Computing education research seminars at Vi3
The Vi3 computing education research seminar series is hosted by UpCERG, Uppsala Computing Education Research Group
and mostly open to everybody interested. Join us online at https://uu-se.zoom.us/j/287192407 or IRL (room 104170).
Each Thursday at 13:15-14:45, seminars on computing education research related topics are given by internal and external speakers or open discussions among those attending. See schedule below.
The seminars are announced at the weekly internal Vi3 information meeting, and also on the Dept. of IT's newsletter läsit https://www.it.uu.se/lesit/.
Note that extra seminars may occasionally be held at other times than mentioned above. Please contact Mats Daniels
if you have questions about the seminar series or if you want to be on the IT-UpCERG-and-friends mail list.
Past seminars can be found 2022 and 2023, where there are links to recordings of some seminars.
Welcome!
Next Seminar
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss KoF/ÖB2024 | Mats Daniels |
Upcoming Seminars
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-03 | 13:15-14:45 | Bridging action and intention with programming by demonstration Abstract: Programming environments that keep the program state visible and directly editable at all times can help learners build a stronger mental connection between code and its behavior. In this talk, I will discuss my work on systems that support programming by demonstration (PbD), a technique that allows one to compose a program by demonstrating it directly on the state. Recent studies on the visual programming language Algot suggest that PbD and similar techniques can enhance learning and performance while reducing cognitive load. I will also discuss some challenges involved with PbD in education and outline future work. |
Sverrir Thorgeirsson |
Past seminars in the Fall 2024
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-29 | 13:15-14:45 | Plans for the fall | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-09-05 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss TUFF applications | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-09-12 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss JSRA applications | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-09-19 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss our web-presence | Mats Daniels |
Past seminars in the Spring 2024
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-11 | 15:15-17:00 | Student presentations in the CER course Abstract: |
Students, Anna Eckerdal, Mats Daniels |
| 2024-01-18 | 13:15-14:45 | Professor presentation Abstract: |
Anna Eckerdal |
| 2024-01-25 | 13:15-14:45 | Research interests Abstract: Related to the project Adapting Computing Education for an AI-Driven Future: Empirical Insights and Guidelines for Integrating Generative AI into Curriculum and Practice |
Niklas Humble, University of Gävle, recording and slides |
| 2024-02-01 | 13:15-14:45 | KoF/ÖB24 Abstract: Discussing text for our research program |
Mats Daniels |
| 2024-02-08 | 13:15-14:45 | Student report: An investigation into social influence in women choosing computer science in Sweden and Bangladesh + Presentations of research interests Abstract: Sweden and Bangladesh, despite their geographical and cultural disparities, both exhibit a shared characteristic of having comparatively low levels of female involvement in computer education. This study investigates the societal factors that influence women’s choices to pursue computer science education in Sweden and Bangladesh. The study examines the historical and current elements that contribute to women’s involvement in this sector, despite the ongoing gender disparities. Using semi-structured interviews, the research finds themes about friends, family, and outside influences in 12 female students from Uppsala University in Sweden and Noakhali Science and Technology University in Bangladesh. The thematic analysis reveals similarities and disparities in family relationships, as well as patterns of both support and discouragement, observed in the two countries. The findings underscore the significance of family support in Bangladesh, particularly about career prospects, whereas Swedish families demonstrate a favorable perception of education. Friendships have a substantial impact in both situations, affecting the degree of support and discouragement. Although acknowledging sample size limits, the study offers insights into how social relations affect women’s educational choices in computing and recommends future research on gender dynamics and cultural impacts in the sector. |
Klara Hugo and Fatama Akter |
| 2024-02-15 | 13:15-14:45 | Update from PAP meeting and further discussions on KoF/ÖB24 | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-02-22 | 13:15-14:45 | discussions on KoF/ÖB24 | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-02-29 | 15:15-16:45 | Teaching Programming in the Era of Generative AI Abstract: As instructors and researchers, we’ve all seen how challenging it can be for students to learn to program. Students need to iteratively learn many skills, such as using correct syntax, tracing code, using common programming patterns, writing code, and testing/debugging the code they write. Struggling with any one of these tasks may mean that the student fails to solve the problem they wanted to solve. In this talk, I’ll explore how Large Language Models (LLMs) like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT can shift the skills needed to succeed at programming and enable more students to become successful programmers. Remarkably, this shift – away from syntax and toward problem decomposition and testing –may also be exactly what many instructors were hoping to be able to focus on in CS1 all along. I will also explore initial findings from our first offering of an introductory programming course that incorporates LLMs (CS1-LLM) at UC San Diego. |
Leo Porter, University of California San Diego recording and slides
