Many introductory computer science (CS) courses are intended to address the increased demand for computer literacy and the development of cross-cutting concepts and practices of computational thinking (CT). Colleges and universities offer introductory CS courses every semester toward this end. The issue is centered on how to support CT learning in…

This research investigates university students' success in their first programming course (CS1) in relation to their motivation, mathematical ability, programming self-efficacy, and initial goal setting. To our knowledge, these constructs have not been measured in a single study before in the Finnish context. The selection of the constructs is in…

Group projects are expected in contemporary engineering curricula, and yet they often pose a challenge to students and instructors alike. Could making projects personally relevant help? The present study created and tested a conceptual framework regarding the impact of personal relevance on groupwork in a project-based learning (PBL) course. We…

This doctoral dissertation documents the experiences of women (student and faculty) in computer science programs. The research emerges from the literature on the gender gap in computing and video gaming. Thus, the author seeks to find the meaning that participants have granted to their experiences as undergraduate students and faculty, in a…

Laboratory experience is an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum in most engineering courses. When physical learning is not feasible, and when the demand cannot be met through actual hands-on laboratory sessions, as has been during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual laboratory courses can be considered as an alternative education medium. This…

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools were met with a mix of enthusiasm, skepticism, and fear. AI adoption soared as people discovered compelling use cases--developers wrote code, realtors generated narratives for their websites, students wrote essays, and much more. Calls for caution attempted to temper AI enthusiasm. Experts highlighted…

The goal of the present study was to explore the relations among perceived psychosocial learning environments, instructional modality, motivation, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement in blended computer science education. The participants were 207 undergraduate students enrolled in a blended online and face-to-face design course. We…

There is a significant gap in the number of women who go into college as computer science majors and decide to pursue the field in the workforce. There are challenges present for female students since the start of their education that their male counterparts do not face, which ultimately contributes to this gender gap. Such challenges include a…

Background and Context: Current programming learning research often compares novices and experienced programmers, leaving early learning stages and emotional and cognitive states under-explored. Objective: Our study investigates relationships between cognitive and emotional states and learning performance in early stage programming learners with…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was suddenly necessary to shift college courses online. Many instructors without experience teaching online were faced with decisions about how to structure their courses and support students during the pandemic. In the three introductory STEM courses described in this article, instructors chose to include online…

Data Structures and Algorithms (DS) is a basic computer science course that is a prerequisite for taking advanced information systems (IS) curriculum courses. The course aims to teach students how to analyze a problem, design a solution, and implement it using pseudocode to construct knowledge and develop the necessary skills for algorithmic…

Despite the growing popularity of computing bachelor's programs, women remain vastly underrepresented in these fields. Using Social Cognitive Career Theory and intersectionality as guiding theories, this qualitative study explores how postsecondary institutions shape women's experiences choosing and entering computing bachelor's programs.…

The paper presents research that aims to expose students' understanding of the "this" reference in object-oriented programming. The study was conducted with high school students (N = 86) and college engineering students (N = 77). Conceptualization of "this" reflects an understanding of objects in general and involves aspects of…

Active and collaborative learning has shown considerable promise for improving student outcomes and reducing group disparities. As one common form of collaborative learning, pair programming is an adapted work practice implemented widely in higher education computing programs. In the classroom setting, it typically involves two computer science…

Computer science students often evaluate the behavior of the code they write by running it on specific inputs and studying the outputs, and then apply their comprehension to a more general understanding of the code. While this is a good starting point in the student's career, successful graduates must be able to reason analytically about the code…