from smartphones to smart education

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26 Volume 58, Number 3 Every aspect of our daily lives has been touched by the ubiquitous nature of mobile growth of mobile computing—a trend that seems to have no limit. is paper provides a an iPhone Application Development course at Sheridan College, Ontario, Canada. It includes by analyzing student performance scores in relation to traditional programming courses. It also provides an overview of the development environment, an assessment of this new course including qualitative surveys, informal observations and quantitative analysis including student performance score results. Overall, it was found that students enjoyed the iPhone course and performed very well. e iPhone Group Group: F(1,81) = 4.145, p < .05. Keywords: Mobile Computing Education; Mobile application development; Mobile App courses; Computer Science Education obile computing is pervasive in our society. Virtually every aspect of our daily lives has been touched by the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices. e growth of mobile computing has been quite rapid and does not have any signs of subsiding. For instance, the number of smartphones in use world-wide surpassed 1 years (Yang, 2012). iPads along with the App Store have revolutionized the mobile computing landscape. “Since the have transformed the way consumers connect with businesses and each other. From bank balances to updating Facebook, consumers now rely on their phones for an astonishing range of activities—and their enthusiasm for those devices is only going to intensify in the more creative and convenient” (Bothun, 2011). It is clear that Apple is one of the leaders in the mobile computing arena and has already eclipsed By Edward R. Sykes, Sheridan College

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  • 26 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    "CTUSBDUEvery aspect of our daily lives has been

    touched by the ubiquitous nature of mobile EFWJDFT 8F IBWF FYQFSJFODFE BO FYQPOFOUJBMgrowth of mobile computinga trend that seems to have no limit. This paper provides a SFQPSU PO UIF OEJOHT PG B SFDFOU PFSJOH PGan iPhone Application Development course at Sheridan College, Ontario, Canada. It includes B SFQPSU PO UIF FFDUJWFOFTT PG UIF DPVSTF CZBTTFTTJOH TUVEFOUT PQJOJPOT PG UIF DPVSTF BOEby analyzing student performance scores in relation to traditional programming courses. It also provides an overview of the development environment, an assessment of this new course including qualitative surveys, informal observations and quantitative analysis including student performance score results. Overall, it was found that students enjoyed the iPhone course and performed very well. The iPhone Group FYDFFEFE UIF QFSGPSNBODF PG B $PNQBSJTPOGroup:F(1,81) = 4.145, p < .05.

    Keywords: Mobile Computing Education; Mobile application development; Mobile App courses; Computer Science Education

    *OUSPEVDUJPOobile computing is pervasive in our society. Virtually every aspect of our daily lives has been touched by the ubiquitous

    nature of mobile devices. The growth of mobile computing has been quite rapid and does not have any signs of subsiding. For instance, the number of smartphones in use world-wide surpassed 1 CJMMJPOJOBOEJTFYQFDUFEUPEPVCMFJOUISFFyears (Yang, 2012). "QQMFT MBUFTU EFWFMPQNFOUT JO J1IPOFT BOE

    iPads along with the App Store have revolutionized the mobile computing landscape. Since the MBVODI PG"QQMFT J1IPOF JO TNBSUQIPOFThave transformed the way consumers connect with businesses and each other. From EPXOMPBEJOH WJEFPT UP CVZJOH DPFF DIFDLJOHbank balances to updating Facebook, consumers now rely on their phones for an astonishing range of activitiesand their enthusiasm for those devices is only going to intensify in the OFYU UXP ZFBST QBSUJDVMBSMZ BT BQQT CFDPNFmore creative and convenient (Bothun, 2011). It is clear that Apple is one of the leaders in the mobile computing arena and has already eclipsed

    /FX.FUIPETPG.PCJMF$PNQVUJOH'SPN4NBSUQIPOFTUP4NBSU&EVDBUJPOBy Edward R. Sykes, Sheridan College

    .

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 27

    .JDSPTP *OUFSOBUJPOBM #VTJOFTT .BDIJOFTCorp. (IBM) and Intel (Satariano, 2011).

    Mobile computing is a key strategic initiative for many institutions at this time. Several universities and colleges across Canada and USA now include courses in mobile computing. 8IJMF UIFSFBSFOVNFSPVTEFOJUJPOT GPS smart education (Hwang, 2010; Rothman, 2007), in UIFDPOUFYUPGUIJTTNBSUQIPOFDPVSTFXFEFOFsmart education as: an educational paradigm in which students acquire knowledge and skills during which the following overarching factors are considered:a) career relevance and development, b) societal relevance and potential impact, c) sound pedagogy, and d) classrooms equipped with appropriate tech-

    nologies and devices that enable good instruc-tion and facilitate the ease of rapid acquisition and synthesis of knowledge.

    Sheridan is situated in the Greater Toronto Area and, as such, the students come from a diverse student population. The iPhone course XBTPFSFEUPUIFOBMTFNFTUFSHSPVQPGTUVEFOUTin the Computer Systems Technology program. In previous courses in the program, students have learned how to design and build applications to run on conventional computing platforms. JTDPVSTFFYUFOEFEUIFTDPQFPGUIFTFTLJMMTUPinclude the Apple iPhone.

