ERIC Number: EJ1064329
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1648-5831
EISSN: N/A
Applying a Contest to Improve Learning in the Information Systems Development--An Interdisciplinary and Extracurricular Approach
Fantinato, Marcelo; Chaim, Marcos Lordello; Morandini, Marcelo; Peres, Sarajane Marques; Tuesta, Esteban Fernandez
Informatics in Education, v10 n2 p195-212 2011
Contests are usually applied in the academic environment to simulate real professional situations that require from the participants a more pro-active attitude than the one shown in conventional coursework. Although they are commonly applied in the scope of a unique course, the contest described here was an extracurricular experience applied in an Information System undergraduate program. The evaluation of the contest is also presented; the objective was to assess the role of the contest as a tool to bring together interdisciplinary subjects, complementary to the traditional disciplinary structure of the program curriculum. The results indicate that a significant portion of the participants noticed increase in their knowledge after the contest, which is verified by statistical tests. However, students from the first stages received more benefits, probably because such students were more motivated and had more available time to be involved in the contest activities.
Descriptors: Competition, Information Systems, Computer Science Education, Extracurricular Activities, Interdisciplinary Approach, Undergraduate Students, Problem Based Learning, Program Effectiveness, Foreign Countries, Qualitative Research, Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis
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/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A