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In university-level education, the computer network is a mandatory course for computer science and engineering majors. A computer network course provides theoretical and hands-on foundations for network connectivity, network topologies, internet protocols, networking devices, and gateways. In the traditional classroom, students face challenges in gaining essential knowledge and self-efficacy. Teachers face challenges in assessing students' quality of knowledge due to the abundance of online computer science teaching resources. Chatbot technologies have the potential to overcome these challenges and enhance essential knowledge and self-efficacy. However, the argument remains whether a course-specific standard chatbot or a generalizable chatbot could produce high-quality answers. Therefore, in this paper, we research 1) to what extent does using chatbots improve higher education students' essential knowledge of computers network? and 2) to what extent does using chatbots improve the self-efficacy of higher education students? Our first insight indicates that groundbreaking generalizable chatbots such as You and ChatGPT produce rather detailed answers to the questions associated with computer network courses, but those answers may not be the model answers that teachers expect from the students. Hence, research-based course-specific standard chatbots are required to teach computer network topics effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Creative learning in computer science is necessary and important to define. • The variable creative learning in computing needs to be operationalized and measured through universal metrics and scales. • The development of creative learning in computer science does not depend entirely on the curriculum but on how it is taught. The training of creative computer professionals is considered a strategic process in different countries because it is essential for the computerization of society. This paper proposes an approach to the study of creative computer science learning for the digital transformation of modern society. The aim of the research was to evaluate the creative learning of computer science during the training of computer science professionals. An instrument derived from previous research and metrics was applied to evaluate creative learning in the two groups of terminal years of the computer engineering course at the University of Matanzas with a mixed paradigm. The quantitative analysis diagnosed that more than sixty-five percent of the students are evaluated as poor and fair in both years. The qualitative analysis revealed the inadequacies of the teaching staff in the use of computer science teaching approaches, and the four stages of formation of creative learning in computer science in the degree course: pre-university stage, basic stage, professional stage and research stage. They also revealed three key factors in the formation of creative learning in computer science: the integration of subjects, the solution of real projects, and the mainly emotional support provided by teachers and other professionals to students during their integration into the computerization of organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial neural networks, inspired by the biological networks of the human brain, have become game-changing computing models in modern computer science. Inspired by their wide scope of applications, synthetic biology strives to create their biological counterparts, which we denote synthetic biological neural networks (SYNBIONNs). Their use in the fields of medicine, biosensors, biotechnology, and many more shows great potential and presents exciting possibilities. So far, many different synthetic biological networks have been successfully constructed, however, SYNBIONN implementations have been sparse. The latter are mostly based on neural networks pretrained in silico and being heavily dependent on extensive human input. In this paper, we review current implementations and models of SYNBIONNs. We briefly present the biological platforms that show potential for designing and constructing perceptrons and/or multilayer SYNBIONNs. We explore their future possibilities along with the challenges that must be overcome to successfully implement a scalable in vivo biological neural network capable of online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents information on the content and resources of the internationally certified Master’s program “High-Performance and Distributed Information Processing Systems” in the field of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. The paper studies scientific achievements of the academic staff, peculiarities of courses currently held, characteristics of available facilities and resources, prospects for the Master’s worldwide research activities at a high scientific level, and opportunities to pursue postgraduate studies and to defend a PhD thesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been well documented for more than 30 years, that significantly more effort is needed to prepare the HPC workforce needed today and well into the future. The Blue Waters Virtual School of Computational Science (VSCSE) provides an innovative model for addressing this critical need. The VSCSE uses a Small Private Online Course (SPOC) approach to providing graduate level credit courses to students at multiple institutions. In this paper, we describe the rationale for this approach, a description of the implementation, findings from external evaluations, and lessons learned. The paper concludes with recommendations for future strategies to build on this work to address the workforce needs of our global society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active learning and formative assessment techniques are the cutting edge of the modern education. This paper considers peer assessment automation and touches the topic of high actuality in advancing ICT for active learning. The roots of the study are obtained difficulties in adoption of the currently available peer assessment systems to engineering education introductory courses. The main goal of the paper is to collect software requirements and to build a peer assessment system, which may be easily agreed with standard educational routines (e.g. e-mailing) and which is be able to support complex artifacts interchange during a peer assessment session. The software requirements specification (SRS) for such a system has been created as a result of reviewing educational studies, technical reports and academic publications on common peer assessment processes and existing peer assessment systems. We also introduce the open source Mail-based Randomized Double-Blinded Peer-assessment System for Complex Artifacts called PASCA, which is developed according to this SRS and the results of PASCA adoption to an introductory programming course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching basic computational concepts and skills to school children is currently a curricular focus in many countries. Running parallel to this trend are advances in programming environments and teaching methods which aim to make computer science more accessible, and more motivating. In this paper, we describe the design and evaluation of Flip, a programming language that aims to help 11–15 year olds develop computational skills through creating their own 3D role-playing games. Flip has two main components: 1) a visual language (based on an interlocking blocks design common to many current visual languages), and 2) a dynamically updating natural language version of the script under creation. This programming-language/natural-language pairing is a unique feature of Flip, designed to allow learners to draw upon their familiarity with natural language to “decode the code”. Flip aims to support young people in developing an understanding of computational concepts as well as the skills to use and communicate these concepts effectively. This paper investigates