Computer Science Project Work: Principles and Pragmatics is essential reading for lecturers and course designers who want to improve their handling of project work on specific courses, and deans and department heads who are interested in strategic issues and comparative practices. It explores working practices within the curriculum and provides a resource of guidelines and practical advice, including tried and tested "good ideas" and case studies of innovative practices.It looks at different approaches to key aspects of project work such as:- Allocation- Supervision- Assessment Integration with the curriculumand allows readers to "mix and match" approaches to create a system which suits their individual needs."Computer Science Project Work: Principles and Pragmatics is passionate, well-researched, and well-written...I wish I had this book from the beginning of my teaching career, and you will too."Susan Fowler, Professor of Technical Communication and Usability, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York"Sally Fincher and her colleagues have assembled a cornucopia of practical advice and case studies, solidly referenced. This is the source book on using projects in computer science education."David Baume, Director of Teaching Development, Centre for Higher Education Practice, The Open University, UK"...very well-researched, it covers all the aspects, from the allocation of projects and teams, to managing the project process, assessing projects, and so on.....It will prove invaluable to all lecturers involved in teaching computing...."Professor Mike Holcombe, University of Sheffield, UK

Returning in its 3rd edition, this bestselling book on the process of PhD research provides friendly, engaging, and realistic advice on how to complete your doctorate. Updated throughout, the book will guide you through the basics as well as covering aspects that other books don't usually mention, including: * What a PhD is really about and how to do one well * How to decipher what your supervisor actually means by terms like 'good referencing' and 'clean research question' * How to design, report and defend your research The authors offer an accessible, down-to-earth, and insightful account of the whole PhD process. Their advice addresses how to avoid some of the pitfalls en route to a successful submission. Key features: * Thinking about your career from the outset of your PhD (rather than at the end) * Tips for "sniffing" a paper to make your reading quicker and more efficient * Understanding cultural differences in research * Networking for research success * Sensible guidelines for using social media in your research * Guidance on project management - especially important for part-time students The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research is essential reading for anyone considering a PhD, embarking on one, or stuck in the middle and unsure where to turn. It will tell you things many students wish someone had told them before they started. "The course of a PhD never did 'run smooth'. This new edition of unwritten rules covers everything the doctoral student needs to know for a smoother passage with informal yet scholarly advice, ranging from improving the writing process, creating networks, completing the thesis, and even what to wear for the viva - a complete guide to the tacit guidelines sometimes left unsaid." Professor Jerry Wellington, University of Sheffield, UK

This book provides an overview of how to approach computer science education research from a pragmatic perspective. It represents the diversity of traditions and approaches inherent in this interdisciplinary area, while also providing a structure within which to make sense of that diversity. It provides multiple 'entry points'- to literature, to methods, to topics Part One, 'The Field and the Endeavor', frames the nature and conduct of research in computer science education. Part Two, 'Perspectives and Approaches', provides a number of grounded chapters on particular topics or themes, written by experts in each domain. These chapters cover the following topics: * design * novice misconceptions * programming environments for novices * algorithm visualisation * a schema theory view on learning to program * critical theory as a theoretical approach to computer science education research Juxtaposed and taken together, these chapters indicate just how varied the perspectives and research approaches can be. These chapters, too, act as entry points, with illustrations drawn from published work.

This book provides an overview of how to approach computer science education research from a pragmatic perspective. It represents the diversity of traditions and approaches inherent in this interdisciplinary area, while also providing a structure within which to make sense of that diversity. It provides multiple 'entry points'- to literature, to methods, to topics
Part One, 'The Field and the Endeavor', frames the nature and conduct of research in computer science education. Part Two, 'Perspectives and Approaches', provides a number of grounded chapters on particular topics or themes, written by experts in each domain. These chapters cover the following topics:
* design
* novice misconceptions
* programming environments for novices
* algorithm visualisation
* a schema theory view on learning to program
* critical theory as a theoretical approach to computer science education research
Juxtaposed and taken together, these chapters indicate just how varied the perspectives and research approaches can be. These chapters, too, act as entry points, with illustrations drawn from published work.

