Katrina Jones

While I'm only on a fixed-term teaching associate contract (so teaching only, minimal research), I have a keen interest in helping novice programmers learn how to program. I have a passing interest in the areas of: computer science education, gamification, code puzzles, computational thinking and reasoning, problem solving, technology-enhanced learning, automated feedback, assessment design, knowledge representation, clustering algorithms, word sense disambiguation, video games, program testing, reliability in software engineering, computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing. I also really enjoy reading about pedagogical research in the area phenomenology particularly and enjoy learning more about knowledge representation. However, I have yet to publish much formally in journals in said areas, but I like to learn more about things whenever I have the chance.

The research for the doctorate focused on an area of Computer Science and investigated whether we can discern novice programmer understanding through using a form of paper-based Java code puzzles. 

• BSc (Hons) in Computing Science
• MSc in Software Engineering
• ILTP in Introduction to Learning and Teaching Practice
• PGCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• MEd in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• PhD in Computer Science (Analytical Gamification of Novice Programmers' Psyche)

I am currently on a fixed-term contract with the university as a Teaching Associate in Digital Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeships and I am primarily responsible for supporting the computer science degree apprentices.

In the past, I have been both a casual teaching assistant and a fixed-term teaching assistant for a variety of computer scienced based modules, such as:

• Data Structures and Algorithms with Java
• Java Programming Foundations
• Testing and Reliable Software Engineering
• Reliability in Software Engineering
• Problem Solving 
• Computational Reasoning
• Enterprise Application Technologies
• Information Security
• Human Computer Interaction
• Machine Learning
• Foundations of Object-Orientated Design
• Mathematics for Artificial Intelligence Professionals

In all teaching assistant contracts, I was responsible for providing peripheral support for computer science students wishing to learn Java, MySQL, XML, and/or Python.

As part of my fixed-term teaching assistant contract, I was sometimes asked to create, use or enhance module materials, for example: I made a Java 20.0+ version revamp of the Mars' Simulator project for Multi-Agent Systems; I generated various solutions for Machine Learning using Python's sklearn module; and I helped design, implement, conduct, mark and/or moderate assessments when and where required. 

I am a Fellow of the Advance HE.

Dr Jones's research focuses on computer science education, gamification, computational thinking, automated feedback and assessment design.