Eric Poitras

Eric Poitras is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University. He is also an Associate Professor at the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Dalhousie University and leads the Computer Science Education research cluster. He received his PhD in Educational Psychology and completed his postdoctoral training at McGill University. His main research area includes the role of self-regulatory processes during learning and problem-solving that are specific to certain disciplines, including computing education. More specifically, his research aims to gain insights into the cognitive, metacognitive, affective, and motivational processes that mediate learning, performance, and transfer in the context of introductory programming instruction. To accomplish this goal, he conducts laboratory and classroom studies and collects data to develop models of human-computer interaction; examines program comprehension and generation processes; and evaluates instructional designs to facilitate programming language learning. He is the recipient of the Early Faculty Career Award from the Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning special interest group of the American Educational Research Association. His research is funded by the Social Sciences and the Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Publications

Cognitive Apprenticeship and Artificial Intelligence Coding Assistants
Cognitive Apprenticeship and Artificial Intelligence Coding Assistants
Eric Poitras, Brent Glen Charles Crane, David Dempsey, Tavis A. Bragg, Angela A. Siegel, Michael Pin-Chuan Lin. © 2024. 21 pages.
The aim of this chapter is to examine the impact that AI coding assistants have on the manner in which novice programmers learn to read, write, and revise code. These discussions...
The Role of Self-Efficacy in Fostering a Sense of Belonging in Computing Education
The Role of Self-Efficacy in Fostering a Sense of Belonging in Computing Education
Eric Poitras, Raghav Sampangi, Brent Glen Charles Crane. © 2023. 25 pages.
This chapter outlines a conceptual framework for the relationship between student self-efficacy and sense of belonging in computing education. The proposed framework assumes the...
The Applications of Learning Analytics to Enhance Learning and Engagement in Introductory Programming Instruction
The Applications of Learning Analytics to Enhance Learning and Engagement in Introductory Programming Instruction
Eric Poitras, David Dempsey, Brent Glen Charles Crane, Shelly Simpson, Angela A. Siegel. © 2023. 20 pages.
This chapter explores how learning analytics can enhance learning and teaching in large scale, introductory programming courses. More specifically, it examines analytical...