PORTAL FOR INTRODUCTORY INSTRUCTION IN COMPUTER PROGRAMMING

The task of the project was to create an Internet-based universal set of services for a study course “Computer programming” and alike. The services support various academic activities: lectures, tests, tutorials, labs, and unsupervised students work in the course. Many services are united around a database of computer programming problems. Instructors and students are provided with different tools. Instructors use services that help in preparation for classes, automate knowledge monitoring, check the authenticity of problem solutions, work for study motivation of students, etc. Students get access to course lecture notes, problems for solution with automatic solution verification, means of online course discussion with peers and instructors, etc. The portal has been successfully used for four years at the Kharkov University of Radio Electronics, Ukraine.

Knowledge Monitoring Calibration: Individual Differences in Sensitivity and Specificity as Predictors of Academic Achievement

Knowledge monitoring is an important metacognitive process, which can help students improve study habits and thereby increase academic performance. Which is more useful in predicting test performance: knowing what you know, or knowing what you do not know? Two distinct constructs of knowledge monitoring calibration, sensitivity and specificity, were used along with the more traditional Goodman-Kruskal gamma correlation to predict performance on tests in an undergraduate educational psychology course. The gamma correlation provides a measure of how good one is at judging both items one knows and items one does not. Measures of sensitivity and specificity distinguish between the two. Students in an undergraduate educational psychology course completed a 50-word knowledge monitoring assessment to measure sensitivity, specificity, and gamma. These measures were then correlated with test and final exam scores in the course. It was found that sensitivity, a measure of correctly identifying known items, was the most useful in predicting overall test scores as well as final exam scores. Specificity, on the other hand, had no significant impact on exam performance. Results suggest that sensitivity and specificity may be more meaningful measures of knowledge monitoring calibration when it comes to predicting academic achievement, as well as being better adapted for missing values in any one cell of the data. Further research is recommended to determine in what other situations the measures of sensitivity and specificity may be useful. Findings presented in this study can also be used to help guide attempts to improve student metacognition and strategies.

Computerized testing as efficient form of objective knowledge monitoring in studying of technical subjects

Introduction. Objective and regular students’ knowledge monitoring in technical subjects can be implemented by means of special tests allowing for the required mastering level of the matter and the reliable consolidation of the acquired knowledge. Various aspects of the application of tests in the academic activity were considered. Materials and methods. Tests used in practical studies should meet specific requirements, such as: validity, definiteness, simplicity, unambiguity, reliability. The identification of mastering levels makes it possible to “troubleshoot” and to improve the academic activity and the mastering degree of the competences by the students. Based on the assessment of the studying pattern of the forthcoming activity, one could point out four mastering levels of the subject matter. Level I tests include recognition, discrimination and classification. Level II tests monitor the mastering of the subject in the level of “reproduction” allowing for retrieval of information from the memory and its analysis, for routine assignment solutions. Level III tests impose special assignments challenging a student with quests for which no ready algorithms are catered, whereas the solutions found lead to obtaining of subjectively new information. Level IV tests reveal students’ capability to take decisions in new problematic situations, the solutions found, being a result of creative activity, are followed by obtaining of objectively new information. Results. To establish an efficient system of monitoring tests in a certain subject, a number of basic prerequisites is required, such as a data base, a sample group of with the required number of assignments, at least 30 and maximum 70, a time limit in accordance with the required labor intensity, assessment of the assignments and its criteria, the output of the results. Conclusions. If there is a required number of computers of at least one PC per two students, correctly arranged computer testing considerably reduces time demand of a monitoring event, increases the responsibility and the progress of the students, guarantees the objectiveness of the knowledge monitoring and helps to avoid conflicts.