the extent to which Flip can be used by young people to create working scripts, and examines improvements in their expression of computational rules and concepts after using the tool. We provide an overview of the design and implementation of Flip before describing an evaluation study carried out with 12–13 year olds in a naturalistic setting. Over the course of 8 weeks, the majority of students were able to use Flip to write small programs to bring about interactive behaviours in the games they created. Furthermore, there was a significant improvement in their computational communication after using Flip (as measured by a pre/post-test). An additional finding was that girls wrote more, and more complex, scripts than did boys, and there was a trend for girls to show greater learning gains relative to the boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algorithm Visualisation (AV) tool is commonly used to learn data structures. However, since that tool does not address technical details, some students may not know how to implement the data structures. This paper integrates the AV tool with Program Visualisation (PV) tool to help the students understanding the data structures' implementation. The integration (which is implemented as a tool named DS-PITON) works similarly as a PV tool except that the data structures are visualised with the AV tool. Through quasi experiments, it can be stated that DS-PITON helps students to get better assessment score and to complete their assessment faster (even though the impact on completion time can work in reverse on slow-paced students). Further, according to a questionnaire survey, the students believe that DS-PITON helps them learning data structure materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With current developments in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) comes an increased focus on the ethical production and use of such novel technologies. Accordingly, a trend toward "embedded ethics" is seen in recent research, reflecting an increase in efforts to integrate social and ethical considerations in computer science education and early in the development phases of AI and robotics. What remains to be established, however, is a more concrete understanding of the best working modalities for such interdisciplinary collaborations. In this brief discussion paper, we provide reflections derived from our interdisciplinary Responsible Robotics project which integrates ethicists and social scientists at early stages of development. We put forward several suggestions on how to integrate ethics and social science within technological development. We believe these suggestions can serve as a working taxonomy of best practices for embedded ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operation and status of computers in teaching laboratories can significantly influence motivation and expectation of students, thus resulting in a reduction of their academic progress. To address this issue, this paper presents a complete deployment, management, and maintenance tool for operating systems (OS) called OpenGnSys. As part of a larger educational project, OpenGnSys has been tested in a real computer lab with the aim of improving teaching and learning in classroom. OpenGnSys provides an easy and intuitive way to administrate labs from a graphical user console with remote backup functions. Its design comprises a two-node high availability cluster for both hardware infrastructure and computer services, thus ensuring the availability of essential lab equipment. Additionally, this paper proposes a methodology for the installation, maintenance and quality control for computers and laboratory equipment by site acceptance tests (SATs). The main interest of the proposed SATs lies in representing a standardized procedure, which intends to facilitate and determine the degree of compliance with lab specification and operation services. In order to address the research problem, we analyzed OpenGnSys including lab technicians, 94 students and 7 teachers on Computer Science along three academic years. As a result, the OpenGnSys management system has demonstrated the effectiveness of the followed methodology and positively influenced the students' academic progress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new school subject, Leaving Certificate Computer Science, was introduced in September 2018 into Irish schools in a period of curriculum reform and change. Drawing on concepts of teacher agency and learner agency, and viewed through a figurational sociology lens, this paper explored the realities of teaching LCCS and the role teacher agency and learner agency played in such enactment. Through a case study design, four teachers were interviewed in a focus group semi-structured manner. To delve deeper into the pedagogical approaches used in LCCS, a further one teacher and their nine students were interviewed. The findings highlight an influential relationship (positive and negative, encouraging and discouraging) between teachers' agentic decisions in their process of achieving teacher agency and the students process of achieving learner agency. The paper offers a figurational viewpoint of the relationship between teacher agency and learner agency through a constructed Figure. We explicitly argue that the responsibility should not be placed on the teacher and student in achieving agency (as a product) but it is a combination of the teacher and the students and the other interdependent relationships within their figurations, alongside contextual factors, and educational social processes, which determine the fluctuation of the process of achieving teacher and learner agency. The paper provides considerations for computer science teacher education. • Explores the relationship between teacher agency and learner agency in Computer Science subject. • Uses figurational sociology to further understand the process of achieving agency. • Qualitative research study. • Considerations provided for Computer Science teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informatics or computer science (the terms informatics and computer science are used as synonyms in this paper) in Austrian secondary schools is often considered “difficult” and “not interesting” because of mainly mathematical and economical contents. But informatics is much more; it is used in almost every part of the working life and can also cooperate with every subject at school. It offers a wide range of possibilities for COOL (COoperative Open Learning), an Austrian teaching model based on the Dalton Plan that provides also cooperation between different subject matters. Besides the COOL concept this paper describes some ideas for cooperation between informatics and foreign languages at secondary schools and at University level besides just ICT (Information and Communication Technology) or computer-assisted language learning. The presented tasks are part of the project “COOL Informatics” (according to COoperative Open Learning) that aims at developing COOL teaching material based on neurodidactical (Neurodidactics is a relatively young research field that combines the findings of brain research, pedagogy, cognitive psychology and other related fields.) principles for informatics and cross-curricular cooperation from primary school up to University. On the basis of the developed material the following main research questions of the project shall be examined in the course of the next school year: (1) Can COoperative Open Learning methods help to enhance learning? (2) Can learning be enhanced by considering neurodidactical principles in the design of teaching material and in the classroom? As the first test phase of the developed material is still in progress the evaluation is not available at the moment. But the first informal feedback of a vocational school and a programming course at the University shows that it is worth fostering COoperative Open Learning and cross-curricular cooperation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Systems