Byrne, Jake Rowan and O'Sullivan, Katriona and Sullivan, Kevin (2017) An IoT and Wearable Technology Hackathon for Promoting Careers in Computer Science. IEEE Transactions on Education, 60 (1). pp. 50-58. ISSN 0018-9359

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Abstract

This paper explores the use of a constructivist 21st-century learning model to implement a week-long workshop, delivered as a “hackathon,” to encourage preuniversity teenagers to pursue careers in STEM, with a particular emphasis on computer science. For Irish preuniversity students, their experience of computing can vary from word processing to foundational programming, and while many schools are looking to introduce more ICT into the classroom, many students are left with a narrow view of what computer science is all about. Twenty-one students participated in the workshop and completed pre- and post-surveys, and a free word association exercise in the areas of computing and careers in computing. Analysis revealed that students' motivation to learn about the design process, programming, inputs and outputs, and wearable technology (wearables)/Internet of Things (IoT) increased following participation. There were also increases in confidence in inputs and outputs and wearables/IoT following participation, as well as changes in the computing word associations, with students associating computing more with computer programming terms rather than general terms such as the Internet. The findings suggest that the combination of a hackathon event and a model for 21st century learning can be effective in motivating and increasing the self-efficacy of preuniversity teenagers in a number of emerging technological contexts such as IoT and wearables.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Computer science education; creativity; design thinking; Internet of Things (IoT); problem solving; prototypes; teamwork; wearable technologies;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Adult and Community Education
Item ID:	11740
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2016.2626252
Depositing User:	Katriona O'Sullivan
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2019 14:40
Journal or Publication Title:	IEEE Transactions on Education
Publisher:	IEEE
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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