Advances in designing a student-centered learning process using cutting-edge methods, tools, and artificial intelligence: an e-learning platform

Abstract

It is well known the fact that learning process is difficult for learners and at the same time it raises problems for those who teach. Teaching Software Engineering for undergraduate students is an assiduous and a challenging task due to its level of abstraction, to frequently changes that appear in programming paradigms and in software development methodologies. In this paper we provide a novel approach in teaching Advanced Programming Methods, the third introductory course in Software Engineering that is being taught at our faculty within the Computer Science Curriculum for undergraduate students. The contribution of this paper is threefold: firstly, we design a student-centered learning process intertwining cutting edge methods like for instance project-based learning, self assessment-based learning and students engagement. Secondly, we design an E-learning platform to provide for students an automated assessment and appropriate feedback and, most important, to offer them support throughout the learning process. Thirdly, we provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis over 3 years of teaching Advanced Programming Methods course, by applying the proposed methodology. Our analysis results show the effectiveness of our approach. Key contributions in this paper are our proposed E-learning platform and the analysis findings.