Enhancing the Teaching of Informatics through

Engaging Experience

Martin Cápay

Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, Slovak Republic

Keywords: Cognitive Engagement, Experience Activities, Discovery Learning, Physical Computing.

Abstract: There are plenty of learning approaches today, which are based on well-known educational theories, and

which try to encourage students to active participation in the educational process. Educational activities

designed to acquire knowledge from experience lead students to make own abstract or mental models. This

paper describes a set of experiments being conducted in the delivery of computer science courses using the

encourages creativity, promotes learning by doing and even engaging the whole mind and body. We

conclude that relatively simple teaching aid, mobile devices, special hardware, and well-designed online

programming activities could help to explain even abstract computer science underlying concepts through

the experience sometimes more effectively than through instructional model.

1 INTRODUCTION

The student’s disengagement is a huge problem and

challenge for teachers everywhere. When we think

of student engagement in learning activities, it is

often convenient to understand engagement with

activity as being represented by good behaviour,

challenging or somewhat familiar tasks. Contrary,

students with different goal preferences select tasks

that will enable them to improve their abilities and

skills even if it means being faced with mistakes

(Chen and Pajares, 2010). We need to develop the

internal motivation of the young people and sustain

their interest in acquiring required skills (Skalka and

Drlík, 2018). Modern technology, such as drones

can be used as a motivational tool for engaging

students (Voštinár et al. 2018). We assume the goal

educational process that students become actively

engaged in it, rather than passive recipients of the

presented knowledge.

In spite of that, the critics believe that constructivist

methods may result in potential misconception, a

modern learning theory takes place in problem-

solving situations when the learners developed new

knowledge on their past experience and existing

knowledge to discover facts and relationships and

new truths to be learned. In contrast to the

the primary and secondary schools, which are based

on the several main characteristics of the most

known learning theories and approaches. This paper

Cápay, M.

Enhancing the Teaching of Informatics through Engaging Experience.

DOI: 10.5220/0007759104530460

In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2019), pages 453-460

ISBN: 978-989-758-367-4

Copyright

c

with the world by exploring and manipulating

objects, wrestling with questions and controversies,

or performing experiments.

2 LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE

There are plenty of learning approaches today,

which are based on well-known educational theories,

and which try to encourage students to active

participation in the educational process. The

following approaches can be considered as examples

of learning approaches, which are common in

majority of mentioned learning approaches. The

discipline itself is changing so rapidly, that it is

difficult to introduce students to it without involving

them into the creative process (Foley, 1999).

Elaborate, and Evaluate) encourages students to

explore science concepts and phenomena, construct

their understanding through self-reflection and

interaction with peers, and relate those

understandings to other science concepts so that they

will gradually deepen their understanding of

scientific ideas over time by engaging in practices

that scientists and engineers use (NGSS). Despite

the positive result of using the 5E learning model

science in facilitation and retention in natural

science courses (Ajaja and Urhievwejire 2015),

constructivist learning environment may not cause

the same effects for each (Feyzioğlu and Ergin,

2012).

observation and reflection on that experience, which

leads to the formation of abstract concepts (analysis)

and generalizations (conclusions) which are then

in a new experience. Experience learning theory is

intended to be a holistic adaptive process on learning

that merges experience, perception, cognition, and

behaviour. It is based on a set of assumptions (Boud

et al., 1996) that experience is the foundation of, and

the stimulus for, learning; learners actively construct

their own experience; learning is a holistic process;

learning is socially and culturally constructed;

learning is influenced by the socio-emotional

context in which it occurs. Experimental learning

comprise earlier events in the life of the learner,

current life events, or those arising from the learner's

participation in activities implemented by teachers

and facilitators.

A key element of experience-based learning is

that learner analyses her experience by reflecting,

evaluating and reconstructing it (sometimes

individually, sometimes collectively, sometimes

both) in order to draw meaning from it in the light of

the prior experience (Foley, 1999)

using programmable hardware (Sentence et al.

