Entries by Patrick Thornham

Improving Engineering Retention

zyBooks Editorial Director Dr. Nikitha Sambamurthy, Ph.D., discusses how undergraduate retention may be improved by increasing student confidence in core engineering classes. Dr. Sambamurthy shares findings from her team’s award-winning, peer-reviewed research.

Wiley and ASU Partner to pilot AI-powered tutor for computer science students

Wiley and Arizona State University’s (ASU) Fulton Schools of Engineering are collaborating on an innovative project to help computer science students thrive in online coding labs. Together, they are developing a new AI-powered tutor designed to support students in overcoming obstacles and enhance their learning experience. Currently in its pilot phase, the generative AI tutor […]

Data Structures with zyLabs Webinar

Senior Content Developer Evan Olds demonstrates how students can engage with learning questions and animations in these new language-specific data structures zyBooks. Product Development Lead Joe Mazzone shows the advanced capabilities now available in zyLabs for Data Structures.

Machine Learning with zyLabs

Author Aimee Schwab-McCoy shows how students can write and edit live code, create data visualizations, and output images right in the zyBook. Jupyter notebooks are embedded in the zyBook, so students work with real-world, professional tools.

Advanced zyLabs Best Practices

In this webinar, zyLabs Product Lead Joe Mazzone shows how to use our Advanced zyLabs in some innovative ways, including using custom test benches, sandbox environments for students, and real-time collaboration.

ChatGPT and Cheat Detection in CS1 Using a Program Autograding System

Frank Vahid*, Lizbeth Areizaga, Ashley Pang Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. of California, Riverside *Also with zyBooks Whitepaper V1 Feb 17, 2023: Initial version.  Abstract We summarize the ability of a program autograding system to detect programs written by ChatGPT, rather than by students, in a CS1 class using a “many small programs” approach. First, […]

zyBooks Digital Design with new zyLabs

See the variety of tools that provide an exceptionally hands-on approach to presenting digital design by combining theory and practice, including various web-based simulators, like a circuit simulator, finite-state machine simulator, high-level state machine simulator, datapath simulator, and more, plus numerous tools, like a Boolean algebra tool, a K-map minimizer tool, and more. 

Managing Stress and Overcoming Burnout

For many computer science and engineering instructors, anxiety and stress are all too familiar feelings. To support our community of zyBooks instructors, we’re exploring the topic of mental health in STEM higher education and raising actionable strategies to help professors overcome burnout.