Applications of variation theory in computing education

Authors:
Jarkko Suhonen;Janet Davies;Errol Thompson; Kinshuk
Affiliations:
University of Joensuu, Joensuu, Finland;Massey University, Palmerston North New Zealand;Haven Grove, Lower Hutt, New Zealand;Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
Venue:
Koli Calling '07 Proceedings of the Seventh Baltic Sea Conference on Computing Education Research - Volume 88
Year:
2007

Citing 4
Cited 1

The motivation of students of programming

Proceedings of the 6th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
A multi-national, multi-institutional study of assessment of programming skills of first-year CS students

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin
The dimensions of variation in the teaching of data structures

Proceedings of the 9th annual SIGCSE conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
A multi-national study of reading and tracing skills in novice programmers

Working group reports from ITiCSE on Innovation and technology in computer science education

On the differences between correct student solutions

Proceedings of the 18th ACM conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

There are various challenges in IT education. Students have difficulties in applying the key concepts, theories and techniques taught in introductory courses. At the same time, the backgrounds of students are becoming more and more diverse. Teachers work with heterogeneous student cohorts. Phenomenographic studies can be used to understand different perspectives of learners' understanding. Variation theory is a promising approach to improving the teaching of computing subjects. The theory can be applied to design variations in teaching that make explicit the different aspects of computing concepts. We discuss the role of variation theory in creating diversity in teaching practices to reach students with diverse backgrounds and expectations.