CEISEE 2012 - Shanghai

Recently two members of the Department of Computing (Gary Hill and Scott Turner), University of Northampton went to CEISEE 2012 in Shanghai, the 8th symposium is this series, following on from Northampton last year.

Two papers were presented see http://computingnorthampton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/teaching-and-learning-journal-papers.html in the Journal of Computer Education.

The symposium focused on the teach of Software Engineering and preparing students to be both technically competent but also employable as possible. Perspectives and experiences from China, UK, Germany, France, Ireland and Italy were all presented, discussed and considered; along with the importance and the advantages of transnational programmes. Some very interesting discussions about potential for collaborative research in all these areas were held.

Shanghai was a very pleasant city for this friendly symposium.

student internationally published

A paper has been accepted for publication at The 2012 China-Europe International Symposium on Software Engineering Education (CEISEE’2012), with an finalist student from 2011 as one of the co-authors.

To avoid potential bias for work on student experience during a problem-solving module; from tutors and to get honest feedback, the survey data collection and some of the analysis was carried out by an undergraduate computing student (one of the co-authors Kumuditha Achini Kariyawasam) under an URB@N funded project. URB@N stands for 'Undergraduate Research Bursaries at Northampton'. It is a bursary scheme that offers undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in a pedagogic research project taking place at the University of Northampton

Is it Visual? The importance of a Problem solving Module within a computing course

K A Kariyawasam

S J Turner

G J Hill

ABSTRACT
This paper looks at student’s view of the usefulness of a problem solving and programming module in the first year of a 3-year undergraduate program. The School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton, UK has been investigating, over the last seven years the teaching of problem solving. Including looking at whether a more visual approach has any benefits (the visual programming includes both 2-d and graphical user interfaces). Whilst the authors have discussed the subject problem solving and programming in the past this paper considers the students perspective from research collected/collated by a student researcher under a new initiative within the University.

All students interviewed either had completed the module within the two years of the survey or were completing the problem-solving module in their first year.