    This paper presents a review and analysis PG B SFDFOU PFSJOH PG UIF J1IPOF "QQMJDBUJPODevelopment course. This review and analysis answers the following research questions:a) XIBUJTUIFFFDUJWFOFTTPGUIFDPVSTFJOUFSNTPGUIFTUVEFOUTPQJOJPOBOEJNQSFTTJPOPGUIFcourse?

    a) how does the student performance scores in this course compare with traditional programming courses?This paper is divided into the following

    sections (a)overview of the course outline, (b) overview of the programming environment (Xcode, Interface Builder and the iOS Simulator), (c)method, (d)qualitative analysis and student performance scores and (e) recommendations GPS &EVDBUPST FH $PNQVUFS 4DJFODF4PXBSFEngineering program coordinators, faculty and instructors) to consider when conducting QSPHSBNSFWJFXTSFOJOHPSVQEBUJOH$PNQVUFS4DJFODF4PXBSF&OHJOFFSJOHDVSSJDVMVN

    5IF$PVSTFJ1IPOF"QQMJDBUJPO%FWFMPQNFOU

    This section presents the details of the iPhone Application Development course. Table 1, on

    UIF GPMMPXJOH QBHF QSFTFOUT UIF TJHOJDBOUportions of the course outline for the iPhone Application Development course. The course XBTSTUEFMJWFSFEJOUIFGBMM UFSNPGBOEhas had several iterations since then. The course JTPFSFEJOTFNFTUFSJOUIF$PNQVUFS4ZTUFNT5FDIOPMPHZ o 4PXBSF %FWFMPQFS /FUXPSLEngineer advanced diploma undergraduate program. This co-op based program has 6 academic terms and 3 paid co-op workterms. 8PSLUFSNTBSFPFSFEJOBOBMUFSOBUJOHGBTIJPOCFUXFFOBDBEFNJDUFSNTTUBSUJOHBFSTFNFTUFS3. Each semester is 14 weeks in length with a 1-week break in the middle.

    Prior to the iPhone course, students have had BTJHOJDBOUFYQPTVSFUPQSPHSBNNJOHMBOHVBHFT(e.g., Java, C, Perl, javascript, php, SQL, etc.), and computer science topics (e.g., architecture, operating systems, data structures, etc.).

    A personal computer or laptop that runs Mac OS X is required to develop applications for Apple mobile devices. The majority of the students prior to semester 5 used Windows FYDMVTJWFMZBOEIBEMJUUMFPSOPFYQFSJFODFXJUIMac OS X. The college leased 13 MacBook laptops and provided the machines to the students at no cost to them. Students had the use of these machines for the duration of the term that facilitated both in- and out-of-class use of DPNQVUFST GPS TUVEFOUT UP XPSL PO FYFSDJTFTassignments and projects. One special feature of the course arose as a result of the fact that BQQSPYJNBUFMZPOFUIJSEPGUIFTUVEFOUTBMSFBEZhad their own personal Apple devices (i.e., iPhone, iPod, etc.). These students were very interested in learning how to develop and deploy apps to their own devices. Furthermore, since the college was a member of the iOS Developer University Program, students were able to do this quite easily.

    The learning environment in this course was similar to other programming courses in the program. Students were taught in a mobile-based puddle-oriented classroom that facilitates group work activities (please see Figure 1). Lessons were typically conducted in an interactive fashion facilitating both instructor-student interactions and peer-to-peer interactions. Lessons typically alternated between 15-20 minutes of lecture followed by 15-20 minutes of hands-on activities for the duration of the class (2 hours). As the course progressed, the degree of student collaboration increased. In the last half of the course, when students were working on their project, students were working in their groups (2-3 students) and very engaged in developing their app.

  • 28 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    Table 1iPhone Application Development Course Outline________________________________________________________________________

    %FUBJMFE%FTDSJQUJPOStudents learn how to develop iPhone applications using Objective-C while considering User Interface design. The course is structured around three main foundational components: (a) Tools (Xcode, Interface Builder), (b) Frame-works (Foundation, UIKit), and (c) Programming using Objective-C. Students learn how to use iPhone SDK features, including typical mobile resources (e.g., internet web services, location awareness, etc.), and apply design patterns to develop iPhone applications

    -FBSOJOH0VUDPNFTTo achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated the ability to:1. Describe the features of the iPhone with regard to application development.2. %FNPOTUSBUFVTJOHUIFTPXBSFUPPMTGSBNFXPSLTBOEQSPHSBNNJOHMBOHVBHFGPSJ1IPOFBQQMJDBUJPO

    development.3. &YQMBJOIPXUPEFTJHOBOJ1IPOFBQQMJDBUJPOGSPNBUIFPSFUJDBMQFSTQFDUJWF0CKFDU0SJFOUFEEFTJHOprinciples, design patterns, mobile application architectures).4. Describe the fundamentals of User Interface Design in terms of usability, and human factors with respect to the iPhone.5. Demonstrate how to use the iPhone SDK and Objective-C to design and implement iPhone applications.

    &WBMVBUJPO1MBOAssignments (20%)Mid Term Test (25%)Project (20%)'JOBM&YBN

    5PQJDBM0VUMJOFMODULE 1 (1 week): t0SJFOUBUJPOUPUIFJ1IPOFDBQBCJMJUJFTBOEMJNJUBUJPOT

    t*OUSPEVDUJPOUPUIFEFWFMPQNFOUFOWJSPONFOUBOEUPPMT t0WFSWJFXPG0CKFDUJWF$

    MODULE 2 (3 weeks): Introduction to Objective-C: t$PNQBSJTPOXJUIPUIFSQSPHSBNNJOHMBOHVBHFTFH$+BWBFUD

    t0CKFDU0SJFOUFE1SPHSBNNJOHJO0CKFDUJWF$ t*OUSPEVDUJPOUP$PDPBGSBNFXPSLT t%FWFMPQNFOUFOWJSPONFOUBOEUPPMT9DPEF*OUFSGBDF#VJMEFS4JNVMBUPS

