In the current study interaction data of students in an online learning setting was used to research whether the academic performance of students at the end of term could be predicted in the earlier weeks. The study was carried out with 76 secondyear university students registered in a Computer Hardware course. The study aimed to answer two principle questions: which algorithms and features best predict the end of term academic performance of students by comparing different classification algorithms and pre-processing techniques and whether or not academic performance can be predicted in the earlier weeks using these features and the selected algorithm. The results of the study indicated that the kNN algorithm accurately predicted unsuccessful students at the end of term with a rate of 89%. When findings were examined regarding the analysis of data obtained in weeks 3, 6, 9, 12, and 14 to predict whether the end-of-term academic performance of students could be predicted in the earlier weeks, it was observed that students who were unsuccessful at the end of term could be predicted with a rate of 74% in as short as 3 weeks' time. The findings obtained from this study are important for the determination of features for early warning systems that can be developed for online learning systems and as indicators of student success. At the same time, it will aid researchers in the selection of algorithms and pre-processing techniques in the analysis of educational data.

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among elementary school students' computer experience, computer ownership and their achievement in geometry. Assesed were 297 fourth and fifth grade students from four different school sites. Results showed that students who have computer at home and have an earlier computer experience scored higher in geometry test than those who do not have computers and who do not have any earlier computer experience respectively. Results also showed that the difference is getting wider. It was concluded that measures should be taken to increase computer access in schools located in poorer socio-economic areas to decrease the social disequity. Keywords: Computer experience, geometry, spatial thinking, computer ownership Giriş Bilgisayarın okullarda ve okul dışında kullanımı gittikçe yaygınlaşmaktadır. Özellikle, Dünya Bankası tarafından desteklenen bir proje ile Milli Eğitim Bakanlığına bağlı devlet okullarında 15 000 bilgisayar laboratuarının kurulması öğrencilerin bilgisayar teknolojileri ve uygulamaları ile daha erken yaşlarda tanışmalarını sağlama da önemli bir girişim olarak kabul edilebilir. Bunun sonucu olarak, ilköğretimin 4. ve 5. sınıflarından itibaren bazı okullarda seçmeli ders olarak bilgisayar dersi verilmektedir. Ayrıca, öğrenciler kendi evlerinde de bilgisayarla tanışma ortamı bulmakta; bazı öğrenciler ise bu imkanların hiç birisinden yararlanamamaktadır. Gerek okul içi gerekse okul dışı bilgisayar deneyimlerinin öğrencilerin başarısına ne ölçüde etki ettiği, özellikle de uzamsal düşünme ve geometri başarıları arasında bir ilişkinin olup olmadığının araştırılması gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı ilköğretim öğrencilerinin bilgisayar sahibi olma ve çeşitli bilgisayar deneyimleri ile uzamsal düşünme ve geometri başarıları arasındaki ilişkileri araştırmaktır.

Higher education institutions consider student satisfaction to be one of the main factors in determining the quality of their online learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable, valid, and practical instrument to measure online students' satisfaction as well as to explore the psychometric and theoretical concerns surrounding the construct validity of existing satisfaction scales. The study was carried out in 2017-2018 fall and spring with participants consisting of freshmen who took the online course in a state university (N fall =1585; N spring =1206). In this study exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (Study 1-N EFA =921) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (Study 1-N CFA =664; Study 1-N CFA =1206) were performed to assess the construct validity of the scale's measures. As proof of validity, the effect of gender on satisfaction was examined, for which independent sample t-test was performed. For the criterion validity, the relationship between computer and internet self-efficacy and satisfaction scores of the learners was examined. The finalized version of satisfaction scale, consisting of eight items, demonstrated that the scale is suitable for general use. Suggestions for future researchers and practioners are proposed.

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Programming courses become prominent as one of the courses in which undergraduate students are unsuccessful especially in departments which offer computer education. Students often state that these courses are quite difficult compared to other courses. Therefore, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used to reveal the reasons of the failures of the undergraduate students in programming courses and to examine the difficulties they confronted with programming. In this scope, the laboratory practices of the Internet Programming course were observed in fall term of the 2013-2014 academic year in a university at central Anatolia. Interviews were made with 12 undergraduate students taking this course. Finally, the difficulties students experienced in the programming were determined as programming knowledge, programming skills, understanding semantics of the program, and debugging. Students emphasized that the biggest causes of failure in programming languages are lack of practice, not using algorithms and lack of knowledge. In addition, it was seen that the students who had high programming experience possess higher programming success and self-efficacy related to programming.Keywords: Programming; programming language; programming experience. ÖzProgramlama dersleri, özellikle bilgisayar eğitimi veren bölümlerde üniversite öğrencilerinin en başarısız olduğu derslerden biri olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Öğrenciler bu dersleri diğer derslere oranla oldukça zor bulduklarını ifade etmektedirler. Bu doğrultuda, üniversite öğrencilerinin programlama derslerindeki başarısızlıklarının nedenlerini ortaya koymak ve programlama sürecinde yaşadıkları zorlukları incelemek amacıyla nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan fenomenoloji yaklaşımı kullanılmıştır. Bu kapsamda, 2013-2014 yılı güz döneminde Türkiye'de bir devlet üniversitesinde İnternet Tabanlı Programlama dersinin laboratuvar etkinlikleri gözlemlenmiş ve bu derse devam eden 12 öğrenci ile görüşme yapılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, öğrencilerin programlama sürecinde yaşadıkları zorluklar programlama bilgisi, programlama becerisi, programın mantığını kavrama ve hata ayıklama olarak belirlenmiştir. Öğrenciler, programlamadaki başarısızlıklarının en büyük nedenlerini pratik eksikliği, algoritma oluşturmama ve bilgi eksikliği olduğunu vurgulamışlardır. Ek olarak, programlama deneyimi yüksek olan öğrencilerin programlama başarılarının ve programlamaya ilişkin öz yeterlilik algılarının yüksek olduğu görülmüştür.Anahtar Sözcükler: Programlama; programlama dili; programlama deneyimi.

This research investigated the possible impacts of computers on Turkish fourth-grade students' geometry scores and further geometric learning. The study used a pretest-intervention-posttest experimental design. Results showed that students who did not have computers at home initially had lower geometry scores. However, these differences were minimised with an appropriate intervention containing computer-based Tangram puzzles. This suggests that at schools, it seems more effective to integrate mathematical content and technology in a manner that enables students to do playful mathematical discoveries.

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