engineering simulation models provide a valuable means to understand and learn important concepts related to systems engineering. Simulators can be used for education and as decision support systems in order to evaluate the dynamic consequences of various courses of action. This paper examines existing research mined from literature related to systems and software engineering processes, risks, and best practices. It seeks to guide the definition of priorities for systems engineering process simulator development. The paper identifies an initial set of research opportunities for the development of systems engineering process simulators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we initiate the study of designing approximation algorithms for Fault-Tolerant Group-Steiner (FTGS) problems. The motivation is to protect the well-studied group-Steiner networks from edge or vertex failures. In Fault-Tolerant Group-Steiner problems, we are given a graph with edge- (or vertex-) costs, a root vertex, and a collection of subsets of vertices called groups. The objective is to find a minimum-cost subgraph that has two edge- (or vertex-) disjoint paths from each group to the root. We present approximation algorithms and hardness results for several variants of this basic problem, e.g., edge-costs vs. vertex-costs, edge-connectivity vs. vertex-connectivity, and 2-connecting a single vertex vs. two distinct vertices from each group. The main contributions of our paper include the introduction of general structural lemmas on connectivity and a charging scheme that may find more applications in the future. Our algorithmic results are supplemented by inapproximability results, which are tight in some cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Compared with other courses, especially non-engineering ones, software development courses teaching (SDCT) has many unique characteristics, such as higher requirement to students' logical reasoning, the need for students to have comprehensive problem-solving capabilities, good communication and teamwork skills, etc. The practices of Agile Methodology can be compatible with these characteristics. Therefore, it is a matter of course to integrate Agile Methodology with SDCT. This paper analyses the problems and difficulties in the practices of applying agile teaching in SDCT. In addition, it uses an agile teaching project graph instead of linear teaching schedule to control teaching progress. Moreover, a deep generative model is used to obtain the abstract representation of students' implicit skill status so that the construction and implementation of agile teaching project graph can be carried out. Finally, a deep-learning-based agile teaching framework for SDCT is proposed, which has the potential to positively transform SDCT's future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enrollment in Computing Science university programs is at a dangerously low level. A major reason for this is the general lack of interest in Computing Science by females. In this paper, we discuss our experience with using a computer game construction environment as a vehicle to encourage female participation in Computing Science. Experiments with game construction in grade 10 English classes showed that females enjoyed this activity as much as males and were just as successful. In this paper, we argue that: a) computer game construction is a viable activity for teaching higher-order thinking skills that are essential for Science; b) computer game construction that involves scripting teaches valuable Computing Science abstraction skills; c) this activity is an enjoyable introduction to Computing Science; and d) outcome measures for this activity are not male-dominated in any of the three aspects (higher-order thinking, Computing Science abstraction skills, activity enjoyment). Therefore, we claim that this approach is a viable gender-neutral approach to teaching Computing Science in particular and Science in general that may increase female participation in the discipline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Software testing is the most used technique for quality assurance in industry. However, in computer science education software testing is still treated as a second-class citizen and students are unable to test their software well enough. One reason for this is that teaching the subject of software testing is difficult as it is a complex intellectual activity for which students need to allocate multiple cognitive resources at the same time. A myriad of primary and secondary studies have tried to solve this problem in education, however still with very limited results. Before we can design interventions to improve our pedagogical approaches, we need to gain more in-depth understanding and recognition of sensemaking as it is happening when students design test cases. An initial exploratory study identified four different sensemaking approaches used by students while creating test models. In this paper we present a follow-up study with 50 students from a large university in Spain. The used methodology was based on the previous study with the improvements that originated from its evaluation. We asked the participants to create a test model based on a description of a test problem using a specialized web-based tool for modeling test cases. We measured how well these models fit the test problem, the sensemaking process that students went through when creating the models, and the students' perception of the modeling task. The participants received no compensation for their efforts, and we scheduled the experiment during a regular class. Apart from the created models and their metadata, we also collected recordings of the students' computer screens made during the experiment and used a questionnaire to study their perspectives on the assignment. All the collected textual, graphical, and video data was analyzed using an iterative inductive analysis process to allow new information about the different sensemaking approaches to emerge. We gained better insights into the sensemaking processes of students while modeling test cases for a problem. The results enabled us to refine our previous findings, and we identified new sensemaking approaches. Based on these results, we can further investigate ways to influence the sensemaking process in education, the possible misconceptions that have a negative influence on it, and the desired mental model we want our students to have to design test cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Computer programming learning requires the acquisition of skills to design algorithms. The level of achievement of these skills depends on the student's effort involved to develop a program, as well as the final quality of the product. The level of skills that students achieve in programming courses is diverse, being able to observe significant differences in the degree of effectiveness of the solutions, as well as in the students' learning development time. This paper describes a pilot experience aimed at measuring the incidence of focused practical activities assigned by the teacher through a CMS, as well as the self-regulation carried out by them. These aspects were measured and based on indicators derived from the activities carried out by the students in the CMS. The results are not statistically conclusive regarding the qualifications; however, the experience shows that it significantly improves the information available to the teacher and the student: (1) It provides the teacher with information regarding the ability of each student to solve different types of problems, at different moments during the course directly. (2) It allows the teacher to recommend activities or exercises tending to improve students' learning results, and (3) It provides the student with immediate feedback of the solution developed, to correct it when appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational thinking (CT) is being consolidated as a key set of problem-solving skills