    MODULE 3 (2 weeks): t6TFS*OUFSGBDF%FTJHO1SJODJQMFTGPSUIFJ1IPOF t%FTJHO1BUUFSOT.PEFM7JFX$POUSPMMFSFUD

    MODULE 4 (2 weeks): Objective-C: t.FNPSZ.BOBHFNFOU t$BUFHPSJFT'JMFT1SPUPDPMT Development environment and tools t$PDPBGSBNFXPSLT'PVOEBUJPO"QQMJDBUJPO,JU MODULE 5 (1 week): t*OUSPEVDUJPOUPSFBEJOHBOE#BDLHSPVOE1SPDFTTJOH

    MODULE 6 (4 weeks): t*OUFSGBDF%FTJHOBOE)BOEJOH6TFS*OUFSBDUJPO t7JFXT.VMUJBOE5BCMF

    t%BUB1FSTJTUFODF t"EWBODFEJ1IPOF'FBUVSFTFHDPSFMPDBUJPOBDDFMFSPNFUFSQIPUPMJCSBSZFUD

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 29

    0WFSWJFXPGUIF1SPHSBNNJOH&OWJSPONFOU

    This section discusses the programming environment that was used to design, develop and test applications for the iPhone. Three main tools were used: Xcode, Interface Builder and the iOS Simulator. Figure 2 present the Xcode Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that shows the main components of the IDE (i.e., Navigation pane, code editor, property and UI object library). Figure 3 on the following page presents the Interface Builder tool that enables the programmer to design the User Interface for the app. The tool provides the foundation on which many widely accepted Human Computer Interaction principles and guidelines might be adopted. Figure4 on the following page presents the simulator that emulates to a high degree how the app would run if it were deployed onto a native device. The simulator runs on the development DPNQVUFSBOEIBTTPNFMJNJUBUJPOTGPSFYBNQMFthe accelerometer (tilt and general movement of the device recognition) is not supported.

    3FTFBSDI4UBUFNFOUThe purpose of this research was to

    EFUFSNJOF UIF FFDUJWFOFTT PG UIF J1IPOFApplication Development course by assessing the TUVEFOUTPQJOJPOBOEJNQSFTTJPOPGUIFDPVSTFand by analyzing the student performance scores in this course compared to traditional programming courses. In order to determine the degree and quality of learning that took place by students in the course, a rigorous investigation was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

    .FUIPEBOE1SPDFEVSFTThe methods of inquiry employed were sur-

    vey designs and researcher observation for the RVBMJUBUJWF JOWFTUJHBUJPO BOE RVBTJFYQFSJNFOUdesigns for the quantitative component of this study. A two-phase qualitative investigation was conducted in the form of surveys during regu-MBSMZ TDIFEVMFE DMBTT QFSJPET F STU QIBTFsurveys captured general information regard-JOHUIFTUVEFOUTCBDLHSPVOETJODPNQVUJOHBOEprogramming languages (e.g., Java) and initial FYQFDUBUJPOTPG UIF J1IPOFDPVSTFJT TVSWFZwas conducted near the beginning of the course. A second survey was issued near the end of UIFDPVSTF BFS UIF TUVEFOUTIBEB TVCTUBOUJBMamount of iPhone Application Development to PFSHSPVOEFEPQJOJPOTJTTVSWFZXBTBOJO-UFSWJFXTUZMFTVSWFZEFTJHOFEUPHBUIFSTQFDJDinformation from students on their assessment

    Figure 1. The learning environment puddle tables in a typical mobile-based class-room at Sheridan.

    Figure 2. Xcode IDE for iOS Application Development (version 4.2.1 on OS X Lion 10.7).

    of the course. The survey included seven open-ended questions to facilitate a great number of perspectives and opinions. The researcher also recorded observations throughout the course in a logbook. Such observations included infor-NBUJPO SFHBSEJOH JOEJWJEVBM TUVEFOUTQSPHSFTTUISPVHI B TQFDJD )VNBO $PNQVUFS *OUFSBD-UJPOEFTJHOFYFSDJTFPSEFTJHOJOHBTPMVUJPOUPBproblem using ObjectiveC.

    The second component of the method was a quantitative investigation of student performance scores. The research method for this section in-WPMWFE B RVBTJFYQFSJNFOUBM EFTJHO "T B SFTVMUthe researcher was able to compare pre- and post-UFTUQFSGPSNBODFEJFSFODFTBTXFMMBTHSPVQEJFS-ences (i.e., Comparison versus iPhone Group). One advantage of this type of analysis is that interaction FFDUTDPVMECFDBMDVMBUFEBOEBOBMZ[FE.

  • 30 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    In the quantitative study, the focus was on measuring how much students learned. In support of this objective, construct validity was achieved byusing standardized test theory and validating UIFQSF BOEQPTUUFTUT CZ BTLJOHEPNBJO FYQFSUTto review the tests (Trochim, 2001). Both of these perspectives were accomplished by involving EPNBJO FYQFSUT XIJDI JODMVEFE UXP $PNQVUFSScience faculty members with a speciality in undergraduate programming language teaching. FTFEPNBJOFYQFSUTSFWJFXFEBOEDPNNFOUFEPOthe content and questions on the pre- and posttests so that appropriate alterations could be made before administering the tests to the students. All tests were a combination of knowledge-based, skill-set-based and problem solving-based programming problems. In support of standardized test theory, BU MFBTUIBMG PG FBDI UFTUT DPOUFOUXFSFCBTFEPOhigh-order thinking skills (i.e., analysis, synthesis and evaluation) implemented in order to test the students general ability to problem solve (Bloom, 1956; Furst, 1981).

