Algorithm design is a vital skill developed in most undergraduate Computer Science (CS) programs, but few research studies focus on pedagogy related to Algorithms coursework. To understand the work that has been done in the area, we present a systematic survey and characterization of existing studies in the CS Education literature related to the teaching of algorithm design at the undergraduate level. Across all papers in the ACM Digital Library, we only find 97 applicable papers. We classify these papers by topic, evaluation metric, evaluation methods, and intervention target. We present the results of these classifications alongside insights about existing knowledge, rigor, and contribution rates. We hope that this work not only provides a detailed representation of the current corpus of CS Education work related to algorithm design but also demonstrates that the body of knowledge is sparse and supports further research in the area. For future work, we intend to investigate and synthesize the conclusions reached by these papers.

Given increased global stressors, novel interventions are needed to improve psychological wellbeing. The public are increasingly interested in wellbeing, self-care, and general health; and the wellness industry is rapidly growing online. This article highlights the public health and wellbeing benefits of virtual reality and immersive experiences. It argues that their future development within the metaverse should involve partnership with mental health professionals, especially those with experience of therapeutic interventions and virtual reality-based therapies. This input can ensure appropriate regulation; address potential ethical issues, including the risk of harm; and maximise therapeutic benefits, such as stress reduction. Such applications of psychological theory have the potential to ensure that the metaverse is a place of happiness, enjoyment, and relaxation, rather than one that is susceptible to toxic online experiences; and this partnership between clinicians and industry is likely to increase public wellbeing benefits and make the metaverse a more therapeutic space.

Museums are always looking for new ways to attract and engage their visitors. Virtual reality (VR) is becoming an increasingly viable option for doing this and enables the recreation of historical sites/structures for visitors to explore. This paper describes a VR application being developed in partnership with the Bawdsey Radar Museum to recreate the radar transmitter towers that stood on the site and were pivotal in winning the Battle of Britain. This paper describes the application’s development and discusses user trial results to determine whether VR can be effectively used within a museum setting to assist in historical learning.