that must be developed by the students to excel in our software-driven society. However, in psychological terms, CT is still a poorly defined construct, given that its nomological network has not been established yet. In a previous paper, we started to address this issue studying the correlations between CT and some fundamental cognitive variables, such as primary mental abilities and problem-solving ability. The current work deepens in the same direction as it aims to extend the nomological network of CT with non-cognitive factors, through the study of the correlations between CT, self-efficacy and the several dimensions from the ‘Big Five’ model of human personality: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. To do so, the Computational Thinking Test (CTt) and some additional self-efficacy items are administered on a sample of 1251 Spanish students from 5th to 10th grade ( N = 1251), and the Big Five Questionnaire-Children version (BFQ-C) is also taken by a subsample from the above ( n = 99). Results show statistically significant correlations between CT and self-efficacy perception relative to CT performance ( r s = 0.41), in which gender differences in favor of males are found ( d = 0.42). Moreover, results show statistically significant correlations between CT and: Openness to Experience ( r = 0.41), Extraversion ( r = 0.30), and Conscientiousness ( r = 0.27). These findings are consistent with the existing literature except for the unexpected correlation between CT and the Extraversion factor of personality, which is consequently discussed in detail. Overall, our findings corroborate the existence of a non-cognitive side of CT that should be taken into account by educational policies and interventions aimed at fostering CT. As a final contribution, the extended nomological network of CT integrating cognitive and non-cognitive variables is depicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This volume presents the selected papers of young computational scientists – participants of YSC-2017. Annual Young Scientist Conferences (YSC) in high performance computing, modeling and simulation are traditionally held since 2012 by the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and ITMO University (St. Petersburg, Russia) as the open international events which aim to develop a dialogue about the present and future of computational science with a focus on applications of modeling and simulation solving a wide range of problems of science, industry, and business. The conference has already been organized for six times, which gives us an opportunity for retrospective analysis of conference’ results and trends in high performance computing (HPC). The results are presented in this editorial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars use models and modeling e.g. to examine, explain or demonstrate ideas or phenomena. Modeling combines discipline specific traditions and general methods of modeling together. The interdisciplinary nature of modeling and simulation can sometimes cause challenges to a scientist. This paper identifies eight typical pitfalls a researcher may encounter in a modeling study. The study explains the pitfalls and connects them to the different phases of the modeling cycle. The purpose of the article is to provide some guidance for scientists how to avoid the general traps of modeling and simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communications technology systems are increasingly important to the modern society. Understanding the complex systems, which powers our everyday lives, is an important competence for future experts, since everything is getting connected from the simple household devices to the complex industrial systems. In this paper, a high-level concept for a complex learning environment is presented, which aims to simulate the Internet and offer a realistic environment where ICT (Information and Communications Technology) systems can be further studied. A model of Internet was used as a centre point to interconnect virtualized cases together and a simple, scalable virtualization platform was developed to meet the demands. This study was conducted to assess the performance and scalability of the solution, and test the system user experience and usability issues when under heavy workload. The results indicate that the system is capable of simulating several thousand different devices, and serve as a basis for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate the impact of game playing or designing on girls' perception of Computer Science. • We identify 25 papers to distill a common understanding of the state-of-the-art. • The results show that game playing or designing could indeed improve how girls perceive having a career in CS. • The key aspects are personalization, opportunity for collaboration and presence of female lead characters. The objective of exposing girls to Computer Science as a career option has led to research directed towards gaming activities for girls. These activities include both game play and game design. Research about gaming activities for increasing girls' interest in computer science has gained much attention over the past few years and has resulted in a number of contributions. We follow up with an overview of the status of research through a Systematic Literature Review. We investigate the relation between the various game playing or designing activities and their impact on girls' perception of Computer Science as a career choice. We further present the design consideration for the games and related activities to potentially improve the perception of girls towards a Computer Science career. The applied method is a Systematic Literature Review through which we investigate which contributions were made, which knowledge areas were most explored, and which research facets have been used. We identify 25 papers to distill a common understanding of the state-of-the-art. Specifically, we investigate the effects that the game play/design activities had on girls' perception about Computer Science; and what are the key design factors to be kept in mind while designing a serious game to improve girls' perception about Computer Science. The results of this systematic literature review show that game playing or designing could indeed improve how girls perceive having a career in CS. The key aspects that such activities require are personalizing, opportunity for collaboration and the presence of a female lead character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational thinking (CT) is being located at the focus of educational innovation, as a set of problem-solving skills that must be acquired by the new generations of students to thrive in a digital world full of objects driven by software. However, there is still no consensus on a CT definition or how to measure it. In response, we attempt to address both issues from a psychometric approach. On the one hand, a Computational Thinking Test (CTt) is administered on a sample of 1,251 Spanish students from 5th to 10th grade, so its descriptive statistics and reliability are reported in this paper. On the second hand, the criterion validity of the CTt is studied with respect to other standardized psychological tests: the Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) battery, and the RP30 problem-solving test. Thus, it is intended to provide a new instrument for CT measurement and additionally give evidence of the nature of CT through its associations with key related psychological constructs. Results show statistically significant correlations at least moderately intense between CT and: spatial ability ( r = 0.44), reasoning ability ( r = 0.44), and problem-solving ability ( r = 0.67). These results are consistent with recent theoretical proposals linking CT to some components of the Cattel-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence, and corroborate the conceptualization of CT as a problem-solving ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent improvements, women