Angela Carbone | Monash University (original) (raw)
Papers by Angela Carbone
Proceedings of the Fifteenth Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE2013), Adelaide, Australia, Feb 1, 2013
Student evaluations of courses across many Australian universities typically give students the op... more Student evaluations of courses across many Australian universities typically give students the option to comment on the best aspects of a course and those aspects that they believe need improving. Such comments have been collated from students in introductory programming courses at four Australian universities. In this paper we present the results of a thematic analysis to see whether there are common themes to the areas students consider most in need of improvement. We have undertaken this study to gain an understanding of the student concerns in introductory programming courses, in the expectation that a framework could be developed to assist academics with reviewing their courses in subsequent offerings. We have found that at all institutions the main focuses of student comments are the course as a whole and the assessment, although at different universities the comments focus on different aspects of these items.
This paper evaluates a studio-based teaching model in a core first year subject of a traditionall... more This paper evaluates a studio-based teaching model in a core first year subject of a traditionally delivered IT degree at an Australian university. It reports on first year students' reactions to four aspects of the studio-based teaching and learning environment: the physical learning space, IT tools and infrastructure, teaching philosophy, and portfolio assessment. Data was obtained through online Web-based surveys, issued mid-year and at the end of the year. The surveys were used to construct a model of students' satisfaction, including what influences the students' use of the new environment and their perceptions of its value to their learning. Re sults revealed various factors that influence the students' satisfaction of studio-based teaching. Students found the studio precinct an inviting and comfortable place to learn despite some frustrations with IT-related problems. Students' comments indicate the teaching environment facilitated collaboration, and by the end of the year they began to see the course as being better integrated. An unexpected finding of this study was the evidence of students developing metacognitive skills via the portfolio component of the student assessment.
The implementation of a studio-based approach to teaching in the Bachelor of Information Manageme... more The implementation of a studio-based approach to teaching in the Bachelor of Information Management and Systems (BIMS) at Monash University has instituted a new teaching model. A model in which the traditional lecture theatre and tutorial room/laboratory environment is replaced by a model based on the development of collaborative learning communities, and professional practice. This model encourages students to learn and practice the skills and techniques required in the discipline, whilst working in an environment which encourages learning by doing, and which simulates the working environments they will encounter subsequently in their professional careers.
Many lecturers use coursework as the primary mechanism for providing students with feedback on th... more Many lecturers use coursework as the primary mechanism for providing students with feedback on their learning. However, against the models of Laurillard and Kolb which view learning as a cyclical process, they provide little or no scaffolding to support effective assimilation of the feedback by the students. This paper proposes a pedagogical script for using an electronic voting system (EVS) to promote the necessary assimilation, based on the generation of discussion found in Mazur's Peer Instruction method. The script's use in three case studies is described. Staff and students found the sessions beneficial over traditional remediation mechanisms. Over threequarters of the final session was spent in students working on and discussing the misunderstandings apparent in their coursework.
ISBN 0-9580945-0-0 (Internet copy) DETYA No. XXX This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in ... more ISBN 0-9580945-0-0 (Internet copy) DETYA No. XXX This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes subject to the inclusion of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above, require the written permission from the Commonwealth available through AusInfo. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Legislative Services, AusInfo, GPO Box 1920
Unit evaluations across many Australian universities indicate that close to 10% of units in Infor... more Unit evaluations across many Australian universities indicate that close to 10% of units in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) disciplines are flagged as needing critical attention. Poor unit evaluation results may lead to a number of negative consequences including poor student learning. To develop an understanding of the reasons why students rate some ICT units as poor, qualitative responses to Monash's unit evaluation questionnaire were examined from 13 ICT units for semester 2, 2010 that were deemed needing critical attention. Responses from students to the question "What aspects of this unit are most in need of improvement?" were analysed. A partial grounded theory based approach was used to code 281 responses to determine common re-occurring themes. Results show eight broad areas in which units can be improved. However the top concern for students in these units is the lecture content. The implications of our results will help ICT lecturers with plann...