    1BSUJDJQBOUTThe population of this study was students

    across the province taking a similar programming course from advanced diploma program from an Ontario College or comparable course at a University. The sample in this study was the TUVEFOUTJOUIFJSOBMTFNFTUFSBU4IFSJEBO5XPHSPVQTXFSF JOWPMWFE JO UIJT SFTFBSDIFSTU

    group was the Comparison Group(C) and were students from the Computer Systems Technology program taking a Java programming course. The TFDPOEHSPVQXBTUIFFYQFSJNFOUBMHSPVQJFUIFiPhone Group) that consisted of the students in Computer Systems Technology program during the winter of 2010. Students from both groups were at the same stage in their academic program (i.e., same prerequisite courses, knowledge and skills, etc.). The Comparison Group consisted of 17 students (16 males and 1 female) and the iPhone Group consisted of 18 students (17 males and 1 female). The iPhone Group had a median BHFPGNFBONJONBY

    4UBUFNFOUPG1SPDFEVSFTTwo global procedures were required:

    Part A: Qualitative investigation on the iPhone Group; and

    Part B: Quantitative investigation on student performance scores.

    1BSU"2VBMJUBUJWF*OWFTUJHBUJPOPOUIF J1IPOF(SPVQ

    As previously discussed, the research proce-dure for this section involved a two-phase quali-tative investigation that was conducted in the form of surveys during regularly scheduled class periods. Table 2 presents the survey that includes seven open-ended questions to facilitate a great number of perspectives and opinions.

    Figure 4. iPad Simulator (version 5 on OS X Lion 10.7).Figure 3. Xcode IDE illustrating Interface Builder integration foriOS Application Development.

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 31

    Table 2

    Qualitative Survey Sheet____________________________________________________________________________

    This survey is used to determine the effectiveness of learning Mobile Computing principles and Application Development for iPhones. For each question, select the most appropriate response based on the following scale:1 = strongly favourable to the concept, 2 = somewhat favourable to the concept, 3 = undecided, 4 = somewhat unfavourable to the concept, 5 = strongly unfavourable to the concept.

    1. How do you rate the Xcode Programming Environments usefulness?

    Very Useful Not Useful 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments: _________________________________________________________________

    Do you feel iPhone Development is beneficial to your studies? List and explain the advantages/disadvantages of this learn-ing environment. Very Beneficial No Benefits 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments: _________________________________________________________________

    Compare the Xcode development environment with traditional programming environments (e.g., C, C++, etc.). Do you feel this IDE is better or worse than these environments? Identify any similarities or differences between the Xcode IDE and these other programming environments.

    Xcode is better than Xcode is worse than other programming other programming environments environments 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments: _________________________________________________________________How do you rate the ease with which you use and understand the Objective-C style of programming? Very easy to use Very difficult to use and understand and understand 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments: __________________________________________________________________Have you enjoyed the Xcode development environment? Explain why or why not. Very Enjoyable Not enjoyable 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments __________________________________________________________________

    6. Do you feel you learn more detailed information in Xcode or about the same as a traditional programming language? Explain why or why not.

    Learn Better Learn the same 1 2 3 4 5

    Comments: __________________________________________________________________7. Please add any other comments regarding the programming environment that you would like to share:

  • 32 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    1BSU#2VBOUJUBUJWF*OWFTUJHBUJPOPO 4UVEFOU1FSGPSNBODF4DPSFT

    A series of programming problems was developed for the Comparison Group and the iPhone Group. Students in the Compari-son Group were taught in a traditional format such as instructor-led instruction, group-work, demonstration, etc. using the Java program-ming language. The iPhone Group received the same instruction as well but using ObjectiveC instead of Java. One professor taught both groups for the entire term.

    The quantitative investigation involved both intragroup and intergroup comparison of student achievement by using pre- and post-test performance tests. Performance tests were small quizzes containing two to four program-ming problems and space for the student to submit their solutions. The performance tests were administered near the midterm (i.e., pre-test) and at the end of the course (i.e., posttest). These nonsubjective measurements quantify the performance level of students as they prog-ress through the course. In addition, compari-sons were made between the iPhone Group and the Comparison Group. The following section describes the way in which this procedure was performed.

    Prepare a series of programming problems for the Comparison Group:1. Select a series of topics that are routinely taught

    to students when learning the fundamentals PG QSPHSBNNJOH FH EBUBUZQFT JEFOUJFSTrepetition constructs, etc.);

    2. develop a series of programming problems that are based on those selected topics; and

    3. ensure that they meet the requirements of the unit or subunit of study by encouraging TFWFSBMUFBDIFSTXJUIFYQFSUJTFJOUIJTBSFBUPreview the series of lessons developed.

