The Internet has recently encouraged the society to convert almost all its needs to electronic resources such as e-libraries, e-cultures, e-entertainment as well as e-learning, which has become a radical idea to increase the effectiveness of learning services in most schools, colleges and universities. E-learning can not be completely featured and met without e-testing. However, in many cases e-testing tools are suitable just for traditional/theoretical knowledge testing, covered by such items as questions, quizzes, matching boxes and other. The article ``A Method for Automated Program Code Testing'' tackles the lack of functions in e-testing systems and suggests e-assessment possibilities for students who study computer science, especially programming. The article analyzes the method that allows freely entering answers to questions, checking program syntax during the testing and enables automatic written code checking and evaluation.
The paper is aimed to analyse the external expert evaluation results of eContentplus programme's iCOPER (Interoperable Content for Performance in a Competency-driven Society) project's deliverables, especially quality control and Web 2.0 technologies report. It is a suitability report for better practice concerning the use of Web 2.0 technologies and associated quality control mechanisms within the iCOPER best practice network. It aims to outline the key topics and associated standards and specifications found in this community. These illustrate a set of best practice issues for developing educational resources open for remixing and repurposing, tailored to a European dimension. Information relating to both the evidence and experience of using standards and specifications for the delivery of Web 2.0 tools in the community has also been captured. This includes an indication of the most popular technical platforms for content development, sharing and reuse with respect to the new media as well as an indication of quality control methods for them if used. The paper is also aimed to analyse the first results of Lifelong Learning Programme's (LLP) te@ch.us project. The project plans to set up a web community for teachers interested in integrating Web 2.0 in classes at school.
Tutoring systems become complex and are offering varieties of pedagogical software as course modules, exercises, simulators, systems online or offline, for single user or multi-user. This complexity motivates new forms and approaches to the design and the modelling. Studies and research in this field introduce emergent concepts that allow the tutoring system to interact efficiently with potential users, by enhancing ergonomic service, performing response time and allowing better adaptability. The introduction of concepts such as multi-agent systems (MAS) allowed web technology to improve the process of modeling and designing for distance learning, and thus offer convincing solutions. The presentation of some relevant projects that associate MAS to the Web may highlight the benefits of this association in an innovative way.
The topic ``Recurrence relations'' and its place in teaching students of Informatics is discussed in this paper. We represent many arguments about the importance, the necessity and the benefit of studying this subject by Informatics students. They are based on investigation of some fundamental books and textbooks on Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms and Data Structures, Combinatorics, etc. Some methodological aspects of training to solve problems with applying recurrence relations are also given. We hope that the considered topics concern also the school teachers in Mathematics and Informatics and the paper will be useful to them.
The Lithuanian Informatics Olympiads (LitIO) is a problem solving programming contest for students in secondary education. The work of the student to be evaluated is an algorithm designed by the student and implemented as a working program. The current evaluation process involves both automated (for correctness and performance of programs with the given input data) and manual (for programming style, written motivation of an algorithm) grading. However, it is based on tradition and has not been scientifically discussed and motivated. To create an improved and motivated evaluation model, we put together a questionnaire and asked a group of foreign and Lithuanian experts having experience in various informatics contests to respond. We identified two basic directions in the suggested evaluation models and made a choice based on the goals of LitIO. While designing the model in the paper, we reflected on the suggestions and opinions of the experts as much as possible, even if they were not included into the proposed model. The paper presents the final outcome of this work, the proposed evaluation model for the Lithuanian Informatics Olympiads.
In this article we try to show how new devices and methods can help in the education of programming. At Kecskemét College programmable mobile robots and instead of behavioral, the constructivist pedagogical methods were used. Our experiments have proved our hypothesis as the improved new methodical education using devices can give more practical programming knowledge, increases the attitude towards programming and helps to have positive programming self-image. The results of the experimental and control groups were compared at the beginning and at the end of semester, when the programming knowledge and motives were measured. During the learning process only the experimental groups used devices and new methods.
In this paper, we analyze the errors novice students make when developing invariant based programs. In addition to presenting the general error types, we also look at what students have difficulty with when it comes to expressing invariants. The results indicate that an introductory course utilizing the invariant based approach is suitable from the very beginning of university studies in CS without being ``too advanced''. Although inventing the invariant was not found to be trivial, the main difficulty faced by novices when applying a correct-by-construction approach to program development seems to be related to weak skills in translating intuitive and informal statements into a symbolic form using logical notation in general and quantifiers in particular.
The paper aims to analyse several scientific approaches how to evaluate, implement or choose learning content and software suitable for personalised users/learners needs. Learning objects metadata customisation method as well as the Method of multiple criteria evaluation and optimisation of learning software represented by the experts' additive utility function are analysed in more detail. The value of the experts' additive utility function depends on the learning software quality evaluation criteria, their ratings and weights. The Method is based on the software engineering Principle which claims that one should evaluate the learning software using the two different groups of quality evaluation criteria - `internal quality' criteria defining the general software quality aspects, and `quality in use' criteria defining software personalisation possibilities. The application of the Method and Principle for the evaluation and optimisation of learning software is innovative in technology enhanced learning theory and practice. Application of the method of the experts' (decision makers') subjectivity minimisation analysed in the paper is also a new aspect in technology enhanced learning science. All aforementioned approaches propose an efficient practical instrumentality how to evaluate, design or choose learning content and software suitable for personalised learners needs.
The paper presents the part of research for determining the link between technical knowledge of Lithuanian youth and their independence in performing jobs connected with engineering. It has also been attempted to trace whether exists any difference in this respect between the groups of boys and girls. For the research sample, young people from secondary and adult secondary schools, vocational schools, business and technical colleges, as well as university students have been chosen. Tests on theoretical technical knowledge and applied technical knowledge and questionnaire ``Young people and engineering'' have been employed as assessment instruments. The research leads to the conclusion independence in performing technical jobs is an important in acquiring applied technical knowledge for boys, while girls are less influenced by it. Analysis of the link between theoretical technical knowledge and experience gained in this field leads to the conclusion that level of theoretical knowledge of independent girls is higher than that of independent boys.
In order to improve the learning process for students with different pre-knowledge, personal characteristics and preferred learning styles, a certain degree of adaptability must be introduced to online courses. In learning environments that support such kind of functionalities students can explicitly choose different paths through course contents or can be directed to different parts of the instructional material depending on the pace of their advancement in acquiring new knowledge. This paper presents the implementation of such an environment by extending open source learning management system Moodle.