Teaching Methods in Computer Science Education - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 123

Distance Learning While up till now we dealt with face to face class organiza-
tions, this section deals with distance learning environments, which, due to recent
technological developments, are widely accessible now.
A distance learning environment is asynchronic in terms of place and in terms of
time—either synchronic or a-synchronic. Though distance learning is not the typi-
cal environment for which this guide is dedicated, we found it relevant to include
it here since some of its elements can be integrated also in traditional on-campus
learning environments. Specifically, we focus here on MOOC—Massive, On-line,
Open Course —which is one of the newest ways by which distance learning is im-
plemented and represents a new form of class organization (SIGCSE 2014 is the
first SIGCSE conference in which MOOCs were discussed explicitly and full ses-
sions were dedicated to this topic; e.g., Warren et al. 2014 ). This class organization
shows that not only computer science is keep developing (as many other sciences),
but also new teaching methods and platforms, that use the scientific ideas of com-
puter science, keep developing.
Computer science educators may use a MOOC as learners, when, for example,
they should teach a new subject with which they are not familiar, and prefer to learn
it in a distance learning environments which provides more flexibility in terms of
time and place. In the MTCS course, distance learning can be implemented, for
example, for introducing the concept of flipped classroom (see Activity 56).
In this spirit, we decided to include this topic in the topic in order a) to expose the
prospective computer science teachers to this extremely big and developing educa-
tional scene and b) to increase their awareness to its potential integration in tradition-
al on-campus learning environments (alongside its advantages and disadvantages).
The target of Activity 55 is to increase the students' awareness to the different
class organizations. It notes that the topic of class organization should not be dis-
cussed only in this context; rather, it is important to let the students experience dif-
ferent forms of class organizations throughout the course and to relate to these orga-
nizations when appropriate. For example, when Stage A of Activity 52 is facilitated
(Sect. 7.2.5), it is relevant to address the power of the group in performing this task.
Activity 55: Different Forms of Class Organizations
Based on students' on-going experience of different class organizations in the
MTCS course, an integrative class discussion can address questions such as:
1. What are the differences between the different class organizations?
2. For what purposes each class organization is suitable?
3. What computer science topics are especially suitable to be taught by each
class organization?
4. What class organization(s), if at all, is/are especially suitable for computer
science learning in general?
Activities 56-57 focus on distance learning and aims to prepare computer science
educators to the option of integrating such components in their school or university
teaching.