remain underrepresented in Computer Science (CS) in both industry and higher education. Self-perception and identity play an important role in young women's opinions of careers in CS. We believe that by presenting software programming in a way that facilitates identity exploration early on, young girls will be more likely to consider careers in CS later in life. In partnership with an organization that focuses on technology education for middle school girls we developed a game design workshop in an effort to change young girls' perception of CS by increasing their knowledge of programming and empowering them to develop their own identities as computer scientists. This paper presents the results of a case study with 21 participants that was carried out to evaluate the workshop's short-term influence on young girls' attitudes towards CS. The study employed a mixed methods design, including a pre and post application of a validated survey instrument, focus-group interviews, and content analysis of games developed by the students. The pre and post surveys focused on how students' attitudes towards computing may have been influenced by their participation in the workshop; the focus-group interviews aimed to gain further insight into their workshop experience; and the content analysis of games focused on the learning outcomes of our workshop. The findings suggest that the workshop resulted in improvements in both young girls' attitudes towards CS as well as in their self-reported confidence and competence with computers. These results highlight the importance of providing positive identity exploration opportunities in shaping female students' attitudes towards CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercomputing Centres worldwide, such as BSC, face the challenge of supporting a growing base of HPC users with little or no HPC experience and with mainly scientific background. In addition, HPC training centres feel the need to respond to the clearly observed convergence of Data Science and Computational Science research methods into Data and Compute Intensive Science methods. The goals of the training evaluation are to capture the impact of the training program and to afford an insight in the personal progress of the attendees, as well as to provide understanding how to support the attendees in implementing the learned methodologies/tools in their work. The paper presents the work by BSC Education and Training team to design a suitable exit evaluation and follow-on evaluation to tackle the issues of on-the-job implementation of training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays to explore and examine data from a variety of angles to tackle Big Data problems, to devise data-driven solutions to the most pressing challenges, it is necessary to build multidisciplinary students’ skills set for innovative methods not only for master’s in Data Science programs but in traditional Computer Science programs also. In the paper, we describe how teaching methods and tools, which are used to train students to develop Ontology-Based Data Access systems with natural language interface to relational databases helps Master’s Degree students in Computer Science to collaborate with Data Scientists in real-world interdisciplinary projects and to prepare them for a data science career. We use ontology engineering in a combination with Natural Language Processing methods based on lexico-syntactic patterns, in particular, to extract needful data from structured, semi-structured and unstructured datasets in a uniform way to analyze real-world Russian social networks related to new building area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Block-based programming languages are becoming increasingly common in introductory computer science classrooms across the K-12 spectrum. One justification for the use of block-based environments in formal educational settings is the idea that the concepts and practices developed using these introductory tools will prepare learners for future computer science learning opportunities. This view is built on the assumption that the attitudinal and conceptual learning gains made while working in the introductory block-based environments will transfer to conventional text-based programming languages. To test this hypothesis, this paper presents the results of a quasi-experimental classroom study in which programming novices spent five-week using either a block-based or text-based programming environment. After five weeks in the introductory tool, students transitioned to Java, a conventional text-based programming language. The study followed students for 10 weeks after the transition. Over the course of the 15-week study, attitudinal and conceptual assessments were administered and student-authored programs were collected. Conceptual learning, attitudinal shifts, and changes in programming practices were analyzed to evaluate how introductory modality impacted learners as they transitioned to a professional, text-based programming language. The findings from this study build on earlier work that found a difference in performance on content assessments after the introductory portion of the study (Weintrop & Wilensky, 2017a). This paper shows the difference in conceptual learning that emerged after five weeks between the block-based and text-based conditions fades after 10 weeks in Java. No differences in programming practices were found between the two conditions while working in Java. Likewise, differences in attitudinal measures that emerged after working in the introductory environments also faded after 10 weeks in Java, resulting in no difference between the conditions after 15 weeks. The contribution of this work is to advance our understanding of the benefits and limits of block-based programming tools in preparing students for future computer science learning. This paper presents the first quasi-experimental study of the transfer of knowledge between block-based and text-based environments in a high school setting. The lack of significant differences between the two introductory programming modalities after learners transition to professional programming languages is discussed along with the implications of these findings for computer science education researchers and educators, as well as for the broader community of researchers studying the role of technology in education. • Students who learned with a block-based programming environment outperformed peers who used an isomorphic text-based tool. • In transitioning to Java, there was no difference in achievement between learners coming from block-based or text-based tools. • There were no significant differences in attitudes between block-based and text-based learners 10 weeks into learning Java. • A text-based introduction to coding did not engender more successful Java programming practices than a block-based approach. • The modality of the introductory tool (block or text-based) had no effect on student outcomes after 10 weeks of learning Java. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While already established in other disciplines, integrated degree programs have become more popular in computer science and mathematical education in Germany as well over the last few years. These programs combine a theoretical education and a vocational training. The bachelor degree course “Scientific Programming”, offered at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, is such an integrated degree program. It consists of 50% mathematics and 50% computer science. It incorporates the MATSE (MAthematical and Technical Software dEveloper) vocational training in cooperation with research facilities and IT companies located in and nearby Aachen, Jülich and Cologne. This paper presents the general concept behind integrated degree programs in Germany and the Scientific Programming educational program in particular. A key distinguishing feature of this concept is the continuous combination of theoretical education at university level with practical work experience at a company. In this fashion, students end up being very well positioned for the labor market, and companies educate knowledgeable staff familiar with their products and processes. Additionally students are able to earn two degrees in three years, which is a rare approach for computer science programs in Germany. Therefore, Scientific Programming offers an important contribution towards reducing the shortage in advanced software development and engineering on the German labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-line teacher communities constitute a very popular and dynamic field while they foster a new philosophy for professional development which is characterised as associative, constructivist, reflective, situated, collaborative, and connectivist. This paper reports on the design and the implementation of a learning community consisting of computer science teachers teaching in primary and secondary public schools (K–9), in Greece. The conceptual and the operational dimensions of the on-line community design framework are presented in detail. The architecture of an integrated platform, developed to support the teacher community, as well as the tools and the features it incorporates are also outlined. Finally, we present the findings of a pilot study concerning teachers' presence within the community as well as their views and perceptions of community learning. The results provided supportive evidence of the effectiveness of the design framework and revealed important information with regard to critical indicators of teachers' learning presence within the community, i.e. members' participation, engagement, interaction and cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a process of adaptation of the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR devices for needs of immersive training application. The process was described on the example of virtual 3D human body atlas, created using EON Studio software. The aim of this application is to facilitate and make it more attractive to learn anatomy for students of medical disciplines. Possibilities of the application are, among others: selection of visibility level of certain organs or groups of organs, creation of complex sections in 3 planes and launching animations of selected organs. Application of each selected device required additional programming work. The work included both adaptation of Graphical User Interface for different display resolutions, as well as preparation of communication between integrated orientation tracking systems and the application, because none of the selected low-cost HMDs has a position tracking system, to allow navigation in the virtual space, two low-cost solutions were proposed, as well as traditional approach in form of a professional tracking system. First of the proposed low-cost solutions is application of a dedicated, customized controller built in the PUT VR Laboratory using commercial electronics and 3D printing technologies. The second solution is controlling the navigation via specific gestures recognized by the Kinect low-cost tracking device. After application was developed, a group of students tested all possibilities of interaction with the virtual environment using a professional HMD and both low-cost display and tracking solutions. During the evaluation performed by the test group, features like field of view, weight of devices and general impressions and feeling after prolonged use were taken into consideration. Intuitiveness of the proposed navigation solutions was evaluated separately. The evaluation performed by the test group can be used during work on subsequent versions of the medical educational application and design of new peripheral devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Industry 4.0 vision anticipates that internet technologies will find their way into future factories replacing traditional components by dynamic and intelligent cyber-physical systems (CPS) that combine the physical objects with their digital representation. Reducing the gap between the real and digital world makes the factory environment more flexible, more adaptive, but also demand broader skill of human workers. Interdisciplinary competencies from engineering, information technology, and computer science are required in order to understand and manage the diverse interrelations between physical objects and their digital counterpart. This paper proposes a system architecture for a mixed-reality based learning environment, which combines physical objects and visualization of its digital content via Augmented Reality. It allows to make the dynamic interrelations between real and digital factory visible and tangible. The proposed learning environment is not meant to work as a stand-alone solution, but should enrich existing academic and advanced training curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I explore cross-linguistic rhetorical variation in the Literature Review chapters of 30 computer science doctoral theses written by English L1 (EngL1), Spanish L1 (SpaL1) and English L2 (EngL2) writers. Using Kwan's (2006) genre-analytical framework (Move 1: Establishing one part of the territory of one's own research; Move 2: Creating a niche; Move 3: Occupying the research niche), I particularly examine how writers present their research in Move 3 (M3). The results show the functional importance of M3 strategies in the computer science PhD thesis Literature Reviews. The texts in English present a higher number of occurrences and a wider range of M3 strategies than the SpaL1 texts. However, the SpaL1 texts are more homogeneous in terms of rhetorical distribution. Variation is also found in the linguistic mechanisms that the writers of the three groups use to make themselves visible and promote their work. National writing styles, discipline conventions and language barriers to effective interpersonal communication seem to have an influence on these writers. EAP courses and specific genre-based writing instruction could help junior scholars to successfully manage M3 strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This systematic review examined how CS education was implemented in schools and its efficacy for developing students' computational thinking (CT). • Although educational interventions have not always been successful in CS education, this review provides strong evidence that overall, CS education promotes the development of students' CT in the K-12 setting while improving their creative and critical thinking skills. • When integrated into other subjects, CS education increases students' motivation, commitment, participation, and interest in the subject matter. • We recommend early access to CS education, various innovative instructional approaches to CS education and appropriate support and guidance for student learning. Also, there is a need for professional development opportunities for CS educators. This systematic review examined how computer science (CS) education was implemented in schools and its efficacy for developing students' computational thinking (CT). Sixty-six papers were selected for this systematic review and analyzed for patterns in relation to the implementation of CS education in K-12 schools and its impact on the development of students' CT skills. Although educational interventions have not always been successful in CS education, this review provides strong evidence that overall, CS education promotes the development of students' CT in the K-12 setting while improving their creative and critical thinking skills. We recommend early access to CS education, various innovative instructional approaches to CS education and appropriate support and guidance for student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the idea of quantum computation is becoming more and more popular and there are many attempts to build quantum computers. Therefore, there is a need to introduce this topic to regular students of computer science and engineering. In this paper we present a concept of a course