PPIG 2022 - 33rd Annual Workshop
An Investigation of Student Learning in Computing Education Research
Jude Nzemeke
Abstract: The offering and delivery of computer science has evolved over the years in the United Kingdom and the response of different institutions has been mixed. When The Rt Hon Michael Gove who was Education secretary in 2013, announced that “harmful” ICT curriculum will be replaced with a more rigorous computer science in schools [Department of Education 2013], a lot of schools were not prepared for this change. They felt the government had not put careful consideration into the challenges of retraining staff to give them the confidence to deliver a new curriculum. Since most schools lacked the expertise to deliver the computer science curriculum, they stopped offering it to pupils as an option. There has recently been a resurgence in the take up of the subject in schools especially with its inclusion as part of English Baccalaureate however, most schools still face challenges with delivery due to lack of expertise [Brown et al 2014].
Through the proposed investigation I hope to throw more light on different teaching pedagogies that students are exposed to and test the hypothesis of the Three Box Model. It would also mean that findings from my research would inform educators and learning institutions on best practices for delivery of computer science across the spectrum.