Studio-based teaching is well-established in creative disciplines such as architecture and the ar... more Studio-based teaching is well-established in creative disciplines such as architecture and the arts, but it has been rarely used in the teaching of IT at a tertiary level. The wider use of the studio model for teaching, originally proposed by Schon (1983), has been discussed extensively in the literature, and elements of it can be identified in teaching innovations such as problem-based learning. Students practise skills and techniques and learn new concepts whilst working in an environment that encourages learning by doing, working together and seeking advice or assistance from mentors and tutors. The studio is often an environment similar to that which students will experience in the workplace.
Over the last two decades there have been fundamental shifts in the way teaching and learning are... more Over the last two decades there have been fundamental shifts in the way teaching and learning are perceived and conducted within the tertiary education sector. One is a move from teacher-centred to student-centred education, and another is a move from the traditional to the virtual classroom. However, there are indications that academics and students have not universally embraced this new educational paradigm. A further challenge faced by ICT educators is the rapidly evolving ICT discipline. In an ICT faculty at an Australian university, large-scale curriculum changes to the undergraduate degrees resulted in a set of foundational courses offered to all students in their first year of study. With such major changes, it seemed timely to investigate students' and lecturers' perspectives of the new degrees. Using interviews, similarities and differences between students' and lecturers' perceptions of their educational program were found. The findings are presented under ...
In most introductory programming courses tasks are given to students to complete as a crucial par... more In most introductory programming courses tasks are given to students to complete as a crucial part of their study. The tasks are considered important because they require students to apply their knowledge to new situations. However, often the tasks have not been considered as a vehicle that can direct learning behaviours in students. This paper aims to encourage academics to start thinking about the tasks they set, in particular it explores characteristics of programming tasks that affect student learning and understanding in a first year undergraduate course as part of a degree in Computer Science at Monash University. Attention is paid to features of programming tasks that led to three poor learning behaviours: superficial attention, impulsive attention and staying stuck. The data gathered for this study which describe the students' engagement in the tasks are provided by students and tutors. The paper concludes with a list of generic improvements to be considered when formula...
2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT With the growing use of the Web in university education, increasingly student learning a... more ABSTRACT With the growing use of the Web in university education, increasingly student learning activity is happening outside of the classroom. Consequently it is becoming more and more difficult for teachers to know how their students are going about the learning process. This is of particular concern for the teaching of programming as students typically find this task hard and programming courses often experience high dropout rates. The aim of our research was to explore the study habits of introductory programming students to discover what motivates them to engage in particular activities and use particular resources, and what activities and resources they find valuable for their learning. Twelve introductory programming students were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. From our study we gained a holistic understanding of the students' journeys in learning programming during their introductory programming course. A key finding was that the classroom experience is no longer central to students' learning. Many students had abandoned textbooks and other teacher-provided resources and are heavily reliant on the internet as source of help and of learning.
2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT Technology empowers students but can also entice them to plagiarise. To tackle this prob... more ABSTRACT Technology empowers students but can also entice them to plagiarise. To tackle this problem, plagiarism detection tools are especially useful, not only in popular thinking as a deterrent for students, but also as an educational tool to raise students' awareness of the offence and to improve their academic skills. Commercial text matching tools (e.g. Turnitin) are at a high level of maturity. These tools offer the ability to interact with students, making them suitable for an educational objective. Additionally, they can be readily integrated into learning environments enabling uniform application at an institutional level. On the other hand, computer source code matching tools, despite their successful detection performance, are mostly used as standalone tools that are difficult to adopt at an institutional level. The research presented in this paper describes the trial and evaluation of a tool that is seamlessly integrated into the Moodle virtual learning environment. The tool provides code similarity scanning capability within Moodle so that institutions using this learning environment could apply this tool easily at an enterprise level. Additionally, the educational aspects available in text matching tools have been added into the tool capability. The tool relies on two popular code matching services, MOSS and JPlag, as underlying engines to provide good code similarity scanning performance. The evaluation of the tool from both academics' and students' perspectives indicates a considerable level of interest in using the tool, and supports the suitability of this tool for wider institutional adoption in the computing education community.
Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development ... more Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development and education at Monash University (Australia) investigated the quality of teaching and student learning and understanding in the computer science and software development departments. Edproj's research led to the development of a training program to prepare postgraduate students for their role as teachers. Budget cuts led to the development of the Tutor Training Program, which began in 1996 with the following objectives: (1) to share teaching techniques; (2) to improve tutors' teaching skills; (3) to make tutors aware of the main ideas put forward in lectures; (4) to increase the level of student participation; and (5) to promote tertiary level study skills. The Tutor Training Program drew on the experience gained from Edproj's research in the previous year, which led to insights into barriers to student learning, a bank of strategies for promoting better learning, and a fun...
The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and their increasing use in higher education have provided ... more The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and their increasing use in higher education have provided opportunities for building collaborative learning environments for students. Collaborative experiences are particularly beneficial for preparing students for their future workplace environments. Moreover, the creation and sharing of resources and information as afforded by Web 2.0 technologies can also improve a student's learning experience.
Proceedings of the tenth annual conference on International computing education research - ICER '14, 2014
ABSTRACT Student perceptions of academic integrity have been extensively researched in relation t... more ABSTRACT Student perceptions of academic integrity have been extensively researched in relation to text-based assessments, but there is rather less research relating to non-text-based assessments such as computer programs, databases, and spreadsheets. This paper reports the findings from a survey of computing students and academics to investigate perceptions of particular academic practices with regard to both essays and computing assessments. For each practice the research sought to discover whether it was perceived to constitute plagiarism or collusion and whether it was considered to be acceptable in an academic environment. While there was general agreement between academics and students regarding some practices, both groups displayed high levels of uncertainty about other practices. There was considerable variation between their attitudes to similar practices in the text and non-text environments, and between what was seen as plagiarism/collusion and perceptions of unacceptability. That is, there were practices that were perceived to be plagiarism or collusion but were considered acceptable, and others that were considered not to be plagiarism or collusion but were nevertheless thought unacceptable. These findings suggest a need for academic integrity policies and procedures specific to computing, accompanied by discipline-specific student education.
Proceedings of the third Australasian conference on Computer science education - ACSE '98, 1998
In 1994, a collaborative research project began between the Faculty of Education and the Departme... more In 1994, a collaborative research project began between the Faculty of Education and the Departments of Sojiware Development and Computer Science. The research was aimed at improving the teaching and learning of introductory programming. Results shwed that ~lze ~jor learning of students took place in a tutorial setting. One of the outcomes of the project was a tutor training program
Proceedings of the Australasian conference on Computing education - ACSE '00, 2000
In most introductory programm/n~, courses tasks, are given to students to complete as a crucial p... more In most introductory programm/n~, courses tasks, are given to students to complete as a crucial part of their study. The m,~k~ are considered important because they require studems to apply their knowledge to new situations. However, often the tasks have not been considered as a vehicle that can direct learning behaviours in students.
Proceedings of the Fifteenth Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE2013), Adelaide, Australia, Feb 1, 2013
Student evaluations of courses across many Australian universities typically give students the op... more Student evaluations of courses across many Australian universities typically give students the option to comment on the best aspects of a course and those aspects that they believe need improving. Such comments have been collated from students in introductory programming courses at four Australian universities. In this paper we present the results of a thematic analysis to see whether there are common themes to the areas students consider most in need of improvement. We have undertaken this study to gain an understanding of the student concerns in introductory programming courses, in the expectation that a framework could be developed to assist academics with reviewing their courses in subsequent offerings. We have found that at all institutions the main focuses of student comments are the course as a whole and the assessment, although at different universities the comments focus on different aspects of these items.