powered by the Quantum Integrated Development Environment (QuIDE), the new quantum computer simulator that joins features of GUI based simulators with inter- preters and simulation library approach. The idea of the course is to put together theoretical aspects with practical assignments realized on the QuIDE simulator. Such an approach enables studying a variety of topics in a way understandable for this category of students. The topics of the course included understanding the concept of quantum gates, registers and a series of algorithms: Deutsch and Bernstein-Vazirani Problems, Grover's Fast Database Search, Shor's Prime Factorization, Quantum Teleportation and Quantum Dense Coding. We describe results of QuIDE assessment during the course; our solution scored more points in System Usability Scale survey then the other tool previously used for that purpose. We also show that the most useful features of such a tool indicated by students are similar to the assumptions made on the simulator functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programming is more than just coding, for, it exposes students to computational thinking which involves problem-solving using computer science concepts like abstraction and decomposition. Even for non-computing majors, computational thinking is applicable and useful in their daily lives. The three dimensions of computational thinking are computational concepts, computational practices and computational perspectives. In recent years, the availability of free and user-friendly programming languages has fuelled the interest of researchers and educators to explore how computational thinking can be introduced in K-12 contexts. Through an analysis of 27 available intervention studies, this paper presents the current trends of empirical research in the development of computational thinking through programming and suggests possible research and instructional implications. From the review, we propose that more K-12 intervention studies centering on computational practices and computational perspectives could be conducted in the regular classroom. To better examine these two dimensions, students could be asked to verbalize their thought process using think aloud protocol while programming and their on-screen programming activity could be captured and analyzed. Predetermined categories based on both past and recent programming studies could be used to guide the analysis of the qualitative data. As for the instructional implication, it is proposed that a constructionism-based problem-solving learning environment, with information processing, scaffolding and reflection activities, could be designed to foster computational practices and computational perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present a new double-degree graduate (Master's) programme developed together by the ITMO University, Russia and University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. First, we look into the global aspects of integration of d ifferent educational systems and list some funding opportunities fro m European foundations. Then we describe our double-degree program curricu lu m, suggest the time line of enrollment and studies, and give some e xa mples of student research topics. Finally, we d iscuss the peculiarities of joint progra ms with Russia, re flect on the first lessons learnt, and share our thoughts and experiences that could be of interest to the international community e xpanding the educational ma rkets to the vast countries like Russia, Ch ina or India. The paper is written for education professionals and contains useful information for potential students. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Teaching systematic object-oriented software development to undergraduate students is difficult: Students need to develop a lot of complex skills. These include technical skills in object-oriented software development, but also social skills—for example, how to collaborate with other developers as part of a team working towards a large and complex software system. To acquire these skills, students need hands-on development experiences—for example, through team-oriented project courses. Designing such project courses is a challenge in itself: They must be both sufficiently challenging and achievable within the limited time available. In our special situation (large numbers of students supervised by small numbers of staff) an important further requirement is scalability: Different projects should be easily comparable while allowing for different tasks for different teams to reduce the risk of plagiarism. The solution that in our experience satisfies all these requirements is to use an application framework for an everyday application domain—for example, the business domain. Since 1997, we have been using Salespoint, a Java-based framework for creating business applications, that has been jointly developed and maintained in Dresden and Munich. In this paper, we briefly recollect the educational background and aims of the courses and present in some detail Salespoint (and its most recent revision, Salespoint2010): central notions like catalogs and stocks, the functionality it offers to users (application control, data management, and much more), a technical overview of its architecture, an example application built with Salespoint, and some lessons learned so far. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Information system security and network security are topics of increasing importance in the information society. They are also topics where the adequate education of professionals requires the use of specific laboratory environments where the practical aspects of the discipline may be addressed. However, most approaches currently used are excessively static and lack the flexibility that the education requirements of security professionals demand. In this paper we present NEMESIS, a scenario generation framework for education on system and network security, which is based on virtualization technologies and has been designed to be open, distributed, modular, scalable and flexible. Finally, an example scenario is described and some results validating the benefits of its use in undergraduate computer security courses are shown. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports the experiment carried out at the University of the Basque Country concerning the integration of the MAgAdI on-line system within traditional teaching/learning methods. MAgAdI is an adaptive web environment devoted to supporting the learning processes in overall contexts, in which several knowledge fields, courses and teachers are involved. So far, a three-year cyclical evaluation-improvement process has been developed on several subjects and participants (n = 80) of a Computer Science degree programme. This process embraced formative and summative evaluation phases with the aim of: discovering the implications of the blended-learning loop on the satisfaction of teachers and motivation of students confirming improvements in student learning; and testing the usability of the Student Workspace. Experimental data were collected by means of a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Results of this study detect improvements in the students' acquisition of knowledge in the three phases where it was evaluated (Wilcoxon-test, p = 0.02, p = 0.048, p = 0.044), which may be attributable to the use of MAgAdI. In addition, increments in student's motivation and teacher's satisfaction were also perceived. Thus, these results agree with previous findings of related works. