26.11.2007

Tampere leads in the teaching of the rudiments of programming.  Final conference in Thailand
Materials bank for teaching programming created under the Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences

Led by the Tampere Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences an international materials bank has been created which goes a long way to making it easier to learn programming. The teaching materials were produced by higher educational institutions in various parts of the world, their departments constituting a network. Network members can freely use the materials in teaching; this has made it easier everywhere to learn programming and is likely to reduce the student dropout rate.

In a recent development project, Tampere Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), one German and two Bangladeshi higher educational institutions (HEIs) produced 30 new visually illustrative and interactive tools to make it easier to understand the basics of software structures. Students can use these to progress at their own speed. In a similar development the TAMK-led network for the teaching of programming in European HEIs produced no less than 75 learning tools, and there are 100 tools generated by the network without a joint project. Such a battery of some 200 learning tools as a materials bank feely available to the HEIs in the network is unique anywhere in the world.

The three Finnish and 23 foreign HEIs from various parts of the world in the network are committed at least to testing and making suggestions for improvements in the existing tools, of which some members are also producing more. All the learning tools have been developed primarily for students on basic courses in programming, since the abstract thinking and problem-solving skills initially required are among the most difficult aspects when studying programming. This difficulty has been shown to be of the same nature worldwide regardless of the student’s cultural or operating environment.

The HEIs most recently accepted into the network are in Brazil and Canada. TAMK maintains the Internet-based materials bank of the network, but, in order to ensure that copyright is not infringed, may not disseminate materials to those not included in the network.

The work of the common network for the teaching of programming among the HEIs and the stage of Europe-Asia collaboration were funded by the EU. To mark the conclusion of these stages TAMK is to arrange an international conference on the subject to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 26 to 29 November 2007. Thereafter the work will continue resourced by the member HEIs themselves. If the materials available for the teaching of programming are to be further developed and expanded to be of even higher quality and if their comprehensive distribution is to be facilitated internationally, there will be a need for new development projects on the subject area.

More information: www.codewitz.net

Tampere Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences Esa Kujansuu, Senior Lecturer Tel. +358 50 541 5736 firstname.surname@tamk.fi