DOI: 10.3897/jucs.96347

Authors: Ricardo Caceffo, Jacques Wainer, Guilherme Gama, Islene Garcia, Rodolfo Azevedo

Abstract: Perceptual Learning Modules (PLMs) is a variation of Perceptual Learning based on multiple-choice questionnaires. There exists successful research of the use of PLMs in math and flight training. The possibility of designing and adopting PLMs in Introductory Programming Courses (CS1) is still an open area of study. The goal of this study is to test whether students that received a PLM training on recognising segments of programs will perform better at writing programs. Two PLM interventions were administered to students. The first intervention was a nonrandom controlled experiment, in which students opted to answer the PLM questionnaire (N=40), while the control group consisted of students that did not answer it (N=629). The second intervention was a randomized controlled experiment with a placebo, in which students were randomly assigned to perform either the PLM questionnaire (N=51) or another a placebo activity (N=51). The different forms of analysis of the first experiment results yielded Cohen’s d ranging from 0.23 to 0.34 in favor of the PLM intervention. For the second experiment, the effect size was d = -0.11 against the PLM intervention, but the two results were significant. We believe that the cautious conclusion is that there is a null effect in using a PLM activity as part of a CS1 course. The paper is also of interest because of the methodological decisions and techniques used.

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DOI: 10.3217/jucs-021-01-0134

Authors: Luis De-La-Fuente-Valentín, Abelardo Pardo, Fernando Hernández, Daniel Burgos

Abstract: The provision of awareness is a well-known method for fostering students' self-reflection, a metacognitive skill often related to academic success and considered one of the key skills of the 21st century. Although the information discovered using learning analytics techniques can be useful in fostering self-reflection, its delivery to students should be done without distracting them from their learning goals. This paper presents a visualization technique based on similarity measures and their relationship with final course results, in order to foster students' awareness. The approach is based on the idea that 'students that behave similarly are graded similarly'. This idea is validated with an empirical evaluation to determine the visualization technique's accuracy when used to find a relationship between similarity and grade. The study used a previously collected dataset and several volunteers were asked to estimate the students' scores with graphics provided as the only source of information. The obtained results validate the proposal as a means to foster effective self-reflection.

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