Research and Projects

Descriptions

Competency Models, Representation and Quality Measurement

Competency-based education is now established in schools and universities, and various curricula are based on it. At the institute, we have developed a representation based on graphs that can be used for the analysis, comparison, and quality measurement of curricula. The representation has already been used in various projects (DigiFit4All, Informatik im Park, EIL4MINT) and is being continuously researched and developed. A platform implemented to support this, called Graph-based Environment for Competency and Knowledge item Organization (GECKO), has been in operation at the institute for several years and is available for public use. Various bachelor’s and master’s theses have already been completed in the context of GECKO. The approach was also applied in a project at the Technical Faculty of the University of Klagenfurt to coordinate courses and their interdependencies (project “GECKO“)

Game-based Learning in Database Education (in schools)

We investigate game-based approaches to teaching databases in secondary education as part of a doctoral project, building on our role in the Austrian-wide eInformatics@Austria (1ng0) initiative. We developed playful, story-driven materials and interactive videos (with a police-themed context) for two free online courses (on the platform iMooX) and integrated the university-built aDBenture tool (implementing GBL-features). Our research includes a classroom study on the impact of storytelling in SQL learning (comparing task sets with vs. without narrative), an IT summer internship evaluating eight free online GBL tools for SQL, and ongoing work on a nationwide survey of Austrian teachers about database education content, motivation, tools, and challenges.

Educational Videos, Modularity and OER

We also work with modular, reusable, educational videos and materials in computer science education – with a major effort in the Austrian- wide DigiFit4All project (led by our department) and the eInformatics@Austria (1ng0) project with its two courses on database education. Across several years of IT summer internships, pupils conducted exploratory research on learning video quality—examining what makes an effective learning video, which factors matter, and how to design for learning. To enable personalized, competency-based learning paths, our videos and other learning materials are produced as OER and structured as reusable learning objects. This work is supported by in-house media equipment (camera, green screen, lighting) and iterative production workflows (including quality assurance).

Gender Issues and Confidence in Computing Capabilities

There are many programs and initiatives worldwide to inspire enthusiasm for technology and computing science. However, still a lot of them seem to attract boys rather than girls. Furthermore, despite the intensive promotion of technology, there is still room for improvement. At our department, we are thus taking a closer look at gender-appropriate materials and interventions (project “Gender-meets-Informatics”) and conduct fundamental research in the field of personality, self-esteem, self-concept and general interests (project “KAUA”).

Quality and Maturity of Teaching Interventions

At our department, we are involved in developing teaching units for pupils at all age levels, and we also work closely together with teachers and pedagogues and help them in improving their lectures and interventions.  Within this setting, we are interested in assessing the quality of teaching units by calculating their maturity levels and deriving recommendations (project “TeaM Model”), and we also investigate the effects of interventions and curricula on the perception of Computing Science and personal skills (project “KAUA”).

Computational Thinking and Basic Digital Education

When reflecting on cultural techniques, we primarily think of the cognitively most fundamental cultural techniques reading, writing and arithmetic, and of its lengthy and laborious acquisition in dedicated school-subjects.  But, in our increasingly digitally penetrated culture there are demands for extended skills and competences as widely elaborated in the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. At our department, we take a closer look at the real competencies needed at the different age groups, analyze the quality of existing competence models (project “GECKO”) and also actively work on interventions introducing computing science, ICT and computational thinking from the elementary level up to the university level (e.g. projects “Biber Elementar”, “Informatik-im-Park”, “IT-SG” and “Informatik-Werkstatt”)

Software Engineering Education

Software Engineering education has to account for a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills software engineers will be required to apply throughout their professional life. Covering all the topics in depth within a university or even school setting is infeasible due to curricular constraints as well as due to the inherent differences between educational institutions and the actual workplace of individual graduates. Thus, our department works on strategies in improving software engineering skills at University and school level (e.g. projects “AMEISE” or “SeqTrex”) and it also actively contributes to curricula and standards developing those skills needed by the current and future generations.