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent past history of computer systems industry, for decades, the hegemony of a few de facto standards dictated by major proprietary commercial products dominated the Operating Systems (OS) field. In such technological context, conso- nantly to this trend, the knowledge objective focused by academical and training courses on OS-related disciplines has often been addressed more from the stand point of essential theoretical background than of the technical skills for actuation on de- sign and development field. Emerging paradigms, nevertheless, have been rapidly changing this scenario. Among them, the establishment of Open Source concept is boosting the growing diversity of new operating systems; concomitantly, evolution of embedded hardware architectures has make it possible to run sophisticated operating systems where only bare rudimentary, ad hoc system-software were once practical. Aligned along this perspective, this paper introduces a new platform for teaching and training programs on OS development founded on a project-based approach which guides the student throughout the process of designing and programming a sufficiently simple, but yet realistic and fully functional, OS from the scratch. The differential of the present proposal regarding related works is that, instead of either merely inspecting example-code or experimenting with simulators, the apprentice is guided across the challenge of coding an entire new instance of a didactic system specification. A comparison of the companion OS-example with existing alternatives brings out a less complex implementation structure which maps conceptual modules with implementation blocks in an intuitive correspondence and with reduced function cou- pling. Moreover, the learning platform comes with a courseware material consistently linked to the laboratory practices, and aimed at the systemic comprehension of the many related multidisciplinary aspects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is a unique challenge to teach programming and application development to students pursuing an IT degree other than computer science. Using simple visual computing as a medium to teach programming can be very helpful in such situations as it enables programmes that produce pictures rather than raw text and data. This paper describes a semester-long experience of using image processing as the theme in a course to teach programming and program design to students of information systems. Students progressively built a fairly complete image processing application from scratch in a bottom-up fashion using Java. They first concentrated on using low-level constructs like arrays and implemented several operations on them, and then supplemented their programs with features like a GUI complete with “undo–redo” features and capabilities to handle most standard image file formats. Not only did this approach satisfy all the objectives of a typical programming course but also enabled students to develop meaningful applications from scratch with “standard” features. Our classroom was composed of a mix of undergraduate and graduate students lacking sufficient programming background. A comparative analysis shows improvement in student performance when using image processing rather than not. With minor variations, our approach can be fit to courses for other majors where programming is considered useful but not critical. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Computer network course is a professional basic course for computer undergraduates. The practical teaching of computer network plays an important role in the whole teaching process. Practical teaching can help students improve their comprehensive quality, cultivate their innovative spirit and enhance their practical ability. This paper analyzes and discusses the main problems existing in practical teaching of computer network, which are experimental contents, experimental scheme, and experimental teaching methods. Based on talents training objectives of school and the thinking of training innovative software talents proposed by the ministry of education, the solutions to the three key problems are proposed, that is, to optimize and perfect the experimental contents, to construct the experimental environment and scheme based on simulation software, and to adopt multiple practical teaching methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The application of computer skills is the fundamental ones that college students should possess. How to train and test these skills are the primary tasks to be addressed, how to solve it in computer tech teaching. This paper aims to explore the application of the system in examination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As colleges and universities in recent years, the scale of the rapid expansion and the continuing reform of the educational system to improve university teaching management and assessment of classroom teaching workload of teachers in colleges increases every year, its complexity is also rising. The computer teaching reform as the high education reform pioneer has obtained some preliminary results. But how to improve the quality of college teaching has become a common concern to workers in high education issue. Carry out the classroom assessment work is conductive to school leadership and teaching management comprehensively and accurately grasp the teaching of information, strengthen education management, improve work efficiency, saving manpower, material and financial resources to improve teaching management science and decision-making. In this paper, focus on the specific computer teaching university management, data mining technology is introduced into the field of university teaching evaluation. We improve and optimize digital feature extraction model, and by teaching evaluation data mining, on the impact of teaching quality assessment scores of students, teaching a plus, ability to control factors such as class analysis, to find scores of teachers teaching the mapping between the various properties, and uses the data to test and eventually developed based on B / S structure of secondary school teachers in computer teaching evaluation system. It provides a supportive policy decision for education departments, this is helpful to develop teaching management and improve the quality of teaching in a better way. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Information technology is evolving fast and steady over the years providing more and more tools for society to use. There is an increasing need and implementation of computation in the conduct of modern scientific research and experimentation. Computational thinking has been scarcely understood by STEM undergraduates if their majors are not computer sciences. We explore computation projects into existing courses via visualization computational tools to increase the number of STEM students who graduate with discipline specific computational skills. The goal of this paper was to report our efforts for increasing the number of students with experience using computation in science. Discipline specific tools were chosen and implemented in the respective courses, for example Chemsketch in chemistry. Hands-on labs were designed to familiarize instructors and students so it can be helpful to smooth the learning curve in STEM undergraduate students [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Design patterns have become a widely acknowledged software engineering practice and therefore have been incorporated in the curricula of most computer science departments. This paper presents an observational study on students’ ability to understand and apply design patterns. Within the context of a postgraduate software engineering course, students had to deliver two versions of a software system; one without and one with design patterns. The former served as a poorly designed system suffering from architectural problems, while the latter served as an improved system where design problems had been solved by appropriate patterns. The experiment allowed the quantitative evaluation of students’ preference to patterns. Moreover, it was possible to assess students’ ability in relating design problems with patterns and interpreting the impact of patterns on software metrics. The overall goal was to empirically identify ways in which a course on design patterns could be improved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]