Threshold concepts and threshold skills in computing

Sanders, Kate; Boustedt, Jonas; Eckerdal, Anna; McCartney, Robert; Moström, Jan Erik; Thomas, Lynda; Zander, Carol

doi:10.1145/2361276.2361283

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This coding was done in several iterations. Furthermore, we did an explorative deductive analysis [14] based on the conceptions that Entwistle describes in his model of learner development (section III, Figure 2). …”

Section: A Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Peters

Pears

2013

2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering

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Abstract-In this paper, we develop and illustrate the use of a new theoretical framework to systematically investigate the development of student identity in Computer Science and IT. Identity has been identified as a critical issue in the endeavour to increase students' engagement in Computer Science and related areas. Findings from earlier studies indicate that students' doubts about future engagement are often due to an unfortunate perception of the discipline, that it lacks meaning, which leads to a tendency to dissociate themselves from IT and Computer Science as an area of further study. To understand different ways of experiencing engagement in the discipline as personally meaningful, we have integrated aspects of Lave and Wenger's social theory of learning, especially Wenger's notion of meaning, with a model developed by Entwistle that describes how conceptions of learning and knowledge expand and evolve in the context of the educational experience. We explore the use of this theoretical framework on reflections that we collected from all novice students of the Computer Science and IT engineering programme at Uppsala University, in which the students reflect on their choice of study program, goals, and expectations for education. The theoretical framework is furthermore discussed with respect to our broader research project to study students' identity development in Computer Science and IT as well as the role of education, how it supports or hinders students and how this can be used to inform educational development.

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Section: A Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Peters

Pears

2013

2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering

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“…To date, there is a plethora of research into threshold concepts within a range of subject disciplines, including biology [Ross et al 2010;Taylor 2006;Taylor and Meyer 2010], economics [Davies and Mangan 2007;Davies 2012;Reimann and Jackson 2006;Shanahan et al 2006], engineering [Harlow et al 2011;Kabo and Baillie 2009;Quinlan et al 2013], law [Wimshurst 2011], management [Wright and Gilmore 2012], and spatial science [Srivastava 2012]. Across these articles, there is a belief that the identification of threshold concepts can help instructors discuss approaches to teaching difficult concepts and enable the design of curricula around such thresholds ].…”

Section: Threshold Concepts-an Alternative Approach?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature highlights many examples of students experiencing difficulty with topics such as abstraction Sorva 2010], information literacy [Townsend et al 2011], object-oriented programming [Blake 2011;Goldman et al 2008;Sanders et al 2012;Sorva 2010;], pointers ], program dynamics [Sorva 2010], program memory interaction [Vagianou 2006] and state [ShinnersKennedy 2008], and a Shinners-Kennedy and Fincher [2013] study (informally) identifying several more. Goldman et al [2008] consulted an expert panel of instructors using a Delphi process to identify key topics in introductory computer science courses that "are both important and difficult for students to learn" [p. 2].…”

Section: Threshold Concepts Within Web Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the work on threshold concepts in computing subjects tends to focus around generic topics such as Object Orientation (OO), in particular, abstraction and encapsulation [Blake 2011;Sanders et al 2012;Sorva 2010]. We are particularly interested in threshold concepts in relation to Web development, having witnessed students struggling with, amongst other things, the separation of structure (HTML) and presentation (CSS), responsive Web design, UML (Unified Modelling Language) and object-oriented programming (PHP).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uncovering “Threshold Concepts” in Web Development: An Instructor Perspective

Alston

Walsh

Westhead

2015

ACM Trans. Comput. Educ.

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The field of Web development has evolved and diversified significantly in recent years, and narrowing the gap between the requirements of academia and the demands of industry remains a challenge. Moreover, many faculty members often struggle with knowing "how much" of a particular subject they should teach to their students and at what level. This small-scale, exploratory study seeks to uncover the existence of "threshold concepts" within Web development. Threshold concepts are the fundamental concepts which, once mastered, allow a learner to progress to a deeper understanding of a subject. An online questionnaire was sent out to 24 instructors within UK higher education institutions who teach Web development subjects. Nine participants responded to the questionnaire and interviews were conducted with five to discuss and expand on the responses provided, resulting in the identification of four areas that were perceived as difficult for students to grasp when learning Web development. Analysis of these areas suggests that threshold concepts do exist within the subject and we offer up two candidates for the field of Web development: basic programming principles and decomposition and abstraction. Designing a curriculum based on threshold concepts and less on the latest methods, tools, and techniques can go a long way in helping students to become experts in their chosen discipline.

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“…(See, e.g., [2,4,21]). Along the way, it also led to interesting tangents and variations: a study of how students get unstuck [10], a study of how students experience the "liminal space" (the time when they're struggling to master a threshold concept) [4], and the proposal that in certain fields such as computing, there may be threshold skills as well as threshold concepts [15].…”

Section: Selected Past Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Card sorts, commonsense, and thresholds

Sanders

2014

Proceedings of the 14th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research

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It is easy and sometimes necessary -for example when you're finishing your doctoral thesis -to focus only on your current research project. But what will you do when that project is done? Taking a longer perspective, what is your research agenda for the next ten years?In this talk, I will outline what ten years of research might look like, with examples from a variety of projects I've worked on during the past ten years, and then open the discussion with the question, "What research would you like to do in the next 5-10 years?"

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Threshold concepts and threshold skills in computing

Cited by 26 publications

References 20 publications

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Uncovering “Threshold Concepts” in Web Development: An Instructor Perspective

Card sorts, commonsense, and thresholds

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