Contemporary computer science graduates enter a world where numerous profound ethical dilemmas confronting society revolve around computing. Navigating the complexities of today’s technological landscape requires a profound consideration of ethical questions. Deliberations on the kinds of data to be gathered or avoided, the ethical dimensions of algorithmic decision-making, and the role of digital platforms in safeguarding democratic principles are at the forefront of discussions. Additionally, addressing biases in large language models (LLMs), ensuring responsible AI practices, and evaluating the technology industry’s contributions to climate change are pivotal aspects.

Software conceptual design knowledge and skills are essential for graduating computer engineering students. Several approaches have been used to teach software conceptual design through various frameworks and learning environments. Our brief literature survey found that none of these systems analysed learner engagement with design elements using learning analytics. This study aims to analyse the learner engagement with design elements as they create software designs. We analysed log data of N=37 students in Think & Link, a technology-enhanced learning environment (TELE), based on the FBS design framework. The differences in student engagement are compared for two categories of learners, high and low, based on the learning gain in the pre and post-test performance. Differences and similarities in logs of actions were identified for high and low learners. Process Models were used to identify differences in the sequence of engagement with various design elements. We find high learners to identify significant design elements and create links among them. The analysis also provided insights on points for scaffolding to help low learners create meaningful designs.

Disciplinary practices are processes and skills applied for sensemaking, reasoning and problem solving. Studies have shown that experts are able to spontaneously apply these skills but novices have difficulty due to various reasons. The aim of this paper is to showcase learning environments that foster disciplinary practices in undergraduate computing students in three contexts - data structures, software design and computer networks. Findings from our studies show that students are able to apply these disciplinary practices to solve ill-structured problems. These findings provide motivation for exploring disciplinary practices in other CS courses as well.

Conceptual design activity is described as a process in which the functional requirements of the design problem are extracted and transformed into descriptions of solution concepts. Peculiar characteristics of software design, such as dynamicity and intangibility makes this activity more challenging. It is a standard practice to create and integrate various standard representations of Unified Modeling Language (UML) into a comprehensive and cohesive software system. In the Software Engineering course, students learn about syntax, semantics and processes to create the formal (UML) representations. However when students encounter open-ended real world problems they are unable to use the formal representations. Current teaching-learning methods do not explicitly train students to overcome these difficulties. The Ph.D. work discussed in this paper aims at designing and evaluating an intervention for creating and integrating UML design. The theoretical foundation of the intervention is Function-Behaviour-Structure (FBS), i.e. extracting functions from the problem, simulating end user behaviours and associating them to structures thereby linking FBS together. By the end of the doctoral research I expect the following contributions: 1) an empirically evaluated intervention for learning to create and integrate UML design, 2) cognitive scaffolds for creating and integrating UML design based on FBS, 3) a validated assessment framework to evaluate FBS, UML design artifacts and processes and 4) a Technology Enhanced Learning Environment (TELE) which incorporates 1, 2 and 3. I am carrying out this research in the domain of software engineering and the target population is third year computer engineering undergraduates.

Novice researchers have difficulties in operationalization (breaking down of abstract concepts to measurables) and generalization (generalize the findings to make claims). We have designed a system called OPeD (Operationalizing using ProblEm Decomposition), for teaching learning of operationalization. OPeD trains novice researchers in operationalization through problem decomposition. OPeD is based on pedagogical theories of guided inquiry, problem visualization and adaptation. In order to visualize the operationalization process, OPeD guides the learner to create a decomposition tree and construct meaningful hypotheses based on the tree. The gradual and iterative construction of this tree can help learners develop their operationalization skills. In this paper we present the design of OPeD and provide an exemplar of a learner path in the context of educational research.

Mastery of a shot technique is one of the important skills to be developed by novice badminton players. A shot technique includes the application of effort and swing of the arm. It is desirable for a novice badminton trainee to visualize the above parameters immediately after playing a shot. There has been an inadequate utilization of wearable technology for visualizing of these aspects. Myo armband, a wireless wearable device has the ability to sense the physical characteristics of effort and swing. CoMBaT, our Myo band based training system processes, and plots the sensor data patterns of a badminton shot for reviewing the effort and swing. Additionally, in our system, we have used the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm to compare the trainee data with a reference data to provide corrective real-time visual and haptic feedback. This paper describes the design and development of CoMBaT along with a study plan to evaluate its usability and effectiveness.