    Prepare a series of programming problems for the iPhone Group:1. Select the same topical area corresponding UPUIF$PNQBSJTPO(SPVQTMFTTPOT

    2. develop a series of problems for the iPhone Group; and

    3. ensure that they meet the requirements of the unit or subunit of study by encouraging TFWFSBM UFBDIFSTXJUI FYQFSUJTF JO UIJT BSFBto review the series of lessons developed in iOS.$PMMFDUEBUBUPEFUFSNJOFUIFFFDUJWFOFTT

    PGUIFMFBSOJOHFYQFSJFODFCZ1. conducting the pretest for baseline data on

    students in the iPhone and Comparison (SPVQTQSJPSUPFYQPTVSFUPUIFFYQFSJNFOU

    2. determining the mean and standard deviation for the iPhone and Comparison Groups;

    3. conducting regularly scheduled lectures, labs and tutorial sessions using iOS to the FYQFSJNFOUBMHSPVQ

    4. conducting traditional-form lessons for the Comparison Group;

    5. conducting the posttest given to both iPhone and Comparison Groups;

    6. computing standard statistical measures CFUXFFO QSF BOE QPTUFYQPTVSF UP UIFtwo groups respectively (i.e., iPhone and Comparison Groups); and

    7. computing additional statistical information (e.g., ANOVA).

    'JOEJOHT1BSU"2VBMJUBUJWF*OWFTUJHBUJPO'JOEJOHT POUIFJ1IPOF(SPVQJT TFDUJPO QSFTFOUT UIF OEJOHT GSPN

    the qualitative investigation of the iPhone course. Students very much enjoyed the open nature of the project where students were encouraged to choose to design and develop and app of their choice (e.g., game, business, educational, etc.). Students worked in groups PGPSBOEIBEBQQSPYJNBUFMZXFFLTGPSthe project. A variety of apps were constructed for the project, such as chess (as shown in Figures 2 and 3), a real-time movie database app, battleship, a memory matching game, a balloon popping game, among others. As an FYBNQMF'JHVSFQSFTFOUT UIF JOJUJBM TDSFFOof Whack-A-Mole, an app game for the iPhone/iPad. This project used sophisticated UI components, accelerometer, multi-touch event handling and the Cocos2D framework for building 2D games. The goal of the game is to tap the moles when they pop up from their holes before they disappear in the grass

    Figure 5. Sample iOS project: Whack-A-Mole app during program execution.

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 33

    again. The game includes variations such as three screen levels and multi-taps on a mole for increased difficulty.

    The culmination of surveys, observations BOESFTFBSDIFSTOPUFTXFSFBOBMZ[FEJOBOFPSUUP VODPWFS DPNNPO UIFNFT JO UIF TUVEFOUTopinion of iPhone course. The analysis yielded UIFGPMMPXJOHOEJOHT

    4UVEFOU1FSTQFDUJWFThe following selected comments are from

    TUVEFOUTJOBOFPSUUPVODPWFSDPNNPOFMFNFOUTSFHBSEJOH CFOFUT BOEPS QSPCMFNT XJUI VTJOHthe iOS programming environment. 1PTJUJWF$PNNFOUT1. I love the Xcode IDEit is so awesome!2. Great IDE. I really like the code-completion BOEAYJU GFBUVSFTXJUIPVUIBWJOHUIF ACVJMEevery timeway better and faster app development model.

    3. I like the way in which the human interface guidelines are represented and supported in the Interface Builder tool in Xcode. It makes it much easier to build a good app that is sleek and intuitive.

    4. Xcode with Interface Builder integrated is great. I like how integrated everything issource code to UI design to hooking FWFSZUIJOHVQJUTQFSGFDUw

    5. At the beginning I felt that the Objective-C MBOHVBHFJTRVJUFTUSBOHFCVUBFSZPVHFUVTFEto it, it is actually very powerful and better than other OO [object-oriented] languages such as $$BOE+BWB:PVSBQQDBOCFEFTJHOFEUPCFWFSZEZOBNJDBUSVOUJNFVTJOHUIFAJEUZQFoTPNFUIJOHZPVDBOUEPJO+BWBw

    6. i*N HMBE *N MFBSOJOH UIJT CFDBVTF *Nplanning on building an app and putting it on the App Store.

    7. The researcher observed that some students spent up to three times more time on the iPhone course over other courses they were taking. This was especially noticeable when students were working on their project.

    /FHBUJWF$PNNFOUT1. The error messages sometimes are very

    cryptic and hard for me to understand and isolate where the problem is.

    2. Too many pointers this is like the C course PWFSBHBJOFYDFQUJO0CKFDU0SJFOUFEGPSNw

    3. Memory management in Objective-C is a pain. I wish that the iOS had garbage collection like in Java.

    4. When compared with other IDEs such as .Net Visual Studio, Xcode is inferior, however, when

    compared with other mobile app development platforms such as Eclipse for Blackberry and Android, Xcode is far better.

    5. I am disappointed that this is the only iOS course in the curriculum. I wish there was a sequel course to this onean advanced iOS Application Development course.

    6. The integration with Subversion is very slow BU UJNFT *N OPU TVSF XIBU UIF QSPCMFN JTXcode or Subversion, but it is very frustrating at times.

    Beyond the comments gathered from students, statistical analysis based on the survey was also performed. Table2 depicts the summary statistics of the qualitative survey from the TUVEFOUT QFSTQFDUJWFFSF XFSF B OVNCFS PGinteresting observations that result from the analysis of this data. The following are the most TJHOJDBOU POFT 'PS RVFTUJPO OFBSMZ IBMG PGthe students (47%) stated that they found the Xcode programming environment to be very useful. 80% of the students said that they feel the J1IPOFDPVSTFJTCFOFDJBMUPUIFJSTUVEJFTPGXIJDITUBUFEUIFDPVSTFXBTiWFSZCFOFDJBMwThis could be attributed to the rapid market HSPXUI "QQMF IBT SFDFOUMZ FYQFSJFODFE BOE"QQMFT"QQ4UPSFNBLJOHJUGFBTJCMFGPSTUVEFOUTto be entrepreneurs in marketing and generating revenue from their apps.

