Testing Algorithmic Skills in Traditional and Non-Traditional Programming Environments

Autor/inn/en	Csernoch, Mária; Biró, Piroska; Máth, János; Abari, Kálmán
Titel	Testing Algorithmic Skills in Traditional and Non-Traditional Programming Environments
Quelle	In: Informatics in Education, 14 (2015) 2, S.175-197 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1648-5831
Schlagwörter	Information Science Education; Mathematics; Mathematics Skills; Programming; Mathematics Tests; College Freshmen; Problem Solving; Computers; Computation; Exit Examinations; Self Evaluation (Individuals); Foreign Countries; Hungary + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Informationstechnologische Bildung; Mathematik; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematics ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Programmierung; Studienanfänger; Problemlösen; Digitalrechner; Final examination; Abschlussprüfung; Ausland; Ungarn
Abstract	The Testing Algorithmic and Application Skills (TAaAS) project was launched in the 2011/2012 academic year to test first year students of Informatics, focusing on their algorithmic skills in traditional and non-traditional programming environments, and on the transference of their knowledge of Informatics from secondary to tertiary education. The results of the tests clearly show that students start their studies in Informatics with underdeveloped algorithmic skills, only a very few of them reaching the level of extended abstract. To find reasons for these figures we have analyzed the students' problem solving approaches. It was found that the students, almost exclusively, only consider traditional programming environments appropriate for developing computational thinking, algorithmic skills. Furthermore, they do not apply concept and algorithmic based methods in non-traditional computer related activities, and as such, mainly carry out ineffective surface approach methods, as practiced in primary and secondary education. This would explain the gap between the expectations of tertiary education, the students' results in the school leaving exams, and their overestimation of their knowledge, all of which lead to the extremely high attrition rates in Informatics. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Akademjos str. 4, Vilnius LT 08663 Lithuania. Tel: +37-5-21-09300; Fax: +37-5-27-29209; e-mail: info@mii.vu.lt; Web site: http://www.mii.lt/informatics_in_education/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01