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Introduction to Volume 6 Issue 1
Steven I. Gordonpp. 1–1
A brief introduction to this issue of the Journal of Computational Science Education from the editor.
Volume 6 Issue 1 — July 2015
Contents
Exploring Design Characteristics of Worked Examples to Support Programming and Algorithm Design
Camilo Vieira, Junchao Yan, and Alejandra J. Maganapp. 2–15
https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/1BibTeX
@article{jocse-6-1-1,
author={Camilo Vieira and Junchao Yan and Alejandra J. Magana},
title={Exploring Design Characteristics of Worked Examples to Support Programming and Algorithm Design},
journal={The Journal of Computational Science Education},
year=2015,
month=jul,
volume=6,
issue=1,
pages={2--15},
doi={https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/1}
}
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In this paper we present an iterative research process to integrate worked examples for introductory programming learning activities. Learning how to program involves many cognitive processes that may result in a high cognitive load. The use of worked examples has been described as a relevant approach to reduce student cognitive load in complex tasks. Learning materials were designed based on instructional principles of worked examples, and were used for a freshmen programming course. Moreover, the learning materials were refined after each iteration based on student feedbacks. The results showed that novice students benefited more than experienced students when exposed to the worked examples. In addition, encouraging students to carry out an elaborated self-explanation of their coded solutions may be a relevant learning strategy when implementing the worked examples pedagogy
Picky: A New Introductory Programming Language
Francisco J. Ballesteros, Gorka Guardiola Múzquiz, and Enrique Soriano-Salvadorpp. 16–24
https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/2BibTeX
@article{jocse-6-1-2,
author={Francisco J. Ballesteros and Gorka Guardiola M\'{u}zquiz and Enrique Soriano-Salvador},
title={Picky: A New Introductory Programming Language},
journal={The Journal of Computational Science Education},
year=2015,
month=jul,
volume=6,
issue=1,
pages={16--24},
doi={https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/2}
}
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In the authors' experience the languages available for teaching introductory computer programming courses are lacking. In practice, they violate some of the fundamentals taught in an introductory course. This is often the case, for example, with I/O. Picky is a new open source programming language created specifically for education that enables the students to program according to the principles laid down in class. It solves a number of issues the authors had to face while teaching introductory courses for several years in other languages. The language is small, simple and very strict regarding what is a legal program. It has a terse syntax and it is strongly typed and very restrictive. Both the compiler and the runtime include extra checks to provide safety features. The compiler generates byte-code for compatibility and the programming tools are freely available for Linux, MacOSX, Plan 9 from Bell Labs and Windows. This paper describes the language and discusses the motivation to implement it and its main educational features.
Identification of Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthesis Enzymes in Mycobacterium Smegmatis
Alexander Priest, E. Davis Oldham, Lynn Lewis, and David Tothpp. 25–31
https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/3BibTeX
@article{jocse-6-1-3,
author={Alexander Priest and E. Davis Oldham and Lynn Lewis and David Toth},
title={Identification of Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Synthesis Enzymes in Mycobacterium Smegmatis},
journal={The Journal of Computational Science Education},
year=2015,
month=jul,
volume=6,
issue=1,
pages={25--31},
doi={https://doi.org/10.22369/issn.2153-4136/6/1/3}
}
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Antibiotic-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have rendered some of the current treatments for tuberculosis ineffective, creating a need for new treatments. Today, the most efficient way to find new drugs to treat tuberculosis and other diseases is to use virtual screening to quickly consider millions of potential drug candidates and filter out all but the ones most likely to inhibit the disease. These top hits can then be tested in a traditional wet lab to determine their potential effectiveness. Using supercomputers, we screened over 4 million potential drug molecules against each of two enzymes that are critical to the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. During this process, we determined the top candidate molecules to test in the wet lab.