2017), even helps students to gain confidence in

programming (Rubio et al.). It can be much more

experience because of the focus on ideas, rather than

restrictions (Sentence et al. 2017), students

appreciate building real, tangible devices and report

that physical computing platforms stimulate their

creativity (Hodges et al.)

to explain several facts about the eyes, brain, filters,

and stereoscopic illusion. Students discover the

principles of 3D by their own reasoning. Our vision

Reflect – Apply” supported by using well-designed

questioning. Abstraction and conceptualization are

preceded by the visualization and manipulation of

the objects or commands.

The main goal of the paper is to present how to

manage the lessons to achieve student’s engagement

by experimenting with hands-on material or tangible

devices. This process was evaluated several times,

we observe how to ask the question and which

activity need to be followed. We present the

converter to the Internet. The main goal of our

approach was to present binary notation, to

understand the representation of characters using

binary number using the same numbers of bits, the

transformation the digital into the analog signal, how

to protect the data during transmitting (encryption

and decryption) and to sort them using sequential

and parallel algorithms. All activities were prepared

as computer science unplugged supported by

designed questions. An X-binary coding of alphabets

should be used as an example of engaged activity.

We let the student draw up the rules. Question: “If I

want to send the email, how will I encrypt the

coding, for example, A as 10.” After the discussion,

students must state a common rule for all alphabets

for both parts of communication. They found out the

concepts of standardization. Each part of the

communication needs to have the same rules for

coding. Question: “Here is your coding table. Are

you able to encrypt the text message to binary code

notation and vice versa?” Each group encrypts own

message using binary notation. After that groups

swap the messages and try to decrypt the message

primary school (11 year-olds: 15 participants; 14-15

year-olds: 40 participants), high school (16-17 year-

olds: 30 participants). Finally, we prepared the

participants). The activity should take at least one

lesson. We had a collection of such kind of

activities, so we usually try to connect more lessons

to have a block of activities. The effectiveness of the

approach was evaluated with teachers who teach the

pupils. Most of the theme continuously used this

approach during the lessons. They answered that

students are very satisfied and happy to do this

activity.

We can deduce certain experiential activities

binary to decimal (and vice versa). After the

finishing of the activities, even the youngest

participants could write the simple numbers in

binary form without using the calculators.

main brick took more time that was needed to be

engaged. Plugging and unplugging the robots was

boring and discouraging at the beginning of the

purely interested in programming. The situation was

dramatically changed when the EV3 version,

programmable using the mobile technology, was

released. All teaching aids should be mobile,

connected wireless via Bluetooth. So the lesson

should be more interactive organized even outside

the computer lab.

The researched questions for students are

followed. Use the mobile application to observe the

input and output data from ports. Question: “Could

rotate on the spot?” They learn practically how

motors behave via interactive remote control.

Question: “How to move the robot without the

remote control?” A programming environment is

iconographic based on drag and drop strategy.

Touchscreen technology allows students to interact

with tablet computers in a more natural and

immediate manner. They experience several

commands for a robot moving. Question: “Which

commands and in which order do you need to

We conclude that after finishing the work, the

students were able to connect the robot and control it

using a digital controller, create a simple sequence

properly use the data coming from the sensors. The

direct interaction with the robot is the biggest

advantage of robotics with a mobile device.

Robotics with tablets is much better than the

combination of robots and computer. The lesson is

much more dynamic, and students like it. Touching

the screen means much more direct interaction with

a device than using a traditional input device like a

keyboard and a mouse.

Figure 3: Programming of EV3 robot connected to the

tablet via Bluetooth.

In comparison with the desktop version, the

mobile development environment has only a subset

of commands. The more complex problem should be

probably complicated to solve via the mobile

environment. However, a tablet is better for the first

introductory classes. It is easier for students to

understand the concepts.

conclude the university students were less flexible as

students from the primary school. Primary school

students were more engaged and motivated; they

even try to formulate new tasks.

