| 1. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Experiences from Digital Learning Analytics in Finland and Sweden : A Collaborative Approach
- 2019
-
Ingår i: 42nd International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). - : IEEE. - 9781538692967 - 9789532330984 ; , s. 627-632, s. 627-632
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Digital learning management systems (LMS) are revolutionizing learning in many areas, including computer science education (CSE). They are capable of tracking learners' characteristics, such as prior knowledge, and other learning habits, and may offer more personalized learning or guidance on useful learning practices. LMSs collect large amounts of data. Proper processing of such collected data can offer valuable insights about the learning process, support for higher quality education, insights on why some students drop out of courses, and so on. In this paper, we briefly review and discuss the global trends in digital learning and learning lnalytics (LA), specifically from the viewpoint of two LMS systems and related LA research, one in Finland and one in Sweden. In this paper, we address the context-, and course-specific nature of LA by developing the idea of cross-country and cross-systems learning analytics. Second, we consider our research especially from an educational perspective to identify the most beneficial practices for teachers and students. Third, we discuss, based on findings from our projects, future avenues for research.
|
|
| 2. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
A Scientometric Journey Through the FIE Bookshelf : 1982-2020
- 2021
-
Ingår i: 2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781665438513
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- IEEE/ASEE Frontiers in Education turned 50 at the 2020 virtual conference in Uppsala, Sweden. This paper presents an historical retrospective on the first 50 years of the conference from a scientometric perspective. That is to say, we explore the evolution of the conference in terms of prolific authors, communities of co-authorship, clusters of topics, and internationalization, as the conference transcended its largely provincial US roots to become a truly international forum through which to explore the frontiers of educational research and practice. The paper demonstrates the significance of FIE for a core of 30% repeat authors, many of whom have been members of the community and regular contributors for more than 20 years. It also demonstrates that internal citation rates are low, and that the co-authoring networks remain strongly dominated by clusters around highly prolific authors from a few well known US institutions. We conclude that FIE has truly come of age as an international venue for publishing high quality research and practice papers, while at the same time urging members of the community to be aware of prior work published at FIE, and to consider using it more actively as a foundation for future advances in the field.
|
|
| 3. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
A Scientometric Journey Through the FIE Bookshelf : 1982-2020
- 2021
-
Ingår i: 2021 IEEE frontiers in education conference (FIE 2021). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- IEEE/ASEE Frontiers in Education turned 50 at the 2020 virtual conference in Uppsala, Sweden. This paper presents an historical retrospective on the first 50 years of the conference from a scientometric perspective. That is to say, we explore the evolution of the conference in terms of prolific authors, communities of co-authorship, clusters of topics, and internationalization, as the conference transcended its largely provincial US roots to become a truly international forum through which to explore the frontiers of educational research and practice. The paper demonstrates the significance of FIE for a core of 30% repeat authors, many of whom have been members of the community and regular contributors for more than 20 years. It also demonstrates that internal citation rates are low, and that the co-authoring networks remain strongly dominated by clusters around highly prolific authors from a few well known US institutions. We conclude that FIE has truly come of age as an international venue for publishing high quality research and practice papers, while at the same time urging members of the community to be aware of prior work published at FIE, and to consider using it more actively as a foundation for future advances in the field.
|
|
| 4. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
An OLPC Workshop in Rural Tanzania : Preliminary Results
- 2013
-
Ingår i: 2013 IEEE 13th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies. - : IEEE. - 9780769550091 ; , s. 107-109
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One-to-one computing is an active and widely researched topic in educational technology. Its benefits include, for instance, easily updatable material base, anywhere-anytime learning, adaptability, and simulated experiments in science. The use of one-to-one computing in a developing country context has recently become an active research topic. However, the materialization of the educational benefits requires proper contextualization regarding the necessary pedagogical, organizational, institutional, and other types of adaptation. This paper presents preliminary results from an action research study in a primary school in rural Tanzania. In that study, the utilization of one- to-one computing in a combination with modern pedagogical approaches to teach ICT and health care topics was studied.
