A content analysis of SOLO-levels in different computer programming courses in higher education

Abstract

The dynamic development of technology and the labour market changes the requirements of today's education and the dissemination of knowledge. Information technologies (IT) and digital competencies (DC) are no longer knowledge just for the few that study Computer Science (CS), but it has become a part of common knowledge for every citizen. By using content analysis, this article will examine the developed content of two different “introduction to programming” courses from two different higher education institutions. Both institutions introduce programming to students outside of CS. This study aims to describe how the developed content of these courses aims to reach the different levels of learning outcomes, by using the framework Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome taxonomy (SOLO-taxonomy) developed by Biggs and Collis (1982). The results of the study show that introduction to programming courses in different professions have a different understanding of what programming is, or what it consists of. The courses about “introduction to programming” are planned and executed within its fields, which gives the students a different perspective on what programming is, compared to the average IT or CS course. This means that the term “good programming skills” is different for a teacher, engineer, or computer scientist because of their unique goals and motivations for why they learned to program in the first place.