    The response to question 4 (How do you rate the ease with which you use and understand the Objective-C?) is noteworthy. Only 33% of the students felt Objective-C is easy to use and understand. This is understandable considering that the students in this program have had only one C programming course and it was delivered nearly 2 years earlier in their studies. The impact of re-learning pointers, and having to be careful with memory allocation and deallocation may have resulted in this low score with regard to the Objective-C programming language.

    2VBMJUBUJWF4VNNBSZ3FTVMUT

    .FUSJD1. 6TFGVMOFTTyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy2. #FOFDJBMyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy3. 9DPEFCFUUFSUIBOPUIFS*%&Tyyyyyyy4. Ease of use and understanding of Objective-C... 33%5. &OKPZBCMFyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy6. -FBSOCFUUFSUIBOJOPUIFSMBOHVBHFTyyy

    Table 1. iPhone Course Qualitative Summary Results

  • 34 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    1BSU#2VBOUJUBUJWF*OWFTUJHBUJPOPO4UVEFOU 1FSGPSNBODF4DPSFTJT TFDUJPO QSFTFOUT UIF OEJOHT PG UIF

    quantitative investigation of this study. Table4 presents a summary of the descriptive statistical OEJOHT PO UIF QFSGPSNBODF TDPSFT GPS UIFComparison Group and the iPhone Group. In order to determine the relationship between the performance scores in C and the iPhone Groups, a two-way ANOVA was conducted.

    Table 5 presents the results from the "/07"GPSCFUXFFOTVCKFDUTFFDUTGPSUIF$and the iPhone Group. There was a statistically TJHOJDBOUEJFSFODFCFUXFFO$BOEUIFJ1IPOFGroup, F(1,81) = 4.145, p < .05. The students in the iPhone Group outperformed students in the comparison group by nearly 8% at posttest.

    Figure 6 shows a pictorial summary of performance scores between C and the iPhone Group using the mean grades as the data. It is evident that the iPhone Group posttest QFSGPSNBODF XBT TJHOJDBOUMZ IJHIFS UIBO UIFComparison Group.

    $PODMVTJPOTThis study provided an overview of the iOS

    development environment and an assessment of this new course including qualitative surveys, informal observations and a quantitative analysis involving student performance score results. Overall, it was found that students enjoyed the iPhone course and performed very well. It XBT GPVOE UIBU UIF J1IPOF(SPVQ FYDFFEFE UIFperformance of a Comparison Group: F(1,81) = 4.145, p = 0.046.

    In order to determine the degree and quality of learning that took place by students in the iPhone course, a rigorous investigation involving qualitative and quantitative techniques was DPOEVDUFEF SFTVMUT GSPN UIF STU TFDUJPO PGthe study investigated the iPhone course from a student perspective using qualitative instruments. The results from this section of the study indicate that the majority of students feel the iPhone course JTCFOFDJBMUPUIFJSTUVEJFT

    IPXFWFSUIFSFare areas for improvement. This section presents TPNFPGUIFMFTTPOTMFBSOFEJOPFSJOHUIFJ1IPOFDPVSTF BOE FYQMPSFT TPNF PG UIF CFOFUT BOEdisadvantages.F CFOFUT PG UFBDIJOH UIF J1IPOF DPVSTF

    are described below. The iPhone course:tEFNPOTUSBUFTIPXJ04BNBUVSFQPMJTIFEBOE

    highly consistent set of APIs based on Cocoa, is used,t TIPXT SFBMXPSME JNQMFNFOUBUJPOT PG 0CKFDU

    Oriented design patterns (e.g., Model-View-Controller),t JOUSPEVDFT TUVEFOUT UP OFX B DPNQVUJOH

    paradigm and programming language (i.e., Objective-C),tQSFTFOUTWBSJPVTUPQJDTPOTPXBSFEFTJHOBOETPXBSFFOHJOFFSJOHJODMVEJOHPCKFDUPSJFOUFEarchitectures,tJMMVTUSBUFTIPXEFTJHOTMFBSOFEPOUIFJ1IPOF

    iPad translate directly to Mac OS X,t FNQPXFST TUVEFOUT UP QBSUJDJQBUF JO UIF

    entrepreneurial spirit created by Apple and the App Store,t SFTPOBUFT XJUI TUVEFOUT XIP QFSDFJWFE UIF

    course as being timely and valuable given the current marketplace. They felt that the course was important to their studies and by gaining

    Figure 6. iPhone Group versus Comparison Group performance results using pre-test and posttest means as data.

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 35

    the skills in iOS programming would enhance their career opportunities, andt TIPXT UIBUPWFSBMM TUVEFOUT GPVOE UIF J1IPOF

    course to be enjoyable (73%), useful (73%) and CFOFDJBMF EJTBEWBOUBHFT FYQFSJFODFE CZ TUVEFOUT

    in the iPhone course are described below.t /PU BMM PG UIF TUVEFOUT XFSF IBQQZ XJUI UIF

    Apple environment. A number of students said they would have been happier developing apps for the Android platform instead. t F NFTTBHF QBTTJOH QBSBEJHN VTFE JO

