includes Test materials (Questions, Mental Models, Answer Sheet, Mark Sheet, Interpretation Algorithms) and Results.
[Download Powerpoint version]

The elephant in the room
Richard Bornat and Saeed Dehnadi
Middlesex University

Includes The double hump, Programming teaching is hard, Programming is utterly formal, There are no good predictors, Programming hurdles, and more.
[Download PDF version]

What does it all mean? (analysis and speculation)
Richard Bornat
Middlesex University

Includes Pecularities of the test, What does the test show?, Some evidence from a formal logic course, statistical evidence, and, Suppose all this is true ...
[Download PDF version]

 

A perennial problem for information and computer science educators is how to manage those students experiencing significant difficulties learning to program. Two components of the problem are: (i) identifying those students likely to have such difficulties, at a sufficiently early stage to intervene, and (ii) designing an intervention that will support those students to overcome their challenges. This event aims to consider both the identification and the intervention strands of this problem. A workshop approach will be taken, the programme giving those attending an opportunity to participate in a number of related practical activities.

Programme:

10.00 Registration and Coffee
10.15 Welcome and Introduction
10.30 Learning approaches and object-oriented programming
Ramanee Peiris and Janet Hughes, University of Dundee

Using the ASSIST questionnaire and a Wiki to support surface learners.
11.30 Using POOPLES
Fintan Culwin, London South Bank University

Pre-Object Oriented Programming Learning Environments: game-like environments where students can explore some aspects of Object Oriented programming in Java.

13.00 Lunch
13.45 Greenfoot
David Barnes, University of Kent at Canterbury

If you know BlueJ and a microworld framework (like Karel the Robot or the AP Marine Biology Case Study) consider Greenfoot as the best from both: object interaction (BlueJ) and object visualisation (microworlds).
15.15 The camel has two humps
Saeed Dehnadi and Richard Bornat, Middlesex University

Introducing a test for programming aptitude that can predict successor failure even before students have had any contact with any programming language.
16.45 Discussion and close

For further information contact: Janet Hughes (jhughes@computing.dundee.ac.uk)