Learning, learning resources, and learning environments in computer science

Overview

"Learning, learning resources, and learning environments in computer science" is a research project in cooperation between Uppsala University and Gävle University, Sweden. The primary goal of is to gain knowledge about how students learn aspects of computer science, in order to improve computer science education.

The underlying perspective is that knowledge is actively constructed by the students, and that the student utilizes a wide variety of resources in the learning process, e.g., text books, lectures, interaction with fellow students, WWW documents, various types of computer support, exercises, projects, etc.

The objectives are to analyze and describe the variation in how learners select and use resources for learning, and how/whether this relates to variations in the ways students understand concepts, principles, etc., within the area of study.

Phenomenographic approach

To this end, a phenomenographic approach is taken. The focus is on

1. introductory courses in object-oriented programming
2. international student collaboration in advanced, project-based courses in distributed systems.

Results

The results are expected to be of interest for a wide range of study programmes at the university level, and also for high school and continuing education. Moreover, they contribute to the area-specific didactics research basis which is a prerequisite for the development of teacher training in computer science. Finally, the project is a stepping stone in the establisment of a graduate education programme in computer science education research.