    Objective-C was initially quite strange for many students. None of the students involved in this study were introduced to Smalltalk or Objective-C or any other message passing programming language in their academic program thus farso it was new for all of the students. Consequently, it was difficult and frustrating for some at the beginning of the course. Soon however, most of the students PWFSDBNF UIF TZOUBDUJD EJFSFODFT CFUXFFOwhat they had learned before (e.g., Java, C++, etc.) and this new language. In fact, by the end of the course 1/3 of the students said that Objective-C is either easy or very easy to use. Furthermore, 73% said they found the environment enjoyable(please seeTable3).tFWFSTJPOPGJ04EFWFMPQNFOUUIBUXBTVTFEEVSJOH UIF PFSJOH PG UIF J1IPOF DPVSTF EJEOPU PFS B HBSCBHF DPMMFDUJPO NFDIBOJTNfor memory management (as in Java for JOTUBODF 4JODF UIBU DPVSTF PFSJOH UIFiOS has been updated to include Automatic Reference Counting (ARC). ARC makes memory management the job of the compiler BOE ESBNBUJDBMMZ TJNQMJFT UIF EFWFMPQNFOUprocess, while reducing crashes and memory leaks (Apple, 2012). The compiler has a DPNQMFUF VOEFSTUBOEJOH PG UIF BQQT PCKFDUTand releases each object the instant it is no longer used. Apple claims that apps that use ARC run with the same predictable and smooth performance as in previous versions of the iOS (Apple, 2012). Future studies TIPVMEFYQMPSFUIFJNQBDUPGJODMVEJOH"3$JOsubsequent iPhone courses.t F WFSTJPO PG 9DPEF UIBU XBT VTFE JO UIF

    iPhone course was not as comprehensive nor well-integrated with common tools as in subsequent versions of Xcode. The latest SFMFBTFPG9DPEFDVSSFOUMZWFSTJPOPFSTmuch more seamless integration with the various tools that are common in popular IDEs such as Eclipse, .NET Visual Studio and others (Apple, 2012).

    The second section of this study involved an investigation of student performance scores. Two classes were involved in this study, the iPhone Group and a Comparison Group. In all of UIFFYQFSJNFOUTUIFJ1IPOF(SPVQTJHOJDBOUMZFYDFFEFE UIF QFSGPSNBODF PG UIF $PNQBSJTPOGroup. A two-way ANOVA was conducted that DPOSN UIFTF SFTVMUTF(1,81) = 4.145, p < .05. These results, coupled with the generally positive qualitative feedback from students, indicate that students perform well in the iOS programming environment.

    As presented earlier, some students spent up to three times more time on the iPhone course over other courses they were taking in the same semester. This was particularly evident during the time when students were working on the project. This is most likely due to several factors:tTUVEFOUTIBEBHSFBUBNPVOUPGMBUJUVEFUPEF-

    velop an app of their choice (providing it met the overarching goals of the course outcomes),tUIF9DPEFEFWFMPQNFOUFOWJSPONFOUBOEJ04

    frameworks are mature and very rich with fea-tures,t UIF J04 "1*T PFS NBOZ IBSEXBSF TQFDJD

    functionalities that students used in the design and implementation of their app (e.g., GPS for DPOUFYUBXBSF BQQT BDDFMFSPNFUFS QIPUP MJ-brary, map kit, etc.),t UIF*OUFSGBDF#VJMEFSUPPMJO9DPEFJTGBSTV-

    perior to competitor application development environments (e.g., Android, etc.),tUIFJ04QSPWJEFTTJHOJDBOUTVQQPSUGPSUIJSE

    party frameworks such as Cocos2D, Sparrow, 0QFO(-&4FUDXIJDIXFSFVTFEFYUFOTJWFMZin many apps developed in the course (Apple, 2012; Heald, 2012; Sparrow, 2012),t UIF QSPTQFDU PG EFQMPZJOH UIFJS OBM BQQ UP"QQMFT"QQ4UPSFXBTBQQFBMJOHUPTFWFSBMTUV-dents,tNPTU TUVEFOUT CFDBNF FOHSPTTFE JO EFWFMPQ-JOHUIFJSOBMQSPKFDUBQQoUIFTFTUVEFOUTFY-QSFTTFEUIBUJUXBTWFSZFOKPZBCMFBOEGVMMMJOH

    %JTDVTTJPOBOE'VUVSF3FTFBSDIEducators in all disciplines should acknowl-

    edge the impact of mobile computing. Mobile DPNQVUJOHJTBOBSFBUIBUIBTHSPXJOHFYQPOFO-tially and is continuing to grow at an intense rate. Educators should acknowledge this growth and plan appropriately in terms of determining the potential impact to their own area of research and/or area of teaching (Meeker, Devitt, & Wu, 1FUUFZ'PSFYBNQMFNPCJMFDPNQVU-ing has a strong presence in the following sectors (and they are all growing):

  • 36 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF Volume 58, Number 3

    tDPNQVUFSTDJFODFtCJPJOGPSNBUJDTtFOHJOFFSJOHtIFBMUItCVTJOFTTtNFEJBtDPNNVOJDBUJPOtTPDJBMOFUXPSLJOHBOEtFEVDBUJPOGSPNHSBEFTDIPPM

    through to higher education)..PCJMF$PNQVUJOHJTBFMEUIBUJTpermeat-

    ing all avenues in our society. Despite the tremen-EPVTHSPXUIUIFDVSSFOUSFBMJUZJTUIBUUIJTFMEJTa fragmented one and has all signs of continuing to be so in the foreseeable future (Bothun, 2011; Cisco, 2013). The main platforms at this time are iOS, and Android, followed by BlackBerry, Win-dows Mobile, and Symbian (Bothun, 2011; Meek-er et al., 2010; Pettey, 2011). This reality makes it difficult for educators to make decisions on cur-ricula. Nonetheless, since graduates of computer TDJFODFEFHSFFTNBZOEUIFNTFMWFTJOBOVNCFSPGEJFSFOUXPSLQMBDFFOWJSPONFOUTJUJTJNQPS-tant that educators strive to achieve balance in the curriculum. The suggestion here is that as the FMETBCPWFHSPXJOOFFEGPSNPCJMFBQQTDPN-puter science programs should therefore include this type of instruction in their curriculum.