This paper evaluates a studio-based teaching model in a core first year subject of a traditionall... more This paper evaluates a studio-based teaching model in a core first year subject of a traditionally delivered IT degree at an Australian university. It reports on first year students' reactions to four aspects of the studio-based teaching and learning environment: the physical learning space, IT tools and infrastructure, teaching philosophy, and portfolio assessment. Data was obtained through online Web-based surveys, issued mid-year and at the end of the year. The surveys were used to construct a model of students' satisfaction, including what influences the students' use of the new environment and their perceptions of its value to their learning. Re sults revealed various factors that influence the students' satisfaction of studio-based teaching. Students found the studio precinct an inviting and comfortable place to learn despite some frustrations with IT-related problems. Students' comments indicate the teaching environment facilitated collaboration, and by the end of the year they began to see the course as being better integrated. An unexpected finding of this study was the evidence of students developing metacognitive skills via the portfolio component of the student assessment.
The implementation of a studio-based approach to teaching in the Bachelor of Information Manageme... more The implementation of a studio-based approach to teaching in the Bachelor of Information Management and Systems (BIMS) at Monash University has instituted a new teaching model. A model in which the traditional lecture theatre and tutorial room/laboratory environment is replaced by a model based on the development of collaborative learning communities, and professional practice. This model encourages students to learn and practice the skills and techniques required in the discipline, whilst working in an environment which encourages learning by doing, and which simulates the working environments they will encounter subsequently in their professional careers.
Many lecturers use coursework as the primary mechanism for providing students with feedback on th... more Many lecturers use coursework as the primary mechanism for providing students with feedback on their learning. However, against the models of Laurillard and Kolb which view learning as a cyclical process, they provide little or no scaffolding to support effective assimilation of the feedback by the students. This paper proposes a pedagogical script for using an electronic voting system (EVS) to promote the necessary assimilation, based on the generation of discussion found in Mazur's Peer Instruction method. The script's use in three case studies is described. Staff and students found the sessions beneficial over traditional remediation mechanisms. Over threequarters of the final session was spent in students working on and discussing the misunderstandings apparent in their coursework.
ISBN 0-9580945-0-0 (Internet copy) DETYA No. XXX This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in ... more ISBN 0-9580945-0-0 (Internet copy) DETYA No. XXX This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes subject to the inclusion of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above, require the written permission from the Commonwealth available through AusInfo. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Legislative Services, AusInfo, GPO Box 1920
Unit evaluations across many Australian universities indicate that close to 10% of units in Infor... more Unit evaluations across many Australian universities indicate that close to 10% of units in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) disciplines are flagged as needing critical attention. Poor unit evaluation results may lead to a number of negative consequences including poor student learning. To develop an understanding of the reasons why students rate some ICT units as poor, qualitative responses to Monash's unit evaluation questionnaire were examined from 13 ICT units for semester 2, 2010 that were deemed needing critical attention. Responses from students to the question "What aspects of this unit are most in need of improvement?" were analysed. A partial grounded theory based approach was used to code 281 responses to determine common re-occurring themes. Results show eight broad areas in which units can be improved. However the top concern for students in these units is the lecture content. The implications of our results will help ICT lecturers with plann...
Studio-based teaching is well-established in creative disciplines such as architecture and the ar... more Studio-based teaching is well-established in creative disciplines such as architecture and the arts, but it has been rarely used in the teaching of IT at a tertiary level. The wider use of the studio model for teaching, originally proposed by Schon (1983), has been discussed extensively in the literature, and elements of it can be identified in teaching innovations such as problem-based learning. Students practise skills and techniques and learn new concepts whilst working in an environment that encourages learning by doing, working together and seeking advice or assistance from mentors and tutors. The studio is often an environment similar to that which students will experience in the workplace.
Over the last two decades there have been fundamental shifts in the way teaching and learning are... more Over the last two decades there have been fundamental shifts in the way teaching and learning are perceived and conducted within the tertiary education sector. One is a move from teacher-centred to student-centred education, and another is a move from the traditional to the virtual classroom. However, there are indications that academics and students have not universally embraced this new educational paradigm. A further challenge faced by ICT educators is the rapidly evolving ICT discipline. In an ICT faculty at an Australian university, large-scale curriculum changes to the undergraduate degrees resulted in a set of foundational courses offered to all students in their first year of study. With such major changes, it seemed timely to investigate students' and lecturers' perspectives of the new degrees. Using interviews, similarities and differences between students' and lecturers' perceptions of their educational program were found. The findings are presented under ...
