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This research, as published in the papers being critically appraised here, evaluated existing teaching strategies adopted on computing degree programmes and proposed pedagogical innovation that impacts and improves first year undergraduate computer programming and, enhances student learning. This necessitated a departure from the didactic teaching strategy often adopted (of teaching code via isolated concepts and working through a few exercises) by introducing an improved and enhanced pedagogical approach. The focus of the published work was the teaching of computer programming and problem solving to undergraduate first year computing students, using visual computer programming, together with robot's/robot simulators. The author is responsible for the original idea, design, development and introduction of a new first year undergraduate module at the University of Northampton in 2004. The new first year module called "CSY1020 Problem Solving and Programming" enabled proposed pedagogical approaches to be implemented and evaluated. The overarching new and innovative pedagogical approach introduced and implemented by the author, that improved and enhanced student learning was called 'Problems-first' and 'Graphics-first'. The author has used the term 'Graphics-first' to define the approach, whereby visual computer programming and graphical user interfaces (GUI) are developed from the outset and throughout the module. The critical appraisal details the extent to which the author's published works provide a coherent demonstration of the new pedagogical innovation which focused on and emphasised the importance of the 'Problems-first' and 'Graphics-first' learning and teaching strategies, that were subdivided into four core pedagogical approaches: • Problem Solving (PS). • Problem-Solving-First (PSF)/Problems-First (PF). • Problem Based Learning (PbBL)/Project Based Learning (PjBL). • Physical to Visual/Visual Programming. These four core pedagogical approaches have been applied by the author to the teaching of computer programming and problem solving to undergraduate first year computing students, using robots/robot simulators and visual programming to emulate the robot tasks. Students were taught how to solve problems as part of a project/assignment that is related to a pseudo real-world problem which ultimately stimulates deeper learning and its transferability. The author has been the first to define and differentiate between Problem Based Learning and Project Based Learning by using the abbreviations PbBL and PjBL and defining PjBL as where a project/challenge is set from the outset, such that one PbBL activity leads to another and the series of linked problems form the greater challenge or project. The author's innovative approach can be seen through adhering strictly to the above definition, throughout the delivery of the Programming module, which combined visual PbBL and visual PjBL. The need to focus initial computer programming education on problem solving, prior to the teaching of computer programming syntax and software design methodology, is proposed by the author. The main vehicle for this approach is a robot/robot simulation programmed in the Java programming language, followed by the visual computer programming of a graphical representation/simulation to develop computer programming skills all delivered by the four pedagogical approaches. The methodology used was action/practitioner research, where the proposed learning and teaching strategies were designed, developed, implemented, evaluated and reflected upon by the author to enable refined approaches to be further re-implemented. The findings and recommendations of this research are that the author's contribution and impact evidences to include the following learning and teaching strategies: • Problem Solving (PS) throughout the teaching of computer programming (and allied subjects); • Visual Problem Based Learning (PbBL) visual Project Based Learning (PjBL) and; • Physical to visual/visual programming (VP). The academic impact of the author's research shows that interest has been generated through its dissemination, resulting in citations and requests for papers, together with the impact of the citations, within the context of the pedagogical approaches discussed. This research led to impact and influence on many stakeholders whether: students (at all academic levels); lecturers within or outside the discipline; other Universities throughout the UK, EU and internationally; UK school education (primary and secondary) and even a commercial robot manufacturer. The author's research is also shown to be timely, relevant and impactful following the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2016, due to its proposed pedagogical innovation. Also, with the introduction of the new Computing National Curriculum in September 2013, not only has computer programming become prominent within the School's curriculum, but both the introduction of computational thinking and the use of visual programming languages are directly relevant to the pedagogical approaches advocated by the author i.e. Problem Solving (PS) visual Problem Based Learning (PbBL) visual Project Based Learning (PjBL) and physical to visual/visual programming (VP).

Industrial Design is a discipline concerned with determining the form and function of mass-produced goods. This process depends extensively on the use of models. Until the advent of personal computers, modelling was done mostly by drawing on paper in the case of two-dimensional models, and by making physical mockups using clay, wood, foam, etc in the case of three-dimensional models. With the advent of personal computers however, this process became increasingly computer-based. This application of comptuers for modelling and visualization, constitutes the foundation of what is generally known as 'Computer Aided Design' (CAD) in the Design and Engineering disciplines, and which has become a most essential skill for any practicing professional. The development of these computer skills has been studied in the past, most of this research however, has been done in disciplines with a longer research tradition such as Architecture or Engineering. Moreover, most of this research has been approached from the perspective of Computer Aided Design, not from the perspective of computer skills in general. Therefore it is unknown to what extent Industrial Design students acquire these skills as they transition through college. Besides the fact that computer modelling has become essential in Industrial Design, studying the development of computer skills is important for other reasons. There are computer skills not related to Computer Aided Design, which have been identified as basic literacies in the 21st century. These other skills are intricatelly related to the development of advanced computer modelling techniques which pose opportunities and challenges for Industrial Design education. These studies investigate the computer skills being fostered in Industrial Design schools, and how their development is translated into the curriculum. The studies are based on a survey of 38 Industrial/Product Design schools from different parts of the world, through which their corresponding curriculums were studied/analized. This information was complemented with a number of interviews with practitioners, academics and researchers, and other sources such as artefacts analysis, action research and auto-ethnography. Among other, the studies found that the development of comptuer skills in Industrial Design schools focuses almost exclusively on developing 3D modelling skills, often even excluding 2D skills. The development of other skills, such supporting project management with the use of computers, or computer programming is almost null. The studies also found that most schools do not teach students to work with Polygonal Models, and that a good number only teach students to work with either Solid or Surface (NURBs) models, but not both. One of the arguments raised in the studies, is that due a number of trends, students should learn to work with all three different types of models, including polygonal ones. The studies also found that while strictly speaking the term CAD refers to the use of computers to support the design process, the general understanding in the field, is of CAD being essentially about modelling, and even just about 3D modelling. This tints the research and discussion around the education of computer skills in the field. The studies finish by providing a series of recommendations to enhance the development of computer skills in Industrial Design Education, by using a framework developed in these studies.