Table Of ContentVytautas Štuikys
Smart Learning
Objects for Smart
Education in
Computer Science
Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based
Implementation
Smart Learning Objects for Smart Education
in Computer Science
ˇ
Vytautas Stuikys
Smart Learning Objects
for Smart Education
in Computer Science
Theory, Methodology and Robot-Based
Implementation
VytautasSˇtuikys
DepartmentofSoftwareEngineering
KaunasUniversityofTechnology
Kaunas,Lithuania
ISBN978-3-319-16912-5 ISBN978-3-319-16913-2 (eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-16913-2
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Preface
The technology revolution has resulted in that already today we are living and
working in a digital world surrounded by the modern technology infrastructure –
the multiple devices (computers, mobile phones, cameras and robots) being inte-
grated within networks are a commodity of our lives now. In the near future,
however, not only humans and computers but also everyday life items will be
interconnectedtocreatethenewcomputinginfrastructure–theInternetofThings
(IoT). This move from the ‘interconnected computers’ to the ‘interconnected
things’ is a great challenge for the ICT workers, computer scientists and society
onthewhole.Itismostlikelythattherewillbetheneedforchangesincomputer
science (CS) curricula toprovidethe adequateknowledgetosupportthedevelop-
mentofnewapplicationsandservices.
Ontheotherhand,todaythereisalsoanevidentshiftinlearningparadigms.The
e-learningcommunitycommonlyagreesontheneedofmovingfromtheteacher-
centred learning towards the student-centred learning. What are the signs of this
paradigmchangeinteachingCStopics?First,thereistheever-increasingnumber
ofpublicationsanddiscussionsatalllevels.Second,thereistheclearunderstanding
of ever-growing challenges to teach CS in the twenty-first century at all levels:
primary,highschoolanduniversity.Thosechallengesarewideningandsharpening
continuouslyunderthetechnologicaladvances,socialdemandandmarketpressure.
Third,thereisanextremelyhighinterestintheinterdisciplinaryteachingbasedon
theSTEM(Science,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics)concepts.Fourth,
theMOOCconcept(MassiveOpenOnlineCourses)isalsoatthedoorofCSlecture
rooms.Finally,therearesignsofthestudentmind-setschanging.Now,thestudents
wanttobemoreindependentinteachingandlearning.Theywanttowinmorewith
lessinplanningandcarryingoutactivitiestosupportthefuturecareers.
What should be done to respond to those challenges? The first thing is clear
understanding at all levels what is happening in the field and around the related
areas now. Having in mind the recent initiatives in Europe and worldwide on
advancedteachingandlearninginCS,itispossibletostatethatthisunderstanding
v
vi Preface
alreadyexists,perhapsnotyetatalllevels.Next,therealbreakthroughinadvanced
CS learning and teaching is hardly possible without new concepts, innovative
methodologiesandbetterunderstandingofboththepedagogicalandtechnological
issues. I agree with those researchers who argue that the currently existing capa-
bilities of technology are not yet exploited in e-learning as fully as that could
be. There is still a big gap between technological capabilities and pedagogical
approaches.Theseamless integration ofboth technologyandpedagogyshouldbe
seenastheprimaryconcernwithadvancingCSeducation.Therefore,agreatdeal
of research effort is still needed to close the gap. Our research on the meta-
programming-basedgenerativelearningobjects(GLOs)andtheuseofeducational
robots in teaching CS topics aims at integrating different technologies with the
knownpedagogicalapproaches.
Thisbookisamonographrepresentingthecurrentstateofourresearchonthis
topic.Theword‘smart’inthetitleshouldbeunderstood(1)asoureffortstoextend
generative and adaptive (i.e. context-aware) capabilities of the GLOs using meta-
programming, (2) as our efforts to add more and more functions to educational
robots in solving CS teaching tasks and (3) as our efforts to integrate the applied
technologiesandpedagogicalapproachesasseamlesslyaspossible.
