Chinese Higher Education Enrollment Policy: Fairness of System for Students’ Choice of University

Since 2012, part of computer science student body at the University of Helsinki has been selected by using a massively open online version of the same introductory programming course that our freshmen take. In this multi-year study, we compare study success between students accepted through the online course (MOOC intake) and students accepted through the traditional entrance exam and high school matriculation exam based intake (normal intake). Our findings indicate that the MOOC intake perform better in computer science studies when looking at completed credits and grade point average, but there is no difference when considering other courses. Retention among the MOOC intake is better than among the normal intake. Additionally, students in the MOOC intake are more likely to complete their capstone project and Bachelor's thesis in the studied time-frame. However, the MOOC intake makes the already skewed gender balance more pronounced. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → Computing education.

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Digital Education For All: Better Students Through Open Doors?

Pirttinen

Leinonen

Lemström

2021

Proceedings of the 26th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education v. 1

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The Digital Education For All project (DEFA) is a joint collaboration of five universities to open first-year computer science courses online and for free to audiences outside of universities. Additionally, students who complete enough courses through the project can apply for a study right at any of the participating universities.Completing university courses as a method of applying for a study right measures students' motivation over a long period of time, and gives the students a clear idea of the content they will encounter during their studies, whereas a traditional entrance exam measures competence only at a single point in time. While high school grades, another typical intake mechanism besides entrance exams, measure generic study skills, course-based intake mechanisms may help with student retention, as students express and gain interest in the field while completing the required courses.This study is a preliminary examination of the student intake of the DEFA project in the University of Helsinki, one of the participating universities, and a comparison of how the students accepted through the project perform in studies compared to students accepted through other intake mechanisms. Students wishing to apply for a study right through this intake are expected to complete one regular study year's worth of first-year computer science and mathematics courses in approximately one calendar year. CCS CONCEPTS• Social and professional topics → Computing education.

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Chinese Higher Education Enrollment Policy: Fairness of System for Students’ Choice of University

Cited by 4 publications

References 17 publications

Matching Impacts of School Admission Mechanisms: An Agent-Based Approach

Matching Impacts of School Admission Mechanisms: An Agent-Based Approach

Admitting Students through an Open Online Course in Programming

Digital Education For All: Better Students Through Open Doors?

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