|
| 2024-03-07 | 13:15-14:45 | WS on PUMA applications + VR Abstract: Workshop on writing a PUMA application, with examples from old applications + the just opened VR |
Mats Daniels |
| 2024-03-14 | TUK conference https://www.uu.se/medarbetare/fakultet/teknisk-naturvetenskapliga/utbildning-och-undervisning/pedagogisk-utveckling/teknisk-naturvetenskapliga-fakultetens-universitetspedagogiska-konferens |
TUR | |
| 2024-03-21 | 13:15-14:45 | How should we teach debugging to secondary school students? Abstract: This seminar will consider the important question of how to improve the teaching and learning of debugging for secondary students, with a focus on text-based programming languages. We will look at the cognitive, emotional and teacher-related challenges that make debugging an often difficult and frustrating process for young learners, and how future research may address these challenges. Expect some group discussion and a time to share ideas around teaching the powerful process of bug-fixing. |
Laurie Gale, University of Cambridge recording and slides |
| 2024-03-28 | 13:15-14:45 | Easter Break | |
| 2024-04-04 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss VR grants Abstract: |
Mats Daniels |
| 2024-04-11 | 13:15-14:45 | Perceptions of programming Abstract: The talk will first present the current research topics of the CSEd research group at the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) contextualized within the current situation for CSEd / CSER in Germany. The main body of the talk will then be on the work of teaching and learning programming, based on two recent studies that investigate on a very low level how to successfully diagnose misconceptions and on a very high level how students successfully solve problems. |
Andreas Mühling, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education |
| 2024-04-18 | 13:15-14:45 | Discussing FIE submissions Abstract: |
Mats Daniels |
| 2024-04-25 | 13:15-14:45 | Discuss the KoF/ÖB 2024 | Mats Daniels |
| 2024-05-02 | 13:15-14:45 | Enhancing Student Engagement in Software Engineering Education Abstract: In this talk, I will present common challenges encountered in software engineering education and suggest techniques to enhance student engagement, particularly in theoretically dense courses. Drawing from my experience teaching courses such as, requirements engineering and maintenance programming, I will discuss these challenges and present potential solutions. |
Sofia Ouhbi |
| 2024-05-09 | 13:15-14:45 | Ascension Day | |
| 2024-05-16 | 13:15-14:45 | Visit from MDU Abstract: |
Hans Hansson, MDU |
| 2024-05-23 | 13:15-14:45 | Integrative engineering education: exploring the responsibility of technological universities Abstract: The grand societal changes and challenges of our time demand a broader role of technological universities, thus opening the question of how this role has evolved over time and how to understand their current responsibility. This presentation starts from the assumption that not only technological artefacts are not neutral, but that technological universities are not neutral either: through their educational activities, institutional practices and programmatic documents, mottos or vision statements, technological universities embed specific values and convey specific understanding of what engineering is. The presentation is based on a recently published review of the history of engineering education that identifies 5 major orientations of technological universities to discuss (together with the audience) the ideal of an integrative and transdisciplinary engineering education. As such, an integrative model of engineering education can be understood as comprising scientific, market, policy, societal and ecological components. Each of these are linked with a specific definition of responsibility. The presentation contributes to recent debates about the role of engineering education, by putting forward an instrument which can serve as a “transdisciplinary passport” that technological universities can use to map their practice and articulate their identity and associated responsibilities. |
Diana Adela Martin, UCL |
| 2024-05-29 | 12-17 | HCEE/Doctoral consortium Abstract: PhD students in computing and engineering education are welcome to submit their interest in participating in the DC. The mentors will be senior researchers in these areas, from UpCERG and collaborators. Participants will be selected by looking for a diverse set of topics and backgrounds. Thus, PhD students are encouraged to include a brief description of the PhD student's topic (100-200 words) in the registration form for HCEE. While we set April 13th as a preliminary deadline for applications to the DC, PhD students are welcome to submit later if they need more time (please contact Virginia Grande if so). If the PhD student is selected for the DC, further preparations will be requested: an extended abstract of their work by May 24th and a poster to bring to the event. The poster will be used later in HCEE for the networking aspects of the event. |
Virginia Grande, Guest speakers |
| 2024-05-30 | 9-17 | HCEE Abstract: |
Virginia Grande, Maria Kallia, Nhu Truong, Bedour Alshaigy, Kristina von Hausswolff, Heather King, Håkan Forsberg |
| 2024-05-30 | 9.30-10.30 | (Keynote) Chartering the Course: Navigating Computer Science Capital from Pre-University to Graduation Abstract: Computer science as a field of study has grown exponentially, with schools worldwide emphasising its importance in shaping the future workforce. Yet, while the acquisition of computer science capital in school settings often influences students' decisions to pursue higher education in Computing, its role in resilience and persistence at the university level remains complex and multifaceted. This talk builds a narrative into the relationship between computer science capital, academic choices, persistence, and university values and culture. Through a critical lens, it examines how some undergraduate CS students accrue capital not merely for academic success but often as a means of “surviving” the field. However, the fundamental question arises: should the pursuit of computing education be reduced to a matter of survival? Challenging conventional narratives, the talk continues with an exploration of how universities pursue of external goods shapes practices and consequently, students' epistemic values of Computing, questioning whether they foster environments conducive to inclusivity, environments that contribute to the social and common good, and a just and equitable society through computing education. |
