Analyzing human factor impacts of a programming pedagogy strategy at University of Coimbra

This paper presents an ethnographic study, focusing on the human factor impacts, by analyzing the relation of the pedagogical strategy requirements implemented into a regular programming classes with the efficacy of the classroom changes proposed to improve teaching practice and study behavior. The paper summarizes the updates implemented in the Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (IPRP in Portuguese equivalent acronym), the first programming course offered for two undergraduates degrees, Informatics Engineering and Design and Multimedia, by the Informatics Engineering Department at the University of Coimbra. The changes applied in IPRP were inspired by pedagogical strategy recommendations developed in previous research, and its updated version has been run since 2011/12 academic year. The present study reports only the developments observed in IPRP classes from the Design and Multimedia degree through the lecturer's point of view assessments

Thinking about the 2020 SIGCAS membership survey

Last November (2020) the SIGCAS executive board conducted a survey of SIGCAS members to get a picture of who we are, where we come from, what we're interested in, and what the membership would like to see the board do to better fulfill its mission. Based on discussions with the executive board, SIGCAS Vice Chair Lisa Kaczmarczyk implemented the survey using Survey Monkey. As with all surveys one can't get all the information one would like and the more information one tries to obtain, the fewer people are likely to supply it. We settled on eight questions and we received input from 68 people, about 23% of our membership (then just under 300 people---now slightly over). What follows is a presentation of the survey results along with some commentary. How I interpret the data and what I think ought to (or could) be done with the data might not be how you'd interpret the data and think about what ought to be done. And that's a good discussion to have! At any rate, the responses that we've received represent a valuable part of our collective intelligence, consciousness, and visions for the future. The hope is that these will inform out work going forward. Please note that I'm not doing any professional analysis since I'm not qualified to do that. I also suspect that the wisdom we can glean wouldn't be found via additional number crunching. And I would also add that there are dangers to reading too much into survey data. As a precaution I have asked the other board members to take a look at this article so I don't get anything terribly wrong. Just a reminder that the data we have doesn't necessarily reflect the totality of what our entire membership would provide. (Although, as one somewhat validating figure, the percentage of people outside of North America on our roster is about the same as the percentage of people who told us they were from outside North America on the survey, 72%.) Also, I'm trying to avoid the temptation to comment on everything. There's too much material for that. And, obviously, there are too many suggestions and ideas out there for SIGCAS to move on all of them. But based on these responses a multitude of useful information is now available and it should help lead us into productive discussions and actions.

Authoritarianism and anonymity

The Scandal in Academia [32] [33] [34] [35] is an extended fictional case-study intended for use as a teaching and discussion aid for educational practitioners looking to introduce elements of computer ethics into their curricula. Inspired by Epstein [17] [18] it is a full-cycle scenario involving many individuals which touches upon the complexity and interrelations of modern computer ethics. It has been trailed and evaluated as a teaching tool by the authors [36] and with multiple groups since then. However its utility as a general resource is limited without the academic context that supports deeper investigation of the material. It is to address this issue that the authors offer this commentary on the Scandal, with a focus on the ninth and tenth newspaper items presented within. Specifically these are Culture of Fear and Nepotism at University and Witch-Hunts at the University - IT Crackdown Causes Criticisms.

Global issues

The growing role that computing will play in addressing the world's pressing global issues has begun to move to center state, as Big Data for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is now included among the United Nations' Global Issues. The UN summarizes this Big Data issue as "The volume of data in the world is increasing exponentially. New sources of data, new technologies, and new analytical approaches, if applied responsibly, can allow to better monitor progress toward achievement of the SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair" [2], Elsewhere, we have applauded and argued for computing initiatives, including computer science education, that specifically focus on such "pressing social, environment, and economic problems" [1] and we acknowledge our SIGs commitment to directly tackling such issues.

Breaking barriers, building understanding

In entering the digital realm, older adults face obstacles beyond the physical and cognitive barriers traditionally associated with accessibility. One of these obstacles, technology related anxiety, is particularly problematic because it discourages exploration and way finding, two behaviors critical to the development of digital literacy. We see opportunities to address this issue and bring isolated older adults into a larger digital community, while simultaneously offering our students with valuable first-hand experience learning about and addressing the challenges faced by capable people struggling with unfamiliar technology. Here, we describe our social-cognitive approach to training digital literacy skills, pairing university student tutors with learners from the local community.