Using Moodle to provide added value in the teaching of a software development course

The rate of adoption and use of learning management systems to support teaching and learning processes in academic institutions is growing rapidly. Universities are acquiring systems with functionalities that can match with their specific needs and requirements. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely deployed learning management systems in academic institutions today. However, apart from the system, universities tend to maintain other applications for the purpose of supplementing their teaching and learning processes. This situation is similar to Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), which is our case study in this project. Apart from Moodle, the university also maintains other systems such as Oodi, Noppa and Uni portal for the purpose of supporting its educational activities. This thesis has two main goals. The first goal is to understand the specific role of Moodle at LUT. This information is fundamental in assessing whether Moodle is needed in the university’s current teaching and learning environment. The second aim is to provide insights to teachers and other departmental stakeholders on how Moodle can provide added value in the teaching of a software development course. In response to this, a Moodle module for a software development course is created and the underlying features are tested. Results of the constructive work proposed some improvements through (i) the use of Moodle for in-class surveys, (ii) transfer of grades from Moodle to Oodi, (iii) use of Moodle in self-study courses and MOOCs, (iv) online examinations, and (v) Moodle integrations with third party applications. The proposed items were then evaluated for their utility through interviews of five expert interviews. The final results of this work are considered useful to LUT administration and management specifically on ways that Moodle can bring changes to the university at managerial, economical and technical level. It also poses some challenges on platform innovations and research.

The nature of communication structures of university students in an international web-based computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) course

Communication, the flow of ideas and information between individuals in a social context, is the heart of educational experience. Constructivism and constructivist theories form the foundation for the collaborative learning processes of creating and sharing meaning in online educational contexts. The Learning and Collaboration in Technology-enhanced Contexts (LeCoTec) course comprised of 66 participants drawn from four European universities (Oulu, Turku, Ghent and Ramon Llull). These participants were split into 15 groups with the express aim of learning about computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). The Community of Inquiry model (social, cognitive and teaching presences) provided the content and tools for learning and researching the collaborative interactions in this environment. The sampled comments from the collaborative phase were collected and analyzed at chain-level and group-level, with the aim of identifying the various message types that sustained high learning outcomes. Furthermore, the Social Network Analysis helped to view the density of whole group interactions, as well as the popular and active members within the highly collaborating groups. It was observed that long chains occur in groups having high quality outcomes. These chains were also characterized by Social, Interactivity, Administrative and Content comment-types. In addition, high outcomes were realized from the high interactive cases and high-density groups. In low interactive groups, commenting patterned around the one or two central group members. In conclusion, future online environments should support high-order learning and develop greater metacognition and self-regulation. Moreover, such an environment, with a wide variety of problem solving tools, would enhance interactivity.

Developing an introductory object-oriented programming course

The state of the object-oriented programming course in Lappeenranta University of Technology had reached the point, where it required changes to provide better learning opportunities and thus the learning outcomes. Based on the student feedback the course was partially dated and ineffective. The components of the course were analysed and the ineffective elements were removed and new methods were introduced to improve the course. The major changes included the change from traditional teaching methods to reverse classroom method and the use of Java as the programming language. The changes were measured by the student feedback, lecturer’s observations and comparison to previous years. The feedback suggested that the changes were successful; the course received higher overall grade than before.

Utilising student profiles in mathematics course arrangements

This thesis develops a method for identifying students struggling in their mathematical studies at an early stage. It helps in directing support to students needing and benefiting from it the most. Thus, frustration felt by weaker students may decrease and therefore, hopefully, also drop outs of potential engineering students. The research concentrates on a combination of personality and intelligence aspects. Personality aspects gave information on conation and motivation for learning. This part was studied from the perspective of motivation and self-regulation. Intelligence aspects gave information on declarative and procedural knowledge: what had been taught and what was actually mastered. Students answered surveys on motivation and self-regulation in 2010 and 2011. Based on their answers, background information, results in the proficiency test, and grades in the first mathematics course, profiles describing the students were formed. In the following years, the profiles were updated with new information obtained each year. The profiles used to identify struggling students combine personality (motivation, selfregulation, and self-efficacy) and intelligence (declarative and procedural knowledge) aspects at the beginning of their studies. Identifying students in need of extra support is a good start, but methods for providing support must be found. This thesis also studies how this support could be taken into account in course arrangements. The methods used include, for example, languaging and scaffolding, and continuous feedback. The analysis revealed that allocating resources based on the predicted progress does not increase costs or lower the results of better students. Instead, it will help weaker students obtain passing grades.