Computing Reviews
Today's Issue Hot Topics Search Browse Recommended My Account Log In
Review Help
Search
Identifying pathways to computer science: the long-term impact of short-term game programming outreach interventions
Lakanen A., Kärkkäinen T. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE)19 (3):1-30,2019.Type:Article
Date Reviewed: Aug 31 2020

There is a consensus in computer science (CS) education that student numbers are not growing; furthermore, the number of female students is still very low. This situation attracts considerable research, and this article supports similarly themed research where organized extracurricular activities are provided to young adults as an introduction to the world of computer programming.

The authors of this article conducted a game programming outreach intervention to increase interest in computational thinking, logic, and problem solving. The article includes a detailed outline of the gender imbalance, followed by a theoretical discourse on the background of this topic. The actual study was open to young adults, 12 to 18 years old, who participated in a workshop during the summer holidays. From 2009 to 2017, there were 741 participants, which indicates the study had a steady stream of interested students. It is concerning that of the 94 students contacted for a follow-up interview, only 20 responded. However, the discussion and conclusion from the study extends the findings from similar studies. There are benefits to educational organizations conducting regular outreach programs, for example, increased interest in CS courses and improvements to student enrollment.

Finally, the authors suggest that outreach programs utilize a range of themes to broaden the appeal of these activities to include more female students.

As a CS lecturer, I enjoyed this article and found the results very interesting. I would highly recommend it to educators in the CS field.

Reviewer:  S. M. Godwin Review #: CR147049 (2101-0017)
Bookmark and Share
  Editor Recommended
Featured Reviewer
 
 
Computer Science Education (K.3.2 ... )
 
 
General (K.3.0 )
 
 
Computers And Education (K.3 )
 
Would you recommend this review?
yes
no
Other reviews under "Computer Science Education": Date
Pascal
Meyers R., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1992. Type: Book (9780137256235)
Oct 1 1992
Software engineering education: the educational needs of the software community
Fairley R., Gibbs N.  Software engineering education: the educational needs of the software community,Carnegie-Mellon Univ. Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA,1987. Type: Whole Proceedings
Aug 1 1988
Fundamentals of computing I
Tucker A., Bradley W., Cupper R., Garnick D., McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, NY, 1992. Type: Book (9780070654495)
Feb 1 1993
more...

E-Mail This Printer-Friendly
Send Your Comments
Contact Us
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.   Copyright 1999-2024 ThinkLoud®
Terms of Use
| Privacy Policy