Researcher calls for new approach in computer education

Dr. Uma Gunasilan, senior lecturer in the School of Engineering and Information Sciences at Middlesex University Dubai, was honoured for presenting best paper at the Seventh Worldwide Conference on Education and Culture, held recently in Rome, Italy.

The paper entitled 'Towards Improving the Teaching and Learning Experience in Computer Programming: A Case Study in Middlesex University Dubai" won much acclaim at the international conference, which was organised by the Worldwide Conference on Education and Culture series, based in Virginia, USA.

Dr. Gunasilan was appreciated by academics from across the world, for her effort in highlighting the problems and arguments in the pedagogy of computer programming in the Middle-Eastern region and outlining active elements that play a significant role in teaching and learning in the UAE.

"These active elements include the fact that most of Dubai's non-government universities house more international students and educators from various education backgrounds. The region's socio-cultural settings and the strains of introducing a foreign curriculum into Dubai's local education system are other factors,"

she said.

In her paper, the researcher stated that students should be allowed to 'construct knowledge' rather than to acquire, apply and retain knowledge that is given by educator. Although this is acknowledged and works effectively in science and mathematics education, there is a discrepancy, specifically in computer science.

"It is more apparent in Dubai where the background of students and socio-cultural setting of the classroom influence the teaching and learning process," she asserted.

Based on this, Dr. Gunasilan, proceeded to emphasise the reasons arising to the teaching and learning process and proposed a curricula framework for computer programming that focuses on the "construct knowledge" philosophy.

Chair of Research at Middlesex University Dubai Dr. Marcus Stephenson, said that the recent achievement of Dr. Gunasilan affirms that Middlesex University Dubai's research objectives incorporate working towards even further growth and achievements, locally and globally, not only to contribute towards academia in a broad spectrum.