Assignment 1 - Class Profile by Adam Lennox https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr en-us 2022-11-20 21:45:12 UTC 2026-03-16 04:15:15 UTC hello@padlet.com Outline of the course/ programme (i.e. name/ code/ summary, number of students) adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391705560 The class is "Computing Application Development" and is part of a Level 5 NC Computing. The fees for which are £4,320. 22 students enrolled. 1 withdrew after the first week and 1 was prohibited from attending due to poor behaviour (a Bill Rogers type approach was not used...). Ages range from 16year old school leavers to mature students. For ages, the mean is 18, the mode is 17, standard deviation is 4.8 and the distribution is heavily skewed towards the younger side with the mature students topping it out at 32 .]]> 2022-11-20 21:48:10 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391705560 Pre entry requirements adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391706520 Four National 4s (inc. Computing Science or Maths) or a NQ at Level 4 in a computing related area. 
If a prospective student doesn’t have formal qualifications, but has relevant life experience, then the college will consider them for a place.

]]> 2022-11-20 21:50:28 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391706520 Prior knowledge and experience (of subject) adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391706770 83.3% have coded before with 6.7% having never coded before. 14.8% have coded using this specific language. This means that there will be a big variance in student capacities when starting this course. Some will take time to come to terms with fundamental coding concepts while to others it will be revision. Instruction must take account of these variances with easy-to-follow and explicit instruction as well as extensive “extension” tasks.
It also highlights the value of peer teaching and the need to portray the range of problem (or debugging) techniques available (and their suitability at different times) so that both the programming beginners and those who are more expert, can benefit.

]]> 2022-11-20 21:50:59 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391706770 Prior knowledge and experience (of learning) adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707310 92% of the students come directly from either school (25%) or another college course (67%). This suggests that the vast majority have recent experience of dealing with being presented with things about which they are not familiar. The education experience at college being significantly different from that at school suggests that a significant proportion of the class will benefit from reinforcement (through stating and modelling) conduct norms.

]]> 2022-11-20 21:52:20 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707310 Social/cultural issues adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707554 89% of the class come from areas which are in the bottom 20% of most deprived areas in Scotland. This means that the probability of people doing work outside the class is low so “finish it at home” is less of an option because of lack of devices and also lack of a suitable environment to do so in.

]]> 2022-11-20 21:52:57 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707554 Motivation adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707847 It looks like 58% of the students are currently internally motivated, with the balance (42%) being externally motivated. In addition, 83% of the students were identified as having a growth mindset with 17% looking more fixed or not identified yet.
A major motivational device that has been used is the inevitable “to pass you must…” but there is also an underlying “who’s got the most examples working”. In addition there is also a quiet drive amongst 30% of the students to assemble a “library” of working programs. The classes are two hours long and after the expulsion of the disruptive student 80% of the classes finish with a low hum of conversation (mainly about programming) and all the students focused on their code. 

]]> 2022-11-20 21:53:35 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391707847 Confidence, attitude adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708085 Lots of bravado and alleged computer-game playing expertise exists among the more vocal students. Four students are noticeably more withdrawn from the boisterous behaviour of the others but as all the work in this course is individual, this area is not one about which concern exists although by turning up early for the class the calming influence which an older individual has (me), reduces the probability of those individuals being given a hard time by their classmates. ]]> 2022-11-20 21:54:15 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708085 Associated assessment arrangements due to protected characteristics adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708453 This area was a struggle to get information on. I have managed to find out that there are five individuals who fall into this category including three who have diagnoses of dyslexia, One ADHD and several of autism. There are no other instances of protected characteristics negatively impacting student education amongst the class that I am aware of

]]> 2022-11-20 21:55:11 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708453 adamlennox82 https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708710 Although the College where I’m volunteering has been extraordinarily helpful they have limits on their time which I can consume through which I am loth to push. Because of this, the information sources which were used to compile this assignment was limited to a survey of the class members, the class teacher’s memory, a whole lot of observation/conversations plus interrogating the College’s website.

I did not have the option of accessing individual student records directly.

]]> 2022-11-20 21:55:52 UTC https://padlet.com/adamlennox82/uzu8yrfiy5bx4wwr/wish/2391708710