Problems of Inconsistency and Didactic Functions of ICT Tools in Computer Science Courses

The purpose of the study is to consider problems of continuity of computer science education at the school and university levels. This article analyses the main reasons for the lack of continuity at the tertiary level. The continuity of learning providing the interrelation between different levels of life-long learning is one of the approaches to solve the problem of improving the quality and efficiency of the educational process. The results of the study reveal that different levels of computer science training for school leavers are needed to solve this problem. In respect to the analysis of the main conditions for planning the teaching process, differentiated teaching is recommended as a good solution to the situation.

Student-Collaboration in Online Computer Science Courses – An Explorative Case Study

As a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic, a shift in teaching and learning from face-to-face to video-based online instructional settings has also occurred in higher education. For online teaching, strategies are required to allow collaboration and interaction between learners, similar to face-to-face teaching. Therefore, it is essential to identify how students perceive group work in online classes in order to be able to draw relevant conclusions for the design of online classes. This paper examines the learning climate and the perceived key features of collaborative learning in two different computer science courses with (N = 9) pre-service-teachers in computer science and (N = 7) computer science majors which have taken place in the virtual gathering space gather.town. We chose this platform to provide a wide opportunity for interaction, especially during collaborative group work. Even though we can draw no conclusions that the possibility of interaction in gather.town platform had an impact on the learning atmosphere, results indicate that the learning atmosphere was perceived as similar to that in face-to-face courses. Furthermore, the results based on the qualitative content analysis indicate that students perceived a high activation as working better in online collaboration than in face-to-face settings.

Enriching Undergraduate Mathematics Curriculum with Computer Science Courses

Traditional mathematics curriculum faces several issues nowadays. The gap between course materials and students’ real-life mathematical experiences, the scattering of knowledge in different courses, and the lack of mathematics applications to other subjects all hinder the learning of students. The emerg-ing trends in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence also impel higher education to enrich and refine mathematics education. In order to better incubate students for future, the experience of enriching undergrad-uate mathematics curriculum with computer science courses is introduced in this study. The curriculum is designed and implemented for students who major in applied mathematics to better stimulate the learning, participation, exercise, and innovation. It provides students with comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge for the challenges and industrial requirements now-adays. Evaluations, major findings, and lessons learned from three refined courses are discussed for more insight into the following deployment and re-finement of the curriculum.