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E-learning studies are becoming very important today as they provide alternatives and support to all types of teaching and learning programs. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational systems has further increased the significance of e-learning. Accordingly, gaining a full understanding of the general topics and trends in e-learning studies is critical for a deeper comprehension of the field. There are many studies that provide such a picture of the e-learning field, but the limitation is that they do not examine the field as a whole. This study aimed to investigate the emerging trends in the e-learning field by implementing a topic modeling analysis based on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) on 41,925 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2019. The analysis revealed 16 topics reflecting emerging trends and developments in the e-learning field. Among these, the topics “MOOC,” “learning assessment,” and “e-learning systems” were found to be key topics in the field, with a consistently high volume. In addition, the topics of “learning algorithms,” “learning factors,” and “adaptive learning” were observed to have the highest overall acceleration, with the first two identified as having a higher acceleration in recent years. Going by these results, it is concluded that the next decade of e-learning studies will focus on learning factors and algorithms, which will possibly create a baseline for more individualized and adaptive mobile platforms. In other words, after a certain maturity level is reached by better understanding the learning process through these identified learning factors and algorithms, the next generation of e-learning systems will be built on individualized and adaptive learning environments. These insights could be useful for e-learning communities to improve their research efforts and their applications in the field accordingly.

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of using Facebook on enriching the learning experiences of students in programming learning. In another word, the aim of the study is to detect the reflections from the environment of programming learning where Facebook is used. The study was carried out within the scope of the Introduction to Programming and Algorithm course taught in the software engineering department of the technology faculty of a university in Turkey. Initially, a Facebook group was created to enrich classroom teaching. Sixty-three freshman engineering students taking the course and the faculty members of the department joined the group. The study was conducted for one semester in the fall semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. The Educational Usage of Facebook Scale (EUFS) and semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools in the study. Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed while qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The results obtained in this study show that Facebook has positive effects such as providing a rich content in programming learning, increasing extracurricular communication, offering a cooperative and collaborative learning environment, increasing motivation, and bringing different perspectives as well as negative effects such as causing distraction, decreasing face-to-face communication, and bringing about problems about expressing oneself. As a result, it is possible to assert that Facebook can be efficiently used to support classroom teaching strategies and enrich learning experiences in programming learning. ß

This study analyzes the effects of the use of adapted flipped classroom approach on the programming success, attitudes, and self‐efficacy of the students in learning programming. The study was conducted in the 2016–2017 fall semester with freshman students in Introduction to Programming and Algorithm course in the Software Engineering Department of a university in Turkey. The sample of the study consists of 46 students taking this course for the first time. The quasi‐experimental research method was used in the study. One group pretest–posttest design was employed, and quantitative data were obtained from the students. The scale of attitude toward computer programming, computer programming self‐efficacy scale, computer programming success test, and practice control chart were used as data collection tools. The study results show that the use of this approach in programming learning has a positive effect on the students’ programming success and programming self‐efficacy while it does not affect their attitudes toward programming. Additionally, it is concluded that there is a highly positive relationship between the numbers of students’ fulfilling the programming tasks and their programming success. Another conclusion of the study is that there is a positive relationship at a medium level between the numbers of students’ fulfilling the programming tasks and programming self‐efficacy and their attitudes toward programming. Considering the study results as a whole, it is seen that flipped classroom approach can be adapted to teach programming.

Problem solving is an indispensable part of engineering. Improving critical thinking dispositions for solving engineering problems is one of the objectives of engineering education. In this sense, knowing critical thinking and problem solving skills of engineering students is of importance for engineering education. This study aims to determine the critical thinking dispositions and the problem solving skills of computer engineering students as well as the relationship between them. The study was conducted in a university located in the north of Turkey at the beginning of the 2013-2014 spring semester. The research sample consisted of 186 students attending the faculty of engineering department of computer engineering. The California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) and the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) were used for data collection. The descriptive survey model was employed. The data obtained in the study were analyzed via the independent t-test, the Mann Whitney U-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Pearson's Correlation coefficient. The research results indicated that the students had high-level critical thinking dispositions and problem solving skills. Critical thinking disposition levels of the students did not vary statistically significantly by gender and grade. Similarly, no statistically significant variation was observed in the problem solving skill levels of the students by gender and grade. In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between the critical thinking dispositions and the problem solving skills of students, but it was a low-level relationship.

This study aims to analyze the attitudes of students studying computer programming through the distance education regarding programming, and their self-efficacy for programming and the relation between these two factors. The study is conducted with 104 students being thought with distance education in a university in the north region of Turkey in spring semester of 2013-2014 academic years. Attitude Scale toward Computer Programming (AStCP) and Computer Programming Self-Efficacy Inventory (CPSEI) are used as data collecting tool. The study is conducted within the descriptive scanning model. The data collected during the study is analyzed with Mann Whitney U test, independent t-test and Pearson Correlation coefficient for answering the research questions. According to the results of the study the attitudes of the students regarding programming are generally positive and their self-efficacy for programming are at high level. There is statistically important difference in the attitudes of students regarding programming in accordance with their gender and grade level. Accordingly, their selfefficacy differentiates statistically by these two variables. Finally, it is concluded that there is a positive relation in average level between the attitudes of the students regarding programming and their self-efficacy for programming.