Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2:1-2:18 |
| Journal | ACM Transactions of Computing Education (TOCE) - Special Issue on web Development |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 31 Mar 2015 |
Keywords
- Web development
- threshold concepts
- higher education
- thematic analysis.
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In: ACM Transactions of Computing Education (TOCE) - Special Issue on web Development, Vol. 15, No. 1, 31.03.2015, p. 2:1-2:18.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (journal) › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Uncovering “Threshold Concepts” in Web Development: An Instructor Perspective.
AU - Alston, Peter
AU - Walsh, David
AU - Westhead, Gary
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PY - 2015/3/31
Y1 - 2015/3/31
N2 - The field of Web development has evolved and diversified significantly in recent years, and narrowing the gap between the requirements of academia and the demands of industry remains a challenge. Moreover, many faculty members often struggle with knowing “how much” of a particular subject they should teach to their students and at what level. This small-scale, exploratory study seeks to uncover the existence of “threshold concepts” withinWeb development. Threshold concepts are the fundamental concepts which, once mastered, allow a learner to progress to a deeper understanding of a subject. An online questionnaire was sent out to 24 instructors within UK higher education institutions who teachWeb development subjects. Nine participants responded to the questionnaire and interviews were conducted with five to discuss and expand on the responses provided, resulting in the identification of four areas that were perceived as difficult for students to grasp when learning Web development. Analysis of these areas suggests that threshold concepts do exist within the subject and we offer up two candidates for the field of Web development: basic programming principles and decomposition and abstraction. Designing a curriculum based on threshold concepts and less on the latest methods, tools, and techniques can go a long way in helping students to become experts in their chosen discipline.
AB - The field of Web development has evolved and diversified significantly in recent years, and narrowing the gap between the requirements of academia and the demands of industry remains a challenge. Moreover, many faculty members often struggle with knowing “how much” of a particular subject they should teach to their students and at what level. This small-scale, exploratory study seeks to uncover the existence of “threshold concepts” withinWeb development. Threshold concepts are the fundamental concepts which, once mastered, allow a learner to progress to a deeper understanding of a subject. An online questionnaire was sent out to 24 instructors within UK higher education institutions who teachWeb development subjects. Nine participants responded to the questionnaire and interviews were conducted with five to discuss and expand on the responses provided, resulting in the identification of four areas that were perceived as difficult for students to grasp when learning Web development. Analysis of these areas suggests that threshold concepts do exist within the subject and we offer up two candidates for the field of Web development: basic programming principles and decomposition and abstraction. Designing a curriculum based on threshold concepts and less on the latest methods, tools, and techniques can go a long way in helping students to become experts in their chosen discipline.
KW - Web development
KW - threshold concepts
KW - higher education
KW - thematic analysis.
UR - http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2700513
U2 - 10.1145/2700513
DO - 10.1145/2700513
M3 - Article (journal)
SN - 1946-6226
VL - 15
SP - 2:1-2:18
JO - ACM Transactions of Computing Education (TOCE) - Special Issue on web Development
JF - ACM Transactions of Computing Education (TOCE) - Special Issue on web Development
IS - 1
ER -