Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science: Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based Implementation PDF
Preview Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science: Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based Implementation
Vytautas Štuikys Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based Implementation Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science ˇ Vytautas Stuikys Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education in Computer Science Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based Implementation VytautasSˇtuikys DepartmentofSoftwareEngineering KaunasUniversityofTechnology Kaunas,Lithuania ISBN978-3-319-16912-5 ISBN978-3-319-16913-2 (eBook) DOI10.1007/978-3-319-16913-2 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015941734 SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon ©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2015 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartof the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexempt fromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthis book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained hereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade. Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerInternationalPublishingAGSwitzerlandispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www. springer.com) Preface The technology revolution has resulted in that already today we are living and working in a digital world surrounded by the modern technology infrastructure – the multiple devices (computers, mobile phones, cameras and robots) being inte- grated within networks are a commodity of our lives now. In the near future, however, not only humans and computers but also everyday life items will be interconnectedtocreatethenewcomputinginfrastructure–theInternetofThings (IoT). This move from the ‘interconnected computers’ to the ‘interconnected things’ is a great challenge for the ICT workers, computer scientists and society onthewhole.Itismostlikelythattherewillbetheneedforchangesincomputer science (CS) curricula toprovidethe adequateknowledgetosupportthedevelop- mentofnewapplicationsandservices. Ontheotherhand,todaythereisalsoanevidentshiftinlearningparadigms.The e-learningcommunitycommonlyagreesontheneedofmovingfromtheteacher- centred learning towards the student-centred learning. What are the signs of this paradigmchangeinteachingCStopics?First,thereistheever-increasingnumber ofpublicationsanddiscussionsatalllevels.Second,thereistheclearunderstanding of ever-growing challenges to teach CS in the twenty-first century at all levels: primary,highschoolanduniversity.Thosechallengesarewideningandsharpening continuouslyunderthetechnologicaladvances,socialdemandandmarketpressure. Third,thereisanextremelyhighinterestintheinterdisciplinaryteachingbasedon theSTEM(Science,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics)concepts.Fourth, theMOOCconcept(MassiveOpenOnlineCourses)isalsoatthedoorofCSlecture rooms.Finally,therearesignsofthestudentmind-setschanging.Now,thestudents wanttobemoreindependentinteachingandlearning.Theywanttowinmorewith lessinplanningandcarryingoutactivitiestosupportthefuturecareers. What should be done to respond to those challenges? The first thing is clear understanding at all levels what is happening in the field and around the related areas now. Having in mind the recent initiatives in Europe and worldwide on advancedteachingandlearninginCS,itispossibletostatethatthisunderstanding v vi Preface alreadyexists,perhapsnotyetatalllevels.Next,therealbreakthroughinadvanced CS learning and teaching is hardly possible without new concepts, innovative methodologiesandbetterunderstandingofboththepedagogicalandtechnological issues. I agree with those researchers who argue that the currently existing capa- bilities of technology are not yet exploited in e-learning as fully as that could be. There is still a big gap between technological capabilities and pedagogical approaches.Theseamless integration ofboth technologyandpedagogyshouldbe seenastheprimaryconcernwithadvancingCSeducation.Therefore,agreatdeal of research effort is still needed to close the gap. Our research on the meta- programming-basedgenerativelearningobjects(GLOs)andtheuseofeducational robots in teaching CS topics aims at integrating different technologies with the knownpedagogicalapproaches. Thisbookisamonographrepresentingthecurrentstateofourresearchonthis topic.Theword‘smart’inthetitleshouldbeunderstood(1)asoureffortstoextend generative and adaptive (i.e. context-aware) capabilities of the GLOs using meta- programming, (2) as our efforts to add more and more functions to educational robots in solving CS teaching tasks and (3) as our efforts to integrate the applied technologiesandpedagogicalapproachesasseamlesslyaspossible. Whatarethemostdistinguishingattributesofthebook?Tomybestknowledge, the CS education modelling at the higher level of abstraction using feature-based modelling approaches (borrowed from Software Engineering) is applied and presented for the first time here. Next, the meta-programming-based GLOs with advancedfeatures(suchaspreprogrammedcontext-awareandmultistagerepresen- tation for the content adaptation) have been proposed by the author (again, to my bestknowledgeforthefirsttime).Therefore,itwaspossibletorecallthepreviously researchedGLOsandheretreatthemassmartLOsbyprovidingextendedresearch on those advanced features. This book also provides the more extensive study on the feature model transformations as compared to the book ‘Meta-Programming andModel-DrivenMeta-ProgramDevelopment’(V.SˇtuikysandR.Damasˇevicˇius, Springer, 2013). Finally, the proposed methodology is not just an innovative proposal. The methodology, as a case study, has been already approved, tested andevaluatedintherealsettingtoteachprogrammingfundamentals. How has the book been written? It was written as a result of reconsidering, generalizing, extending and integrating the concepts that can be found in our published papers during the years 2007–2014. During that period, our research groupwasinvolved,amongotherthemes,inresearchingthemethodologybasedon usingmeta-programmingforthee-learningdomain.Theaccumulatedexperience, thecontinuousdiscussionswithmyPh.D.studentsandtheresearchgroupmembers