Computer Science Project Work: Principles and Pragmatics is essential reading for lecturers and course designers who want to improve their handling of project work on specific courses, and deans and department heads who are interested in strategic issues and comparative practices. It explores working practices within the curriculum and provides a resource of guidelines and practical advice, including tried and tested "good ideas" and case studies of innovative practices.
It looks at different approaches to key aspects of project work such as:
- Allocation
- Supervision
- Assessment Integration with the curriculum
and allows readers to "mix and match" approaches to create a system which suits their individual needs.
"Computer Science Project Work: Principles and Pragmatics is passionate, well-researched, and well-written...I wish I had this book from the beginning of my teaching career, and you will too."
"Susan Fowler, Professor of Technical Communication and " "Usability, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York"
"Sally Fincher and her colleagues have assembled a cornucopia of practical advice and case studies, solidly referenced. This is the source book on using projects in computer science education."
"David Baume, Director of Teaching Development, Centre for " "Higher Education Practice, The Open University, UK"
..".very well-researched, it covers all the aspects, from the allocation of projects and teams, to managing the project process, assessing projects, and so on.....It will prove invaluable to all lecturers involved in teaching computing...."
"Professor Mike Holcombe, University of Sheffield, UK "

Software Designers in Action: A Human-Centric Look at Design Work examines how developers actually perform software design in their day-to-day work. The book offers a comprehensive look at early software design, exploring the work of professional designers from a range of different viewpoints. Divided into four sections, it discusses various theoretical examinations of the nature of software design and particular design problems, critically assesses the processes and practices that designers follow, presents in-depth accounts of key supporting elements of design, and explores the role of human interaction in software design. With highly interdisciplinary contributions that together provide a unique perspective on software development, this book helps readers understand how software design is performed today and encourages the current community of researchers to push the field forward.

An engaging, illustrated collection of insights revealing the practices and principles that expert software designers use to create great software. What makes an expert software designer? It is more than experience or innate ability. Expert software designers have specific habits, learned practices, and observed principles that they apply deliberately during their design work. This book offers sixty-six insights, distilled from years of studying experts at work, that capture what successful software designers actually do to create great software. The book presents these insights in a series of two-page illustrated spreads, with the principle and a short explanatory text on one page, and a drawing on the facing page. For example, "Experts generate alternatives" is illustrated by the same few balloons turned into a set of very different balloon animals. The text is engaging and accessible; the drawings are thought-provoking and often playful. Organized into such categories as "Experts reflect," "Experts are not afraid," and "Experts break the rules," the insights range from "Experts prefer simple solutions" to "Experts see error as opportunity." Readers learn that "Experts involve the user"; "Experts take inspiration from wherever they can"; "Experts design throughout the creation of software"; and "Experts draw the problem as much as they draw the solution." One habit for an aspiring expert software designer to develop would be to read and reread this entertaining but essential little book. The insights described offer a guide for the novice or a reference for the veteran-in software design or any design profession. A companion web site provides an annotated bibliography that compiles key underpinning literature, the opportunity to suggest additional insights, and more.

Mushroom Biotechnology: Developments and Applications is a comprehensive book to provide a better understanding of the main interactions between biological, chemical and physical factors directly involved in biotechnological procedures of using mushrooms as bioremediation tools, high nutritive food sources, and as biological helpers in healing serious diseases of the human body. The book points out the latest research results and original approaches to the use of edible and medicinal mushrooms as efficient bio-instruments to reduce the environment and food crises. This is a valuable scientific resource to any researcher, professional, and student interested in the fields of mushroom biotechnology, bioengineering, bioremediation, biochemistry, eco-toxicology, environmental engineering, food engineering, mycology, pharmacists, and more.