|
|
| 5. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Deepening Learning through Learning-by-Inventing
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Journal of Information Technology Education. - : Informing Science Institute. - 2165-3151 .- 2165-316X. ; 12, s. 185-202
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been shown that deep approaches to learning, intrinsic motivation, and self-regulated learning have strong positive effects on learning. How those pedagogical theories can be integrated in computing curricula is, however, still lacking empirically grounded analyses. This study integrated, in a robotics-based programming class, a method of learning-by-inventing, and studied its qualitative effects on students’ learning through 144 interviews. Five findings were related with learning theories: changes in students’ problem management cycle, problem-rich learning environment, conceptions of the nature of computing, extension of deep and surface approaches to problem solving and management, and the use of robotics to facilitate deep learning strategies. Our analysis suggests that a combination of an open learning environment, robotics as the learning tool, and learning-by-inventing provides a conducive environment for deep learning strategies, intrinsic motivation, and self-regulated learning, which are prerequisite conditions for creativity and inventing.
|
|
| 6. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research: An Introduction
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research. - : Springer Nature. ; , s. 1-7
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This chapter is an introduction to the book “Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research: A Global Perspective.” This book uses a mixture of scientometrics, meta-research and case studies to offer a new view about the evolution and current state of computing education research (CER) as a field of science. In its 21 chapters, this book presents new insights of authors, author communities, publication venues, topics of research, and of regional initiatives and topical communities of CER. This chapter presents an overview of the contents of this book.
|
|
| 7. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
From a National Meeting to an International Conference : A Scientometric Case Study of a Finnish Computing Education Conference
- 2022
-
Ingår i: IEEE Access. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2169-3536. ; 10, s. 66576-66588
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computerisation and digitalisation are shaping the world in fundamental and unpredictable ways, which highlights the importance of computing education research (CER). As part of understanding the roots of CER, it is crucial to investigate the evolution of CER as a research discipline. In this paper we present a case study of a Finnish CER conference called Koli Calling, which was launched in 2001, and which has become a central publication venue of CER. We use data from 2001 to 2020, and investigate the evolution of Koli Calling's scholarly communities and zoom in on it's publication habits and internalisation process. We explore the narrative of the development and scholarly agenda behind changes in the conference submission categories from the perspective of some of the conference chairs over the years. We then take a qualitative perspective, analysing the conference publications based on a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. The outcomes include classification of important research clusters of authors in the community of conference contributors. Interestingly, we find traces of important events in the historical development of CER. In particular, we find clusters emerging from specific research capacity building initiatives and we can trace how these connect research spanning the world CER community from Finland to Sweden and then further to the USA, Australia and New Zealand. This paper makes a strategic contribution to the evolution of CER as a research discipline, from the perspective of one central event and publication venue, providing a broad perspective on the role of the conference in connecting research clusters and establishing an international research community. This work contributes insights to researchers in one specific CER community and how they shape the future of computing education
|
|
| 8. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
From Research & Design Milieu to a Living Lab : Ukombozi School in Tanzania
- 2012
-
Ingår i: IST-Africa 2012 Conference Proceedings. - : IIMC International Information Management Corporation. - 9781905824342 ; , s. 155-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One-to-one computing has been proposed as one solution for improving primary school education around the world. Ukombozi School is a public primary school in Mkimbizi village, Tanzania, and the school has performed outstandingly on the district, regional, and national levels. Ukombozi school has 100 XO-1 "children’s laptops", and, in collaboration with a local university, the school is using those computers for teaching pupils basic computer literacy. The school, however, has ambitious plans for the computers. This paper analyses the necessary steps for developing the current research and design collaboration into a fully-fledged living lab, which can be used to studying, further developing, and replicating Ukombozi School’s success.
|
|
| 9. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
New perspectives on the pedagogy of programming in a developing country context
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Computer Science Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0899-3408 .- 1744-5175. ; 22:3, s. 285-313
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Programming education is a widely researched and intensely discussed topic. The literature proposes a broad variety of pedagogical viewpoints, practical approaches, learning theories, motivational vehicles, and other elements of the learning situation. However, little effort has been put on understanding cultural and contextual differences in pedagogy of programming. Pedagogical literature shows that educational design should account for differences in the ways of learning and teaching between industrialized and developing countries. However, the nature and implications of those differences are hitherto unclear. Using group interviews and quantitative surveys, we identified several crucial elements for contextualizing programming education. Our results reveal that students are facing many similar challenges to students in the west: they often lack deep level learning skills and problem-solving skills, which are required for learning computer programming, and, secondly, that from the students’ viewpoint the standard learning environment does not offer enough support for gaining the requisite development. With inadequate support students may resort to surface learning and may adopt extrinsic sources of motivation. Learning is also hindered by many contextually unique factors, such as unfamiliar pedagogical approaches, language problems, and cultural differences. Our analysis suggests that challenges can be minimized by increasing the number of practical exercises, by carefully selecting between guided and minimally guided environments, by rigorously monitoring student progress, and by providing students timely help, repetitive exercises, clear guidelines, and emotional support.