Maria Kallia |
| 2024-05-30 | 10.45-11.45 | Session on academic resilience |
Nhu Truong |
| 2024-05-30 | 12.45-14.00 | Networking Session: Flash Connect! Abstract: Flash Connect! is a networking activity where participants start with a quick lightning introduction: sharing who they are, what they do, and why they are present. This information will additionally be displayed on a profile wall so that other participants can express their interest in the connection by leaving a post-it note with their name and contact details. |
Bedour Alshaigy, Kristina von Hausswolff |
| 2024-05-30 | 14.15-15.30 | Capital in education Abstract: Interactive session with academics who have worked on capital, including science capital and computing capital. This session acts as an introduction to concepts that are used in Thom Kunkeler's work, defended the day after. |
Heather King, Maria Kallia, Håkan Forsberg |
| 2024-05-30 | 16.00-16.45 | Netwrking session: Questions around fika Abstract: |Participants will enjoy a fika break while freely socialising around themed tables. Each table will be designated with a specific theme and accompanying questions related to that theme. Participants can choose which table to join based on their interests and engage in discussions. Example themes: mentoring and support, academic publishing, work-life balance strategies, datavetenskap och ingenjörsutbildning i Sverige.| Bedour Alshaigy, Kristina von Hausswolff |
|
| 2024-05-30 | 16.45-17.00 | Concluding remarks/Wrap-up |
Virginia Grande |
| 2024-05-31 | 10-12 | Networking Session Abstract: Networking session (with a break): world café discussion The session adopts a World Café structure to allow participants to engage in dynamic discussions around the key elements of computing and engineering education in Sweden and neighbouring countries that participants expressed in the registration form (point 7). The focus is on exploring shared interests, fostering connections, and potentially creating future collaborations among the academic community in these fields. |
Virginia Grande, Bedour Alshaigy, Kristina von Hausswolff, Camilla Björn |
| 2024-05-31 | 13-16 | LIC seminar: Capital and the Social Reproduction of Inequality in Computing Education Abstract: Computing education in Western countries has traditionally been characterised by low levels of participation and diversity among its student population. In order to broaden participation in the field, it is fundamental to understand the various mechanisms through which power structures and inequality are reproduced. From a Bourdieusian perspective, this licentiate thesis sets out to understand the interaction between capital, class, and habitus which allows a dominant class to thrive at the expense of other classes. Paper I shows that capital serves as a barrier for non-computing students entering the computing field, whereas in Paper II a dominant class is identified as possessing higher levels of capital, which is then related to their higher levels of participation in the field. In addition, Paper I provides insight into the ways the subordinate class internalises and acts upon their lower levels of capital. This licentiate thesis lays out the groundwork for studying capital in computing education by developing and validating research instruments which can be used for further study. In addition, relevant theories to educational participation are discussed, with a particular focus on capital theory. More work is needed to understand the reproductive mechanism through which the dominant class legitimises their capital within the field of computing education, thereby establishing their class position. Future work is recommended in the domain of habitus and capital-inclusive pedagogy. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the reproduction of inequality in computing education by assessing the various mechanisms involved, and designing pedagogy which can be used for successful engagement of students with varying levels of capital. |
Thom Kunkeler |
| 2024-06-06 | 13:15-14:45 | National Day | |
| 2024-06-13 | 13:15-14:45 | Emotions in engineering education Abstract: In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the exploration of emotions within engineering education. Traditionally viewed as solely rational, engineering has often regarded emotions as a threat to decision-making and technological development. This perspective, mirroring broader societal views, is being challenged by contemporary research. Many scholars in engineering education now recognize engineering as inherently social, characterized by intricate interpersonal dynamics, knowledge systems, power hierarchies, and conflicting values. As social relations involve human beings - who constantly and inevitably experience, express, and are influenced by emotions - engineering involves both rationality and emotion. There is a growing realization of the importance of understanding the role of emotions in engineering education, spanning teaching, learning, and professional development. Moreover, educators are increasingly interested in fostering students' socio-emotional competencies and their awareness of how emotions intersect with various aspects of engineering, such as human-centred design, ethical considerations, risk assessment in technology, professional identity formation, and the societal implications of technological advancements. |
Inês Direito, University of Aveiro |