This study explores the changes in Computer Science (CS) students' self-efficacy between entering study and the end of first year of university. It aims to give course leaders insights into the everyday challenges that affect students' academic achievement and persistence into second year. The paper begins by proposing that the way CS is taught, the gender imbalance on CS courses, and the experience of the key transitional year into university might influence CS students' non-continuation. It adopts an academic buoyancy conceptualisation of resilience. Acknowledging the scarcity of instruments covering CS students' transition to university, the development of a new 20-item questionnaire is described, based on CS students' own contributions of the challenges they faced during first year. The instrument is administered twice in one session to the same cohort. Analysis of paired responses indicates a loss of confidence to overcome challenges in most aspects, particularly staying motivated to study.

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In this paper, we present a simple spreadsheet based simulation activity that can be performed by students at the undergraduate level. This simulation is implemented in free open source software (FOSS) LibreOffice Calc, which is available for both Windows and Linux platform. This activity aims at building the probability distribution for the possible macro-states of a system. This has been achieved by randomly sampling the configuration space consisting of all the possible microstates and determining the corresponding macrostate for each of the samples, which is akin to Monte-Carlo simulation. This simulation could act as a very useful tool in engaging students for learning the concepts of microstates, macrostates and steady state equilibrium, once the ideas have been introduced in the classroom. Further, the effect of the number of particles on the quality of steady state equilibrium achieved demonstrates the idea of thermodynamic limit.

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Abstract-This paper reports a case study of co-operative, small-group, game-based learning by a cohort of undergraduates on a range of computing programmes, during the first trimester of their first year. Game-based learning in the form of a totalenterprise business simulation is presented here as a medium to promote self-efficacy and employability through teamwork, presentation skills and greater self-confidence, with a possible relationship with improved work placement and graduate employment opportunities. The simulation is implemented to engender friendships amongst new students, in order to foster resilience and help prevent isolation.Appended is a discussion of the results of a small-scale exploratory evaluation of the benefits of the simulation experience on aspects of self-efficacy, as reported by those students who took the module in session 2010/11 and remain on the course in the final year of their degree. The study's findings are mixed: although the evidence for SimVenture being beneficial in gaining a placement is weak, respondents consider it enjoyable, a valuable learning experience, and cite its importance in gaining presentation skills, improving teamworking, making friends, and indirectly supporting the value of embedding simulations within meaningful learning activities to promote employability.