|
|
| 10. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Results From an Action Research Approach for Designing CS1 Learning Environments in Tanzania
- 2012
-
Ingår i: 2012 Frontiers in Education Conference Proceedings. - : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781467313520 ; , s. 830-835
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the most debated areas of computer science education is how to arrange programming courses. One of the debates is concerned with the amount of guidance a learning environment should grant to the learner. This research study reports on development and testing of a model where students work on their homework under guidance, facilitated by active student-teacher collaboration, continuous feedback, and student support. While qualitative results, observations, and student feedback about the intervention were exclusively positive, controlled experiment showed no significant advantage over the control group. This paper reports the results of the experiment described above, and suggests ten hypotheses for further research.
|
|
| 11. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Towards a Framework for Designing and Analyzing CS Learning Environments
- 2012
-
Ingår i: 2012 Frontiers in Education Conference Proceedings. - : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781467313513 ; , s. 600-605
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper focuses on understanding and develop- ing learning environments for computer science education. We present two models that we have successfully used in European and African contexts. The first model, Computer Science Learning Environments (CSLE), presents seven dimensions of computer science courses, which should be considered in learning environment design for computer science. The second model, Investigative Learning Environment (ILE), presents an action plan model, inspired by action research, for combining educational research and computer science teaching. In the empirical section we outline two case studies where these models were used to design and implement computer science learning environments in two different learning contexts. In the first case in University of Helsinki, Finland, we developed and studied a method of learning-by-inventing in a robotics programming course. That course was designed around problem discovery and inventing, and it employed LEGO (R) Mindstorms robots. In the second case in Tumaini University, Tanzania, we designed an environment for studying and improving introductory programming courses. Both models showed to be useful for designing, implementing, developing, and analyzing the courses in both learning contexts.
|
|
| 12. |
- Apiola, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
-
Working Practices in One to One Computing : a Rural Tanzanian Case
- 2013
-
Ingår i: AFRICON, 2013. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781467359405 ; , s. 1-5
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the past two decades computers have become a standard educational tool in the industrialized countries. Recently, equipping each student with a personal device (one-to-one computing, OLPC) has been enthusiastically advocated for developing countries, too. However, despite a number of pioneering research studies, broader analyses of pedagogical, technical, and organizational aspects of one-to-one computing in developing countries are largely missing. In this participatory action research in a rural Tanzanian primary school, we identified a number of pedagogical elements that were beneficial for teaching and utilizing ICT in the classroom. We pinpointed exploratory and self-regulated learning, group problem solving, and constructive principles as facilitators of learning within the one-to-one computing paradigm in this context. Our results show that the introduction of children's computers also triggered a number of changes in dynamics both within the school but also outside the school.
|
|
| 13. |
- Pakarinen, Saila, et al.
(författare)
-
Designing OLPC Learning Environments : A Case on 1:1 Pedagogy in Rural Tanzania
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Africon 2013. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781467359436 ; , s. -5
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the past two decades computers have become a standard educational tool in the industrialized countries. Recently, equipping each student with a personal device (one- to-one computing, OLPC) has been enthusiastically advocated for developing countries, too. However, despite a number of pioneering research studies, broader analyses of pedagogical, technical, and organizational aspects of one-to-one computing in developing countries are largely missing. In this participatory action research in a rural Tanzanian primary school, we identified a number of pedagogical elements that were beneficial for teaching and utilizing ICT in the classroom. We pinpointed exploratory and self-regulated learning, group problem solving, and constructive principles as facilitators of learning within the one-to-one computing paradigm in this context. Our results show that the introduction of children’s computers also triggered a number of changes in dynamics both within the school but also outside the school.
|
|
| 14. |
- Rumanyika, Joel, et al.