    Apple is currently the leader in Mobile Computing (Satariano, 2011). It appears that the combination of iOS, Xcode (with integrated UI design tool), and iOS Simulator will continue to be the dominate development platform for mobile BQQTJT JT EVF JO QBSU UP"QQMFT BTUPOJTIJOHCVTJOFTTQSFTFODFUIFFYQPOFOUJBMHSPXUIPGJ04EFWJDFTBOEUIFOVNCFSPGBQQTPO"QQMFT"QQStore (currently over 700,000) (Costello, 2013). The following section presents some areas for GVUVSFSFTFBSDIBTJUSFMBUFTUPDPVSTFPFSJOHTGPSiOS device application development.

    As discussed in the previous section, memory NBOBHFNFOU XBT B TJHOJDBOU TUVNCMJOH CMPDLfor students in the course. However, since that DPVSTF PFSJOH UIF J04 IBT CFFO VQEBUFEto include Automatic Reference Counting (ARC). ARC essentially eliminates the role of programmer to manage memory as is required in C or C++ for instance. With ARC, Objective-C is more akin to Java by alleviating that huge burden of memory management responsibility from the developer (Apple, 2012). With this enhanced feature, further gains may be realized in student satisfaction and ease of application development may be forthcoming. Future research studies are QMBOOFEUPFYQMPSFIPXTUVEFOUTXJMMSFTQPOEUPthis enhancement of the iOS framework in terms

    of student satisfaction and the process of iOS application development.

    Another area for consideration for future research is determining the direction of various UPQJDT UIBU DPVME CF FYUFOEFE JO J04 DPVSTFTFor instance, the iPhone course presented in this study was essentially a foundational course in iOS development and involved a substantial amount of teaching principles of Human Computer Interaction for mobile devices and the fundamentals of the Objective-C programming MBOHVBHF0UIFSDPVSTFPFSJOHTNBZJODMVEFUIFnew features that the recent iOS includes such as better integration of the Interface Builder tool with the editor, impact of the iCloud, Newsstand ,JU $PSF *NBHF (-,JU 5XJUUFS /PUJDBUJPOCenter, and/or new Game Center APIs (Sykes, ;BU[8JUITPNBOZ GFBUVSFTeducators have a lot of choice on which direction to pursue and where to place emphasis. One area that is gaining considerable attention is Cloud $PNQVUJOH "SNCSVTU FU BM $PY2011; Kovachev, Cao, & Klamma, 2011). In fact, IBM predicts that by 2015, there will be 1 trillion DMPVESFBEZNPCJMF EFWJDFT $PY $MPVEintegrated mobile computing opens a variety of new research questions, and will be a source of challenging research problems in information and communication technology for many years to come (Kovachev et al., 2011). Solving these problems will require interdisciplinary research from systems, networks, and Human Computer Interaction. (Kovachev et al., 2011). The areas in cloud integrated mobile computing that need to CFFYQMPSFEJODMVEFa) determining the appropriate balance of EZOBNJDBMMZTIJJOHSFTQPOTJCJMJUJFTCFUXFFOmobile device and cloud (e.g., offloading computation and information to a remote data center, nearby computer or cluster of computers, or even to nearby mobile devices) (Sykes, Pham, Stoica, & Stacey, 2013);

    b) analyzing avenues of integration as XFMM BT UIF TZOFSHJFT UIBU FYJTU CFUXFFOmobile computing, cloud computing and virtualization, and

    c) FYQMPSJOH QSJWBDZ BOE TFDVSJUZ GPS NPCJMFapplications that use cloud services(Sykes et al., 2013; Sykes & Skoczen, 2013).Other areas that educators may wish to

    FYQMPSF JODMVEF FYQBOEJOH PS FOIBODJOH UIFtopics presented in this course such as Quartz 2D, Cocos2D, Web service integration (e.g., SOAP, RESTful services, etc.), and database programming (Core Data & SQLite).

  • Volume 58, Number 3 5FDI5SFOETt.BZ+VOF 37

    4VNNBSZIn summary, this project has

    shown that, in the area of mobile DPNQVUJOH UIFSF BSF TJHOJDBOUopportunities for computer science students. Furthermore, these students may be quite fortunate to have such an FYQFSJFODFBOEPUIFSDPNQVUFSTDJFODFQSPHSBNTNBZCFOFUCZJODPSQPSBUJOHthe ideas presented in this paper. Those responsible for computer science programs and instruction may wish to adapt the curriculum to provide similar opportunities for their own institution.

    Correspondence in regard to this pa-per should be addressed to: Edward R. Sykes, Sheridan College, School of Applied Comput-ing, Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, 1430 Trafalgar Rd., Oakville, Ontario, Cana-da, (email) [email protected]. (phone) +1 (905) 845 9430 Ext 2490

    3FGFSFODFTACM computing curricula 2001. (2001). ACM

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    "SNCSVTU.'PY"(SJUI3 +PTFQI"%,BU[3,POXJOTLJ" ;BIBSJBM. (2009). Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing: Berkeley.

    "SNCSVTU.'PY"(SJUI3 +PTFQI"%,BU[3,POXJOTLJ" ;BIBSJBM. (2010). A view of cloud computing. Journal of ACM Communications, 53(4).

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