Learner Centered Design Of Computing Education

Computing education is in enormous demand. Many students (both children and adult) are realizing that they will need programming in the future. This book presents the argument that they are not all going to use programming in the same way and for the same purposes. What do we mean when we talk about teaching everyone to program? When we target a broad audience, should we have the same goals as computer science education for professional software developers? How do we design computing education that works for everyone? This book proposes use of a learner-centered design approach to create computing education for a broad audience. It considers several reasons for teaching computing to everyone and how the different reasons lead to different choices about learning goals and teaching methods. The book reviews the history of the idea that programming isn't just for the professional software developer. It uses research studies on teaching computing in liberal arts programs, to graphic designers, to high school teachers, in order to explore the idea that computer science for everyone requires us to re-think how we teach and what we teach. The conclusion describes how we might create computing education for everyone.

This book delves into two divergent, yet parallel themes; first is an examination of how educators can design the experiences of learning, with a focus on the learner and the end results of education; and second, how educators learn to design educational products, processes and experiences. The book seeks to understand how to design how learning occurs, both in the instructional design studio and as learning occurs throughout the world. This will change the area's semantics; at a deeper level, it will change its orientation from instructors and information to learners; and it will change how educators take advantage of new and old technologies. This book is the result of a research symposium sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology [AECT].

Why should every student take a computing course? What should be the content of these courses? How should they be taught, and by whom? This book addresses these questions by identifying the broader reaches of computing education, problem-solving and critical thinking as a general approach to learning. The book discusses new approaches to computing education, and considers whether the modern ubiquity of computing requires an educational approach that is inherently interdisciplinary and distinct from the traditional computer science perspective. The alternative approach that the authors advocate derives its mission from an intent to embed itself within an interdisciplinary arts and science context. An interdisciplinary approach to computing is compellingly valuable for students and educational institutions alike. Its goal is to support the educational and intellectual needs of students with interests in the entire range of academic disciplines. It capitalizes on students’ focus on career development and employers’ demand for technical, while also engaging a diverse student body that may not possess a pre-existing interest in computing for computing’s sake. This approach makes directly evident the applicability of computer science topics to real-world interdisciplinary problems beyond computing and recognizes that technical and computational abilities are essential within every discipline. The book offers a valuable resource for computer science and computing education instructors who are presently re-thinking their curricula and pedagogical approaches and are actively trying new methods in the classroom. It will also benefit graduate students considering a future of teaching in the field, as well as administrators (in both higher education and high schools) interested in becoming conversant in the discourse surrounding the future of computing education.

"This book is anchored in the concept that information technology empowers and enhances learners' capabilities adopting a learning summit on using the machine for the augmentation of human intellect for productivity, improvement, and innovation at individual, organizational, societal, national, and global levels"--Provided by publisher.

What knowledge and skills do designers of learning technologies need? What is the best way to train them to create high-quality educational technologies? Distilling the wisdom of expert instructors and designers, this cutting-edge guide offers a clear, accessible balance of theory and practical examples. This cutting-edge guide: synthesizes learning, instructional design, and educational technology perspectives on learning-centered technology — highlighting how interdisciplinary work is driving the fields of the learning sciences and technology design and development offers helpful resources for both faculty and students — including descriptions of a variety of successful courses in learning technology design, examples of student work with commentary by instructors and students, and discussions of "lessons learned" in course development includes a "To the Student" chapter that speaks in plain language about what is exciting and challenging about creating technology for kids Directed to university instructors working with students on developing educational software projects and to managers leading learning technologies development teams, this book is a valuable resource for guiding and inspiring the next generation of designers of learning technologies.

Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Volume IV provides a research-based description of the current state of instructional theory for the learner-centered paradigm of education, as well as a clear indication of how different theories and models interrelate. Significant changes have occurred in learning and instructional theory since the publication of Volume III, including advances in brain-based learning, learning sciences, information technologies, internet-based communication, a concern for customizing the student experience to maximize effectiveness, and scaling instructional environments to maximize efficiency. In order to complement the themes of Volume I (commonality and complementarity among theories of instruction), Volume II (diversity of theories) and Volume III (building a common knowledge base), the theme of Volume IV is shifting the paradigm of instruction from teacher-centered to learner-centered and integrating design theories of instruction, assessment, and curriculum. Chapters in Volume IV are collected into three primary sections: a comprehensive view of the learner-centered paradigm of education and training, elaborations on parts of that view for a variety of K-12 and higher education settings, and theories that address ways to move toward the learner-centered paradigm within the teacher-centered paradigm. Instructional-Design Theories and Models, Volume IV is an essential book for anyone interested in exploring more powerful ways of fostering human learning and development and thinking creatively about ways to best meet the needs of learners in all kinds of learning contexts.

This is an authoritative introduction to Computing Education research written by over 50 leading researchers from academia and the industry.

The field of the learning sciences is concerned with educational research from the dual perspectives of human cognition and computing technologies, and the application of this research in three integrated areas: *Design: Design of learning and teaching environments, tools, or media, including innovative curricula, multimedia, artificial intelligence, telecommunications technologies, visualization, modeling, and design theories and activity structures for supporting learning and teaching. *Cognition: Models of the structures and processes of learning and teaching by which knowledge, skills, and understanding are developed, including the psychological foundations of the field, learning in content areas, professional learning, and the study of learning enabled by tools or social structures. *Social Context: The social, organizational, and cultural dynamics of learning and teaching across the range of formal and informal settings, including schools, museums, homes, families, and professional settings. Investigations in the learning sciences approach these issues from an interdisciplinary stance combining the traditional disciplines of computer science, cognitive science, and education. This book documents the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2000), which brought together experts from academia, industry, and education to discuss the application of theoretical and empirical knowledge from learning sciences research to practice in K-12 or higher education, corporate training, and learning in the home or other informal settings.