Computer Programming
Course is addressed to students who have gained the knowledge of computer basics. In this course get acquainted with Object Oriented Programming, JavaScript and PHP Programming Languages.
Prof.univ.dr. ing Severin Bumbaru - Contributor
Assistent ing. Florin Postolache
Cristian Baciu - programmer
CCIG2106 is a Computer Programming course for students from the Faculty of Economics, specializing in Accounting and Information Technology, undergraduate studies. Extends over one semester and has referred to the 2 course hours and 2 lab hours weekly. The main objective of course is that students learn basic concepts of computer programming, such as data and data structures, control structures, objects. To acquire the practice of programming, students learn two languages: JavaScript and PHP. Students are provided with the Sakai course intercactively form of HTML pages, using two tools. The first one is an expression evaluator for JavaScript, which allows students to enter online different expressions (arithmetic, boolean, with strings) and to determine the expression value or possible presence of syntax errors. The second tool is a "Virtual Computer", which offers students the opportunity to introduce comprehensive online features or programs written in JavaScript language and to run it. Students can use these tools individually or in groups.Students prepare individually or in teams intercactive websites that contain JavaScript. In the last part of the course, PHP language is learned and its use on web servers. In laboratory, students complete their web sites, adding the PHP programs executable on a server and learning how to do client-server communication. At Danubius University of Galati, Sakai was installed in September 2009, so this was the first attempt to achieve a complete course on Sakai. The course site was made made while learning to use various tools in Sakai. It was a new experience for both the teacher and his assistants and for the students. The main educational strategy, which was on the basis for achieving the site, was social constructivism. Students learn programming working in teams on the development of interactive web sites.
The course is taught entirely on Sakai. Some students follow the lecture and lab face-to-face, others only participate in those activities online. Both groups of students use the same tools and can work together. We present below how they are used in our course the various tools of Sakai.
The first contact of students with the course site is done by Syllabus. Here they finds the necessary information on the course objectives, obligations they have and how the course grade is calculated. Here they finds also the bibliographic entries and links to current chapters and to other documentary sources available online.
Each student has to prepare a project focused on an interactive website. For this purpose it is used mainly the tool "Assignments" by which the instructor communicates with students. To improve communication, the tools "Messages" and "Drop Box" a used also. The designed website has to contain programs in JavaScript and/or PHP programming languages.
Another widely used tool is "Chat". Office hours are scheduled weekly on chat by the instructors are provided to students. On Chat students defend their projects answering to the instructor's questions. Other students may see the discussion and they can interfere with their own remarks or comments.
For communication tools were used to "Announcements" and "Messages". The first one for targeting all participants to the site and the second for messages to a single student or a group. For collaboration, the tool agreed by most students was "Chat". We have tried "Forums" also, but so far without success.
Since not all our students know English, it is difficult to use Sakai help. For this purpose was created a "student guide" in Romanian, as a wiki put on a "joinable site". This guide explains how to use existing tools in Sakai and how different tasks can be achieved.
Particular attention was paid to the provision of "formative assessments" to students. In this way, the student can follow weekly progress this progress in acquiring the taught material.
The names of tools in the main menu of Sakai have been translated into Romanian. Course material is presented in the form of interactive HTML pages.
Instructors answer every day to questions asked by students on site course or by email, so students are pending no more than 24 hours. Technical staff of computer center may be also contacted every day by email, messenger or phone.
The main teaching innovation was the implementation for the first time at Danubius University of Galati (Romania) of a teaching, learning and collaboration platform like Sakai. Instructors had to remake the teaching material in accordance with the principles of social constructivism. We had to learn how to prepare formative assessments so that they become an effective study guide for students. We had to teach, also, the students how to work with the instructor to achieve assignments, using both asynchronous interaction (with Assignments, Drop Box and Messages tools) and on the synchronous (using Chat tool). We found in practice that the course site was being effectively used by students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In any time could be found on the site at least some students.
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