Whatarethemostdistinguishingattributesofthebook?Tomybestknowledge,
the CS education modelling at the higher level of abstraction using feature-based
modelling approaches (borrowed from Software Engineering) is applied and
presented for the first time here. Next, the meta-programming-based GLOs with
advancedfeatures(suchaspreprogrammedcontext-awareandmultistagerepresen-
tation for the content adaptation) have been proposed by the author (again, to my
bestknowledgeforthefirsttime).Therefore,itwaspossibletorecallthepreviously
researchedGLOsandheretreatthemassmartLOsbyprovidingextendedresearch
on those advanced features. This book also provides the more extensive study on
the feature model transformations as compared to the book ‘Meta-Programming
andModel-DrivenMeta-ProgramDevelopment’(V.SˇtuikysandR.Damasˇevicˇius,
Springer, 2013). Finally, the proposed methodology is not just an innovative
proposal. The methodology, as a case study, has been already approved, tested
andevaluatedintherealsettingtoteachprogrammingfundamentals.
How has the book been written? It was written as a result of reconsidering,
generalizing, extending and integrating the concepts that can be found in our
published papers during the years 2007–2014. During that period, our research
groupwasinvolved,amongotherthemes,inresearchingthemethodologybasedon
usingmeta-programmingforthee-learningdomain.Theaccumulatedexperience,
thecontinuousdiscussionswithmyPh.D.studentsandtheresearchgroupmembers
hadalsobeenformethesourceofnewideasthatarereflectedinthebook.
Whatisthecontentofthebook?Ihavedividedthecontentintotwoparts.PartI
firstdealswiththechallengesofCSeducationinthetwenty-firstcentury,motivates
the needs for innovations and then outlines the reuse-based context of the book
topics and introduces CS e-learning modelling concept on which basis it was
possibletospecify,tocreateandtotesttheso-calledsmartLOs.PartIalsopresents
a background of smart LOs from the teacher’s perspective. Part II deals with the
Preface vii
theoretical background of smart LOs (SLOs) from the designer’s perspective in
order it would be possible to create the authoring tools for designing and
transformingSLOs tosupport adaptationinlearning. PartIIalsopresentsameth-
odologyofcreatingsmarteducationalenvironmentsusingrobotsandSLOsandthe
useofthemethodologyinrealsettingtoteachCS(programming).
PartIincludes(1)AVisionofSmartTeachinginCS(Chap.1);(2)Understand-
ingofLODomainThroughItsTaxonomies(Chap.2);(3)ReuseFrameworkofthe
LO Domain (Chap. 3); (4) Modelling of CS Teaching and Learning in Large
(Chap. 4); (5) Model-Driven Specification in Designing Smart LOs (Chap. 5);
(6) Smart LOs Design: Higher-Level Coding and Testing Aspects (Chap. 6);
(7) Enhanced Features of SLOs: Focus on Specialization (Chap. 7); and
(8)Context-AwareAdaptationofSmartLOs(Chap.8).PartIIincludes(1)Back-
groundtoDesignSmartLOsandSupportingTools(Chap.9);(2)AuthoringTools
to Design Smart LOs (Chap. 10); (3) Authoring Tools to Specialize and Adapt
SmartLOs(Chap.11);(4)Robot-BasedSmartEducationalEnvironmentstoTeach
CS:ACaseStudy(Chap.12;co-authorRenataBurbaite˙);and(5)SmartEducation
inCS:ACaseStudy(Chap.13;co-authorRenataBurbaite˙);TermIndex;WhatIs
ontheHorizon?
Whocouldbethepotentialreaderofthebook?Thebookisdedicatedinthefirst
place to the CS researchers; researchers in CS education, especially to those who
are interested in using robots in learning and teaching; course designers; educa-
tional software; and tools developers. The CS teachers should also be highly
interested not only in reading but in studying the adequate chapters as their
advancedteachingmaterial.Ihopethatthecontentofthebookwillbeunderstand-
abletoanybodywhohasenoughskillinprogramming.Therefore,studentsstudy-
ingCS-relatedcourses,especiallymaster-levelandPh.D.students,arealsoseenas
potentialreaders.Asthebookincludesthewidercontext(e.g.reusabilityaspectsof
e-learning, the whole LO research activities), the other e-learning community
members might be interested in the reading of the book as well (especially the
modelling of CS education and the integrative aspects of technology and
pedagogy).
