Understanding the role of single‐board computers in engineering and computer science education: A systematic literature review

Abstract

In the last decade, single‐board computers (SBCs) have been employed more frequently in engineering and computer science (CS) at both technical and educational levels. These devices are of importance to educators and students due to several factors such as the versatility, the low cost, and the possibility to enhance the learning process through technology. However, the implications, possibilities, and constraints of these devices in engineering and CS education have not been explored in detail. In this systematic literature review, we explore how the SBCs are employed in engineering and CS and what educational results are derived from their usage in the period 2010–2020 at tertiary education level. For this, 154 studies were selected out of n = 605 collected from the academic databases Ei Compendex, Inspec, and ERIC. The analysis was carried out in two phases, identifying, for example, areas of application, learning outcomes, and students' and researchers' perceptions. The results of the review mainly indicate the following aspects: (1) The areas of laboratories and e‐learning, computing education, robotics, Internet of Things, and persons with disabilities gather the studies in the review. (2) Researchers highlight the importance of the SBCs to transform the curricula in engineering and CS for the students to learn complex topics through experimentation in hands‐on activities. (3) The typical cognitive learning outcomes reported by the authors are the improvement of the students' grades and the technical skills regarding the topics in the courses. Concerning the affective learning outcomes, the increase of interest, motivation, and engagement is commonly reported by the authors.

Research trends on learning computer programming with program animation: A systematic mapping study

“…These publications were sent to two independent coders. This method was employed by a recent article [4]. Each coder was requested to follow the screening and eligibility criteria.…”

“…A typical SMD employs a rigorous protocol to classify articles and explore trends and gaps left in the literature [4]. However, some limitations are beyond the control of researchers that employ this kind of design.…”

“…This timeframe might have excluded important publications because the first research on the learning benefits of program animation was conducted in 1993 by Stasko et al [134]. However, like other reviews, the advantage of a good SMD is its ability to extract studies that were published within a selected period of importance [4]. A preliminary search of different databases indicates that fewer studies on program animation were published before the year 2000.…”

Integration of Privacy Protection and Blockchain-Based Food Safety Traceability: Potential and Challenges

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Applying Gestalt approach as a method for teaching computer science practice in the classroom: A case study in primary schools in Brazil

“…Gestaltism did not emerge as a pedagogical method such as constructivism (Ariza & Baez, 2022 ; Asoodar et al., 2014 ), Paulo Freire’s pedagogy (Giroux, 2010 ), or Skinner’s behaviorism (Watters, 2021 ). It is a theory of psychology that emerges as a reaction to associationism, combating the idea of fragmentation of perception.…”