The goal of the SimProgramming approach is to help students overcome their learning difficulties in the transition from entry-level to advanced computer programming, developing an appropriate set of learning strategies. We implemented it at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal), in two courses (PM3 and PM4) of the bachelor programmes in Informatics Engineering and ICT. We conducted semi-structured interviews with students (n=38) at the end of the courses, to identify the students’ strategies for self-regulation of learning in the assignment. We found that students changed some of their strategies from one course edition to the following one and that changes are related to the SimProgramming approach. We believe that changes to the educational approach were appropriate to support the assignment goals. We recommend applying the SimProgramming approach in other educational contexts, to improve educational practices by including techniques to help students in their learning.

Information about the paper titled "SIMPROGRAMMING: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED TEACHING APPROACH FOR COMPUTER PROGRAMMING IN HIGHER EDUCATION" at IATED Digital Library

This work is meant to unveil the increasing relevance of formative assessment, as much for teachers, as for pupils. It intends to raise the need of a closer look at this irreplaceable way of assessment on teachers’ education, and to the growing need of turning it into practice, making pupils its privileged agents; knowledgeable and aware of the full potential of the multiple facets of formative assessment. On prétend, avec ce travail, de mettre en évidence l’importance de plus en plus croissante de l’évaluation formative, tant pour des professeures que pour les étudiants. On prétend aussi attirer l’attention sur ce type d’évaluation, irremplaçable dans la formation des professeurs, et sur le besoin de la mettre en practique, soit pour faire des étudiantes de plus en plus des agents éclairs, soit pour les avertir pour ses potentialités. Este trabalho pretende mostrar a crescente importância da avaliação formativa, tanto para professores como para alunos. Pretende chamar a atenção para a função insubstituível desta modalidade de avaliação na formação dos professores, e para a necessidade de crescentemente a pôr em prática, tanto no sentido de transformar os alunos em seus agentes esclarecidos, como de os consciencializar para as suas potencialidades.