In most introductory programming courses tasks are given to students to complete as a crucial par... more In most introductory programming courses tasks are given to students to complete as a crucial part of their study. The tasks are considered important because they require students to apply their knowledge to new situations. However, often the tasks have not been considered as a vehicle that can direct learning behaviours in students. This paper aims to encourage academics to start thinking about the tasks they set, in particular it explores characteristics of programming tasks that affect student learning and understanding in a first year undergraduate course as part of a degree in Computer Science at Monash University. Attention is paid to features of programming tasks that led to three poor learning behaviours: superficial attention, impulsive attention and staying stuck. The data gathered for this study which describe the students' engagement in the tasks are provided by students and tutors. The paper concludes with a list of generic improvements to be considered when formula...
2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT With the growing use of the Web in university education, increasingly student learning a... more ABSTRACT With the growing use of the Web in university education, increasingly student learning activity is happening outside of the classroom. Consequently it is becoming more and more difficult for teachers to know how their students are going about the learning process. This is of particular concern for the teaching of programming as students typically find this task hard and programming courses often experience high dropout rates. The aim of our research was to explore the study habits of introductory programming students to discover what motivates them to engage in particular activities and use particular resources, and what activities and resources they find valuable for their learning. Twelve introductory programming students were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. From our study we gained a holistic understanding of the students' journeys in learning programming during their introductory programming course. A key finding was that the classroom experience is no longer central to students' learning. Many students had abandoned textbooks and other teacher-provided resources and are heavily reliant on the internet as source of help and of learning.
2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT Technology empowers students but can also entice them to plagiarise. To tackle this prob... more ABSTRACT Technology empowers students but can also entice them to plagiarise. To tackle this problem, plagiarism detection tools are especially useful, not only in popular thinking as a deterrent for students, but also as an educational tool to raise students' awareness of the offence and to improve their academic skills. Commercial text matching tools (e.g. Turnitin) are at a high level of maturity. These tools offer the ability to interact with students, making them suitable for an educational objective. Additionally, they can be readily integrated into learning environments enabling uniform application at an institutional level. On the other hand, computer source code matching tools, despite their successful detection performance, are mostly used as standalone tools that are difficult to adopt at an institutional level. The research presented in this paper describes the trial and evaluation of a tool that is seamlessly integrated into the Moodle virtual learning environment. The tool provides code similarity scanning capability within Moodle so that institutions using this learning environment could apply this tool easily at an enterprise level. Additionally, the educational aspects available in text matching tools have been added into the tool capability. The tool relies on two popular code matching services, MOSS and JPlag, as underlying engines to provide good code similarity scanning performance. The evaluation of the tool from both academics' and students' perspectives indicates a considerable level of interest in using the tool, and supports the suitability of this tool for wider institutional adoption in the computing education community.
Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development ... more Edproj, a project team of faculty from the departments of computer science, software development and education at Monash University (Australia) investigated the quality of teaching and student learning and understanding in the computer science and software development departments. Edproj's research led to the development of a training program to prepare postgraduate students for their role as teachers. Budget cuts led to the development of the Tutor Training Program, which began in 1996 with the following objectives: (1) to share teaching techniques; (2) to improve tutors' teaching skills; (3) to make tutors aware of the main ideas put forward in lectures; (4) to increase the level of student participation; and (5) to promote tertiary level study skills. The Tutor Training Program drew on the experience gained from Edproj's research in the previous year, which led to insights into barriers to student learning, a bank of strategies for promoting better learning, and a fun...
