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Mobile computing: Developing learning activities to support the mastery of challenging topics
TILT Program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)
Principal investigator: Helmine Serban, senior lecturer, School of Interactive Arts and Technology, School of Communication, Faculty of Communication
Project team: Sheena Miao Ying Tan, TILT research assistant
Timeframe: November 2021 to June 2025
TILT Support: Up to 192 of TILT research assistant hours
Course addressed: IAT359 - Mobile Computing
Final report: View Helmine Serban’s final report (PDF), Appendix 1 (PDF), and Appendix 2 (PDF)
Description:
This project systematically identified and addressed the most challenging topics in mobile application development education through a comprehensive analysis of student performance and strategic course redesign. Recognizing that students struggled with certain challenging concepts, the research aimed to create a framework where these topics are revisited across multiple course modules rather than taught in isolation.
The investigation involved analyzing assessment data from Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, including quiz and exam performance, student project complexity, and individual reflection statements. Eight challenging topics were identified: application architecture, GUI development practices, activity lifecycle, Android SDK features, data storage, asynchronous programming, data sharing mechanisms, and device hardware access. For each topic, specific learning objectives were established and integration points throughout the course curriculum were established.
The redesigned course structure ensured that challenging topics are encountered multiple times in different contexts throughout the semester, providing repeated opportunities for theoretical understanding and practical application. Student survey data showed improved understanding rankings for core topics due to consistent exposure throughout the course. Project grades also showed modest improvement from 86% to 87% average, demonstrating the effectiveness of the distributed learning approach.
Questions addressed:
- What are the topics specific to mobile computing that present challenges to students and what are the associated learning objectives?
- How can the course be structured to provide new learning and practice opportunities for challenging topics?
- How can the effectiveness of the new course structure be assessed?
Knowledge sharing: Findings have been shared with SFU colleagues. The final report will be distributed to the entire department to support broader adoption of the approach.
Keywords: mobile computing education, curriculum design, repeated exposure pedagogy, Android development, technical skills acquisition, course restructuring, student learning assessment, programming education, educational technology, computer science pedagogy