Programming Learning Supported by the Open Social Model of the Student
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17398/1695-288X.19.2.83Keywords:
Scaffolding, Progress Monitoring, Metacognition, Programming, Educational TechnologyAbstract
This article presents the implementation of the Open Social Student Model in the virtual learning environment of an introductory computer programming course in higher education. The Open Social Student Model presents, in a visual and interactive way, a representation of the students' performance and that of their colleagues, thus allowing them to compare, evaluate and reflect about their own performance. As introductory programming courses have a high failure and dropout rate, the aim of this study has been to investigate how the metacognitive scaffolding provided by the interaction with the Open Social Student Model could contribute to the learning processes. To achieve this goal, a quasi-experiment was carried out involving 40 students during one semester, following a quali-quantitative approach. Results showed that the students used the Open Social Student Model to evaluate and monitor their own performance, to organize their studies and identify colleagues who could provide them support or who could be helped by them,. However, changes in the students' meta-cognitive awareness were not observed when comparing pre-test and post-test results. Thus, the study led to the conclusion that students who already master their metacognitive processes and know how to apply them in their learning process are the ones who can benefit the most with the use of the Open Social Student Model.
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