Java Advanced Programming language

Submitted by zjliqing on 14 March 2010 - 3:41pm.

Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award:

2010

Award Status:

Entry

This is a course in Computer Science to introduce how to program with advanced programming language using Java. It covers the fundamentals of programming and Java language as well.
This course is designed for adult learner in distance learning, so the topics are selected and the materials is well-designed for easy understanding, even for the beginner who know nothing about computer programming language can learn.
There are 10 chapters with 3-6 modules for each in this course. It will take you 30 minutes to learn each module or longer if you copy and run some of the programs. And in most modules, there are some learning activates such as instants quizs, animations and learning reflections. For maximum benefit, go though these course interactively, thinking about and answering the questions or take activities in each module.

Course Information

Course Number/ID:

CS182

Course Length (number of weeks):

Course Delivery Mode:

Distance

Average Number of Enrolled Students:

100 students and over

Course Level:

College/University

Course Level:

Vocational/Professional

Course Development & Delivery

Course Contributors:

Qing Li, Lecturer, PhD. in Educational Technolgoy, BUPT
Xiangwu Men, Professor, PhD. in Coumputer Science, BUPT
Dayong Gao, Lecturer, MS in Computer Science, BUPT
Zhiqing Zhang, Lecturer, MS in Computer Science, BUPT

Course Development:

This course is an under-graduate level course, which aims to teach adult learner in distance education to know how to program. Original this course is taught in C language, but as Java is much more fashionable and reasonable as a teaching language, we design this course with Java.
We started a project to develop this course in March, 2008, launched a pilot site and finished the first version in the summer. In the autumn semester we made a trial use of 40 learners to evaluate the course material and course site. In February, 2009 we run this course on production and began the second run of the course development. In this phase, we developed a virtual experiment tool and a WAP web-site tool for mobile learning. And we revisioned the learning material according to the evalutaion report. After that, we published a special designed textbook for this course.
This course is developed under such concepts in teaching to optimizing learning:
* design a course exactly for the adult learner in distance education, make the content easy to learn
* make guidance to the learner, let them to know how to study, what to study and what to do next
* offer learning supports and services as convenient as possible
* design material in small module (for 30 minutes reading) and in the module keep the internal integrity of learning content, learning activity and assessment.
* keep study effective and efficiency

Course Delivery:

This course is composed with a couse site and a textbook. The couse site contents dozens of tools. Among them, the most important tool is “learning space” tool, in which the instructor can develop all the learning material and plan learning design. To the learner, this tool can offer recommended learning schedule, control learning flow, present learning material and take assessment. This tool can also track learning activities and show learning report to the learner and instructor.
All the discussions and some of learning activities as “programming ring” and “treasure hunting” in the form of topic threads is in the forum tool. It can also support social interaction between learners.
Video Conference tool will show the schedule of the interactive video conference and give a link to each conference, there will be once a month or pre-scheduled by the instructor.
Virtual Experiment tool is designed for this course to offer an environment for the learner to do experiment of Java language without JDK and the learner can get feedback of the result immediately.
Mobile learning tool offers another choice to get informed by the course and do exercises and assignment. We can download video lectures and animation with Sakai podcast tool.
Resources tool is a depository for all the materials in the course, including Syllabus, learning support guide, exercise papers.
Voting tool in this course site is used to get feedback from learners as the quality of learning material, learning design and learning schedule….

Course Self-Assessment

Communication & Collaboration Self-Assessment:

Excellent

Communication & Collaboration Evidence:

* Discussion topics in the forum which integrated with learning content will compel learner to co-operate and communicate with others to finish their task.
* Virtual Experiments in groups demand learner to work in groups.
* Well-designed Leaning activities as ” programming ring” and “treasure hunting” will lead learners to participate in and communicate.
* This course offers online video conferences tool and online chat room. The instructor and learners will have a chance to interact in real-time.