hadalsobeenformethesourceofnewideasthatarereflectedinthebook. Whatisthecontentofthebook?Ihavedividedthecontentintotwoparts.PartI firstdealswiththechallengesofCSeducationinthetwenty-firstcentury,motivates the needs for innovations and then outlines the reuse-based context of the book topics and introduces CS e-learning modelling concept on which basis it was possibletospecify,tocreateandtotesttheso-calledsmartLOs.PartIalsopresents a background of smart LOs from the teacher’s perspective. Part II deals with the Preface vii theoretical background of smart LOs (SLOs) from the designer’s perspective in order it would be possible to create the authoring tools for designing and transformingSLOs tosupport adaptationinlearning. PartIIalsopresentsameth- odologyofcreatingsmarteducationalenvironmentsusingrobotsandSLOsandthe useofthemethodologyinrealsettingtoteachCS(programming). PartIincludes(1)AVisionofSmartTeachinginCS(Chap.1);(2)Understand- ingofLODomainThroughItsTaxonomies(Chap.2);(3)ReuseFrameworkofthe LO Domain (Chap. 3); (4) Modelling of CS Teaching and Learning in Large (Chap. 4); (5) Model-Driven Specification in Designing Smart LOs (Chap. 5); (6) Smart LOs Design: Higher-Level Coding and Testing Aspects (Chap. 6); (7) Enhanced Features of SLOs: Focus on Specialization (Chap. 7); and (8)Context-AwareAdaptationofSmartLOs(Chap.8).PartIIincludes(1)Back- groundtoDesignSmartLOsandSupportingTools(Chap.9);(2)AuthoringTools to Design Smart LOs (Chap. 10); (3) Authoring Tools to Specialize and Adapt SmartLOs(Chap.11);(4)Robot-BasedSmartEducationalEnvironmentstoTeach CS:ACaseStudy(Chap.12;co-authorRenataBurbaite˙);and(5)SmartEducation inCS:ACaseStudy(Chap.13;co-authorRenataBurbaite˙);TermIndex;WhatIs ontheHorizon? Whocouldbethepotentialreaderofthebook?Thebookisdedicatedinthefirst place to the CS researchers; researchers in CS education, especially to those who are interested in using robots in learning and teaching; course designers; educa- tional software; and tools developers. The CS teachers should also be highly interested not only in reading but in studying the adequate chapters as their advancedteachingmaterial.Ihopethatthecontentofthebookwillbeunderstand- abletoanybodywhohasenoughskillinprogramming.Therefore,studentsstudy- ingCS-relatedcourses,especiallymaster-levelandPh.D.students,arealsoseenas potentialreaders.Asthebookincludesthewidercontext(e.g.reusabilityaspectsof e-learning, the whole LO research activities), the other e-learning community members might be interested in the reading of the book as well (especially the modelling of CS education and the integrative aspects of technology and pedagogy). Howshouldthebookberead? There is no specific algorithm in selecting and prioritizing the chapters to be read.Nevertheless,thisdependsonthereader’sstatus,previousknowledgeandhis or her intention. The book is composed using the sequence that it is possible to select easily the chapter or chapters of interest from the title. But I recommend using the following scheme. The senior researchers and policymakers should first readChap.1and,perhaps,allintroductionsineachchapterandthentomovetothe ending sections in each chapter. After that the readers will have the possibility to make the relevant choice for the in-depth studies of what is presented within the chapters. Experts and knowledgeable researchers first could read the introduction and concluding parts of each chapter or some selected chapters depending on the reader’sflavour.Iftheywillfindinterestingideas,theycouldbeinvolvedinmore intensive studies within a particular chapter or even go through the referenced sources. The readers who will select some material as own research topic should viii Preface alsogothroughtheresearchandexercisequestionsgivenattheendofeachchapter beforethelistofreferences. What is about the CS teachers and students? For those readers, the book’s content should be used differently. Chapters 12 and 13 are mainly dedicated to thesecondary(high)schoolteachersandstudents.Forexample,Sect.12.5presents the full scenarios on how to use smart LOs and educational robot-based environ- ments to teach and learn CS topics at the school level. The university-level educators and students should use the book content with regard to their teaching/ learning topics. For example, Chap. 4 is relevant to teach and learn the feature- basedmodellingmethodology;Chaps.5,6,7,8,9,10and11betterfitforteaching andlearningthemodeltransformationtopics.TheeducatorsofCSteachersshould usethebookentirely. Ihopethatthebookwillbeabeneficialmethodologicalinstrument(throughthe useofmultipleillustrativeexamplesandcasestudies)forthoseeducatorswhoare readytoprovidetheinnovativemodelsandmethodsinCSeducation. Kaunas,Lithuania VytautasSˇtuikys Acknowledgements This monograph would be hardly written without the collaborative work and numerous discussions with my Ph.D. students and research group members. First ofall,IwouldliketothankProf.RobertasDamasˇevicˇiusforourveryfruitfuland long-termcollaborationinresearchonmeta-programming(abouttenyearsafterhis doctoral studies). This collaboration has resulted in writing together the book on meta-programming (published by Springer in 2013). Some ideas on generative learning objects, the basics on multistage meta-programming already have been reflectedinthatbook.Thediscussionswithhimonthetopicsofthismonographat thestageofitsplanningwerealsoveryusefulandhavecontributedtotheextension ofmyownideas. The value of this monograph would remain as a pure theoretical work without theexperimentalandmethodologicalcontributionofRenataBurbaite˙,Ph.D.holder andCSteacher(bothatthegymnasiumanduniversitylevels).Shehasconstructed andtestedtherobot-basededucationalenvironmentstoapprovetheideasofsmart CS education in the real teaching setting. Therefore, she has made the main contribution as a co-author in writing Chaps. 12 and 13. Here, in fact, my role wastoprovidetheeditorialworkonly. Iwouldlikealso tothankKristinaBespalova, the Ph.D. student,forthe devel- opmentoftwoauthoringtoolstosupportthecreationandcontext-awareadaptation ofsmartlearningobjects.Theexperimentalinvestigationandapprovalofthebasic conceptsofthemonographwouldbehardlypossiblewithoutusingthetools.Many thanks are also for her technical support in designing a great deal of graphical illustrationsforthebook. ix
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