Ozobot is the miniature programmable robot with

the own intelligence based on randomly generated

decisions. Ozobot will follow Black, Blue, Red and

Green colours. It is able to recognize the colouring

commands by using sensors. At the lowest level of

are interactive games to present a random behaviour.

Question: “How the commands influence the robot

moving?” The game OzoDraw allows us drawing a

robot recognizes specific combinations of coloured

commands (ozocodes) on the basis of which we can

control the direction, speed, timing and special

moves. Students can add flashing codes to the path

(e.g. Fast, Turn Left, Tornado, UTurn etc.). Ozobot

performs prescribed operations immediately after the

reading the code, and so the activity is dynamic and

interactive. Question: „Are you able to navigate the

robot to the final destination in the labyrinth using

all of the limited set of commands?” Students use

behind (Figure 5.).

included. Students solve the other labyrinth, using

coloured markers by adding the ozocodes. They

need to decide where to increase a speed level, to

decrease a speed, where to turn or where to make a

introductory lessons of robotics.

This activity was realised several times at

primary school (11-year-olds: 30 participants), at

40 participants) and finally, we prepared the

workshop for in-service teachers (20 participants).

We can deduce certain experiential activities

conclusions. Ozobot is a simple robot without the

need to design a model, offering a wide range of

programming options. It has a miniature size and a

real resistance to falls. The robot is suitable for the

second grade at the elementary school, but it can

also cover the needs of the secondary school

curriculum in an appropriate range and form. It

designed to make learning and teaching a younger

consists of the ARM chip, memory, buttons,

accelerometer, magnetometer, light sensor,

Bluetooth and pins. Using the crocodile clips, we

can extend the possibilities of this device (Hodges et

al., 2013).

The most interesting micro:bit aids we have

experienced was the Adafruit NeoPixel Digital

RGBW LED Strip. Each LED is colored and

programmable, where every color is made as a mix

of red, green and blue color. We use this strip to

”How to make a falling snow effect?” They need to

use a loop concept and found out how to switch off

the LEDs. If we want to switch off LEDs we need to

set the black colour and switch on the LEDs.

Question: ”How to make a rainbow that is rotated in

discovered.

Figure 6: The microcontroller micro:bit with clips and

LED strip.

remote control micro:bit, that can be used also like

rise of the motivation to learn programming even

among the ‘non-informatics' pupils, among the girls

and the in-service teacher. We conclude that using

BBC micro:bit is the right decision for those who

want the powerful device to learn programming and

to understand the principles of how the hardware

works at the same time. Programming of micro:bit

microcontroller makes computer science fun and

interacts with the outside world through shaking,

tilting, and plotting the LEDs.

Visualization of abstract concepts through

computer science unplugged, as non-formal

education, is an issue that could change the view of

computational thinking. Also, the card tricks should

explain the standard programming concepts such as

shifting, searching and sorting or controlling

checksum. It has been shown that these activities are

helpful. The positive influence of a teacher is a

positive outcome.

in stores designed for developing algorithmic

thinking and even programming thinking from early

childhood. The tablets within the computer science

students. The tablets should be used not only as a

learning tool but also in location-based games, real-

time questioning, and programming.

Evaluation of physical computing concept in

formal education was experienced. We observed that

supporting the programming lesson by using a tiny

programmable computer with a set of sensors and

LEDs is the right way to engage students. We can

prepare a set of tasks presenting the programming

concept using physical computing in such a way that

Programming of micro:bit microcontroller makes

computer science fun and tangible. Students are

engaged because the program interacts with the

outside world through shaking, tilting, and plotting

the LEDs.

According to our experience, we should

conclude that children really learn from their

attempts and errors even in computer science

classes. Generalization should be made after the

experience based on learning tasks. Students used

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The research leading to these results has received

funding from the project Innovative Methods in

Programming Education in the University Education

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