Howshouldthebookberead?
There is no specific algorithm in selecting and prioritizing the chapters to be
read.Nevertheless,thisdependsonthereader’sstatus,previousknowledgeandhis
or her intention. The book is composed using the sequence that it is possible to
select easily the chapter or chapters of interest from the title. But I recommend
using the following scheme. The senior researchers and policymakers should first
readChap.1and,perhaps,allintroductionsineachchapterandthentomovetothe
ending sections in each chapter. After that the readers will have the possibility to
make the relevant choice for the in-depth studies of what is presented within the
chapters. Experts and knowledgeable researchers first could read the introduction
and concluding parts of each chapter or some selected chapters depending on the
reader’sflavour.Iftheywillfindinterestingideas,theycouldbeinvolvedinmore
intensive studies within a particular chapter or even go through the referenced
sources. The readers who will select some material as own research topic should
viii Preface
alsogothroughtheresearchandexercisequestionsgivenattheendofeachchapter
beforethelistofreferences.
What is about the CS teachers and students? For those readers, the book’s
content should be used differently. Chapters 12 and 13 are mainly dedicated to
thesecondary(high)schoolteachersandstudents.Forexample,Sect.12.5presents
the full scenarios on how to use smart LOs and educational robot-based environ-
ments to teach and learn CS topics at the school level. The university-level
educators and students should use the book content with regard to their teaching/
learning topics. For example, Chap. 4 is relevant to teach and learn the feature-
basedmodellingmethodology;Chaps.5,6,7,8,9,10and11betterfitforteaching
andlearningthemodeltransformationtopics.TheeducatorsofCSteachersshould
usethebookentirely.
Ihopethatthebookwillbeabeneficialmethodologicalinstrument(throughthe
useofmultipleillustrativeexamplesandcasestudies)forthoseeducatorswhoare
readytoprovidetheinnovativemodelsandmethodsinCSeducation.
Kaunas,Lithuania VytautasSˇtuikys
Acknowledgements
This monograph would be hardly written without the collaborative work and
numerous discussions with my Ph.D. students and research group members. First
ofall,IwouldliketothankProf.RobertasDamasˇevicˇiusforourveryfruitfuland
long-termcollaborationinresearchonmeta-programming(abouttenyearsafterhis
doctoral studies). This collaboration has resulted in writing together the book on
meta-programming (published by Springer in 2013). Some ideas on generative
learning objects, the basics on multistage meta-programming already have been
reflectedinthatbook.Thediscussionswithhimonthetopicsofthismonographat
thestageofitsplanningwerealsoveryusefulandhavecontributedtotheextension
ofmyownideas.
The value of this monograph would remain as a pure theoretical work without
theexperimentalandmethodologicalcontributionofRenataBurbaite˙,Ph.D.holder
andCSteacher(bothatthegymnasiumanduniversitylevels).Shehasconstructed
andtestedtherobot-basededucationalenvironmentstoapprovetheideasofsmart
CS education in the real teaching setting. Therefore, she has made the main
contribution as a co-author in writing Chaps. 12 and 13. Here, in fact, my role
wastoprovidetheeditorialworkonly.
Iwouldlikealso tothankKristinaBespalova, the Ph.D. student,forthe devel-
opmentoftwoauthoringtoolstosupportthecreationandcontext-awareadaptation
ofsmartlearningobjects.Theexperimentalinvestigationandapprovalofthebasic
conceptsofthemonographwouldbehardlypossiblewithoutusingthetools.Many
thanks are also for her technical support in designing a great deal of graphical
illustrationsforthebook.
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