Learning Material Self-Assessment:

Excellent

Learning Material Evidence:

In this course, we designed a special textbook with hints and guidance for distance-education learner. This Textbook will work with Multi-media learning material and discussion forum in course site.In each module, learning content is integrated with activities and assessments. In the course we offer extended learning resources:
* Syllabus, learning support guide, exercise paper and textbook in PDF or WORD
* Over 120 minutes Recorded video lectures to help learner understand key and difficult knowledge.
* Cheat Sheet and Pocket Guide in PDF or WORD to help learner memorize and review.
* Tools installation package, as JDK, eclipse
* Links to reference web-site and reference book
This course site also offers mobile learning by a WAP web-site for mobile phone, and podcast and RSS support by Sakai tools.

Learning Outcomes & Assessment Self-Assessment:

Excellent

Learning Outcomes & Assessment Evidence:

The goals and outcomes were clearly stated in the assessment section of the syllabus.In this course we want learner know the knowledge on advanced programming language and master skills on programming. So we designed the course with the following features:
*Give assessments in every level: small quiz in each module, assignments, exercises or assignments in each chapter, and final exam preparation exercises for the whole course.
*Control learning flow control by learning outcome. The instructor can set conditions to control the flow.
*Offer Virtual Experiment tool to help learner do some experiments without Java environment and help the instructor to evaluate learners’ skill in programming.
*Students also have to participate in some group discussion acording to learning design which is also scored by their performance.
*Using voting tools in Sakai to get learners’ feedback on the quality of learning materials and learning design.
This course is assessed with formative Assessment: final exam only sores 50% of the total, with learning activities 10%, assignments 20% and experiments 20%.

Course Look & Feel, Web Usability Self-Assessment:

Excellent

Course Look & Feel, Web Usability Evidence:

The UI of the course is well designed, promoting consistency in the whole site. Content is mainly text based information with some animations and audio. We developed a new template mechanism in Sakai to make presentation of webpage more flexible. We also redesigned a tool bars with groups in Sakai , it is easy to navigate.

Learner Support Self-Assessment:

Excellent

Learner Support Evidence:

The instructor is available by email and IM tools and by mobile in emergency. Technical support was available to students 24 hours a day.
We also offer interactive video conference once a month or pre-scheduled by the instructor to the students. In some learning center, we offer f2f tutoring service in addition.
In the LMS, we offer data analysis and learning diagnoses. The tutor and support stuff can get statistic and find abnormal situations to intervene learning.
Course site includes abundant web-based resources as extension to the textbooks and video courseware, which is updated dynamic and continually. At the end of each semester, the instructor will summarize and process data on the forum and learning tools and add them to Q&A and other supporting materials for the future classes.

Teaching Innovation

Teaching Innovation:

This course is a good demonstration in how to use Sakai's ability to facilitate learning and organize teaching in distance education:
* Slice learning material in small chunk (module for 30 minutes reading)
* Cut down some obscure theoretical discussion, and increase practice activities and reflection activities.
* Avoid using too much academic vocabulary and make visualization in some difficult concept to help adult learnor understand them.
* Keep the internal integrity in the each module, including learning content, learning activates guide and assessment content.
* Offer a variety of media formats for learner's choice. And develop a funny introduction animation for each chapter as advance organizer.
* Using Activity-centered design, connect contents with activites. Offer interactivities in learning as small quiz, interactive animation, drills and self-reflections in learning material

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Sakai Award

The Sakai Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Teaching with Sakai Innovation Awards. Winners in the 3rd annual competition are:

First Prize: Scott Bowman, Juvenile Justice, Texas State University-San Marcos

Second Prize: Sally Knipe, Transitions in Middle Schooling, Charles Sturt University

Honorable Mention: Joshua Danish, Computational Technologies in Educational Ecosystems, Indiana University Bloomington

Honorable Mention: Karen Swenson, Introduction to Science Fiction and Fantasy, Virginia Tech

Each of the winners will be presenting their use of Sakai for teaching and learning at the Sakai Conference in Denver, Colorado on June 15 – 17, 2010.