The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and their increasing use in higher education have provided ... more The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and their increasing use in higher education have provided opportunities for building collaborative learning environments for students. Collaborative experiences are particularly beneficial for preparing students for their future workplace environments. Moreover, the creation and sharing of resources and information as afforded by Web 2.0 technologies can also improve a student's learning experience.
Proceedings of the tenth annual conference on International computing education research - ICER '14, 2014
ABSTRACT Student perceptions of academic integrity have been extensively researched in relation t... more ABSTRACT Student perceptions of academic integrity have been extensively researched in relation to text-based assessments, but there is rather less research relating to non-text-based assessments such as computer programs, databases, and spreadsheets. This paper reports the findings from a survey of computing students and academics to investigate perceptions of particular academic practices with regard to both essays and computing assessments. For each practice the research sought to discover whether it was perceived to constitute plagiarism or collusion and whether it was considered to be acceptable in an academic environment. While there was general agreement between academics and students regarding some practices, both groups displayed high levels of uncertainty about other practices. There was considerable variation between their attitudes to similar practices in the text and non-text environments, and between what was seen as plagiarism/collusion and perceptions of unacceptability. That is, there were practices that were perceived to be plagiarism or collusion but were considered acceptable, and others that were considered not to be plagiarism or collusion but were nevertheless thought unacceptable. These findings suggest a need for academic integrity policies and procedures specific to computing, accompanied by discipline-specific student education.
Proceedings of the third Australasian conference on Computer science education - ACSE '98, 1998
In 1994, a collaborative research project began between the Faculty of Education and the Departme... more In 1994, a collaborative research project began between the Faculty of Education and the Departments of Sojiware Development and Computer Science. The research was aimed at improving the teaching and learning of introductory programming. Results shwed that ~lze ~jor learning of students took place in a tutorial setting. One of the outcomes of the project was a tutor training program
Proceedings of the Australasian conference on Computing education - ACSE '00, 2000
In most introductory programm/n~, courses tasks, are given to students to complete as a crucial p... more In most introductory programm/n~, courses tasks, are given to students to complete as a crucial part of their study. The m,~k~ are considered important because they require studems to apply their knowledge to new situations. However, often the tasks have not been considered as a vehicle that can direct learning behaviours in students.
Distributed leadership has been explored internationally as a leadership model that will promote ... more Distributed leadership has been explored internationally as a leadership model that will promote and advance excellence in learning and teaching in higher education. This paper presents an assessment of how effectively distributed leadership was enabled at five Australian institutions implementing a collaborative teaching quality development scheme called the Peer Assisted Teaching Scheme. The Scheme brings together expertise from teams of academics, coordinators, and institutional learning and teaching portfolio holders to the shared goal of
enhancing learning and teaching quality. A distributed leadership benchmarking tool was used to assess the Scheme’s effectiveness, and we found that (i) the Scheme is highly consistent with the distributed leadership benchmarks, and that (ii) the benchmarking tool is easily used in assessing the alignment (or otherwise) of teaching and learning quality initiatives with distributed leadership benchmarks. This paper will be of interest to those seeking to assess implementations of distributed leadership to improve teaching quality and leadership capacity.
A concern for Information and Communication Technology and Engineering disciplines in many Austra... more A concern for Information and Communication Technology and Engineering disciplines in many Australian universities is the need to improve a high percentage of courses that students perceive as needing critical attention. Typically, courses in the Physical Sciences disciplines score low on student evaluations and repeatedly have the highest student dropout rates. This paper reports the results of a study investigating five years of changes in course evaluation results in one of Australia's Go8 universities that applied the Peer Assisted Teaching Scheme (PATS). PATS was initially trialed in the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) at Monash University to improve teaching quality and student satisfaction through building peer assistance capacity. The focus of this study will be on student satisfaction, rather than education quality. PATS has evolved over this period through action research and has been supported by the Australian Government's Office for Learning and Teaching. Multiple changes have been made to the PATS process since its inception, and the quantitative improvements to courses taking part in PATS are reported. The paper concludes by showing that the course areas addressed by the PATS participants are indeed the areas of most concern to students.