Teaching fundamental programming to freshmen is a hard task to be performed, given the high level of abstraction and logical reasoning that are required for these students to develop in a very early stage of their course. This paper presents a discussion about this topic, along with a case study where computer games are meant to be developed by students in a first programming course, through the use of a game engine which allow students to develop fundamental programming skills without having to learn syntax and idiosyncrasies of any programming language.
Abstract. Despite the global scale, the wide range of courses and the high number of enrollments, some challenges have been emerging for the universe of the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), especially those related to project and management aspects. This article aims to identify the main problems faced by the managers of the MOOCs. Hence, an exploratory study was carried out through the analysis of existing publications in academic databases. The results show that after the survey it was possible to identify and analyze six problems, the main one of which was the very low completion rate of this type of course.
In the current context of distance learning, learning management systems (LMSs) make it possible to store large volumes of data on web browsing and completed assignments. To understand student behavior patterns in this type of environment, educators and managers must rethink conventional approaches to the analysis of these data and use appropriate computational solutions, such as educational data mining (EDM). Previous studies have tested the application of EDM on small datasets. The main contribution of the present study is the application of EDM algorithms and the analysis of the results in a massive course delivered by a Brazilian University to 181,677 undergraduate students enrolled in different fields. The use of key algorithms in educational contexts, such as decision trees and clustering, can reveal relevant knowledge, including the attribute type that most significantly contributes to passing a course and the behavior patterns of groups of students who fail.
In distance learning, the professor cannot see that the students are having trouble with a subject, and can fail to perceive the problem in time to intervene. However, in learning management systems (LMS's) a large volume of data regarding online access, participation and progress can be registered and collected allowing analysis based on students' behavioral patterns. As traditional methods have a limited capacity to extract knowledge from big volumes of data, educational data mining (EDM) arises as a tool to help teachers interpreting the behavior of students. The objective of the present article is to describe the application of educational data mining technics aiming to obtain relevant knowledge of students' behavioral patterns in an LMS for an online course, with 1,113 students enrolled. This paper applies two algorithms on educational context, decision tree and clustering, unveiling unknown relevant aspects to professors and managers, such as the most important examinations that contribute to students' approval as well as the most significant attributes to their success.
The use of computer games as learning objects is currently being used as an alternative way to address issues and topics in order to address motivational aspect of students. Digital games can amplify the power of exploration and imagination of students, providing moments of research, reflection and learning. Besides being a strong motivational attractive, computer games could amplify students' potential of exploration and imagination, providing moments that unify recreation to didactics, involving investigation, reflection and learning. The usage of computer games as learning objects is privileged by the playful differential such software category has, compared to conventional learning objects. Using them both in formal and non-formal learning contexts has been proven to be efficient in different aspects. Thus, this paper presents some strategies of using computer games as effective learning tools for students considered as digital natives -or those presenting similar behavioral aspects.
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