(författare)
-
Design and development of Machinga mobile trading application : A participatory and design science research
- 2022
-
Ingår i: African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID). - : Taylor & Francis. - 2042-1338 .- 2042-1346. ; 14:5, s. 1196-1214
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Tanzania, street traders face the challenge of limited markets caused by employing weak marketing and promotion strategies. This study developed a mobile application to solve the problem addressed using participatory design. Qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions and brainstorming from 80 respondents involving both street traders and customers in different workshops and meetings. Data were used for the design and development of the Machinga application. Furthermore, quantitative data for application evaluation were collected from 96 respondents using questionnaires. In addition, 20 interviews were conducted to validate the evaluation results. Thematic and descriptive analysis were performed for both qualitative and quantitative data. The results show that the mobile application has prospective features which solve the problem of limited markets in the street trading community. The application is perceived positively by end-users because of embracing their prior requirements and meeting the evaluation criteria of usefulness, ease-of-use, learnability, and user satisfaction. The study recommends further training of users to enable the application to attain its multiplier effect on the vast population. This study confirms the relevance of participatory design in ICT4D projects for informal workers as it allowed the involvement of end-users and reflected their voices in terms of the technology they desire.
|
|
| 15. |
- Rumanyika, Joel, et al.
(författare)
-
Mobile technology for street trading in Tanzania : A design science research approach for determining user requirements
- 2021
-
Ingår i: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1681-4835. ; 87:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Street trading is an economic activity that is conducted by street traders in numerous urban parts of Tanzania. Street traders use mobile technology to search for markets. This study mapped the wants and needs of Tanzanian street traders and their customers in order to better understand the potential and pitfalls of technology to help their trade activities. Qualitative data were collected using in‐depth interviews with 22 street traders and 22 customers. In addition, two focus group discussions with 20 participants, including street traders and customers, were conducted. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The results identified a number of technology wants and needs shared by traders and customers that would ease the customers' access to products they want, and support the traders to promote their products, locate where the users are, support business growth, and predict sales potential. This research study contributes to understanding the technology needs of one marginalized group in Tanzania. The study facilitates discussion on the suitability of design research in the context of informal worker communities, and it points toward a path for design research of information systems that are grounded on the needs and knowledge of end‐users in their communities and contexts of use.
|
|
| 16. |
- Silva, David, et al.
(författare)
-
Pedagogy of 1:1 Computing in Colombia: A Case Study of Three Rural Schools
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Koli Calling '13. Proceedings of the 13th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research. - New York : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450324823 ; , s. 179-187
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The utilization of one-to-one computing (each students is equipped with a personal device) has slowly started to become available into educational contexts in developing countries. One crucial challenge in relation to the understanding and developing of one-to-one computing related learning and teaching practices in developing educational contexts is the lack of context-situated educational research on the topic. This study participated in addressing the lacks in educational research by exploring the pedagogical strategies utilized in three rural schools in Colombia. The results consist of rich descriptions of teachers’ pedagogical approaches. The results show high empowerment in teachers’ efforts in developing and contextualizing one-to-one related pedagogical approaches into their teaching. Many of the teachers’ approaches were found to be well aligned with a number of constructivist and student-centered pedagogical approaches. This study adds important new educational results to the ongoing scientific discussion about education with one-to- one computing.
|
|
| 17. |
- Tedre, Matti, et al.
(författare)
-
Survey on Mobile Phone Battery End-Life in Tanzania
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Africon 2013. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781467359405 ; , s. 1-5
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tens of tons of mobile phone batteries and other mobile technology are imported in Tanzania every year. It is, however, still unclear what happens to mobile devices in the end of their life cycle. This study combined qualitative and quantitative methods to explore what happens to mobile batteries after their useful lifespan. The study found that one third of the respondents threw away their used mobile phone batteries, while most other respondents re-used batteries or kept them at home. There was very little indication of recycling activities, and knowledge about used mobile device recollection was uncommon. This study found little or no connection between environmental awareness and age, education, gender, or other demographic variables: habits of waste disposal remained the same across demographics.
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
