Introductory Computer Science Course Research Articles

Showing Up is Half the Battle: Assessing Different Contextualized Learning Tools to Increase the Performance in Introductory Computer Science Courses

Contextualized learning is considered beneficial for student success. In this article, we assess the impact of context-based learning tools on student grade performance in an introductory computer science course. In particular, we investigate two central questions: (1) does the use context-based learning tools, robots and animations, affect student performance? (2) How do age, gender, and ethnicity impact performance? To explore these questions, we compare the impact of educational robots in conjunction with animations against a second group of students who use only animations, while controlling for the effects of gender and ethnicity. We find that the addition of robots did not improve the students’ performance in our setting. Instead, our findings support the existing literature stating that gender and ethnicity are important predictors of student success. We also find that attendance is a strong predictor of student success.

Design and Experimentation of Activities for CS1: A Competences Oriented Approach (unpacking the Informed Design Teaching and Learning Matrix)


 
 
 In Introductory Computer Science courses, especially Computer Science 1 (CS1), dropout rates are generally high and results are often disappointing. In order to motivate and engage students to achieve better results in CS1, our teaching strategy is based on designing several activities using a competences oriented approach. This paper describes the use of a framework proposed by Crismond and Adams in order to create pedagogical activities for the CS1 course at Universidad ORT Uruguay. We propose to extend that framework with competences oriented activities. We present a detailed description of each activity. Our thesis is that including this kind of activities helps to obtain better results. Experimentation was done in 2012 and 2013. Teachers of the experimental group referred a high level of motivation of the students. Results show that the inclusion of those activities seems to be helpful for students and the proposed pedagogical design appears to produce better final results.
 
 

Using a Collaborative Learning Technique as a Pedagogic Intervention for the Effective Teaching and Learning of a Programming Course

Educators are faced with ever increasing challenges when teaching programming. The increase in the number of operating systems brings with it challenges for programmers because of the change in programming paradigms, programming languages and software suites that are dependent on most recent developments in technology and more so operating systems. The issue for educators maybe to move away from teacher centred teaching and learning to student centred learning. Pair programming is a technique that offers educators an opportunity to further enhance student centred learning. This study conducted an empirical study of “pair programming” in the teaching and learning of an introductory programming course in computer science with input from educators and learners. The purpose was to determine how a collaborative learning technique can be used as a pedagogic intervention for effective teaching and learning of a programming course. The study attempted to determine the impact of collaborative pair programming on students and whether Information Technology educators can use pair programming as a teaching strategy. There was a pre-test for students to secure data on how students attempted programming tasks. Thereafter the pair-programming technique was implemented and a post-test was administered to determine the effectiveness of the intervention strategy. The research findings indicated that the educators and learners had a positive attitude towards the use of pair programming to support teaching and learning and learners were convinced that they would become better programmers in the future. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1077

The human computer

The Human Computer is a novel, fun, interactive classroom activity for introductory computer science courses (that focus on programming) that uses a metaphor of teamwork, in which a group of studen...

Incorporating professional ethics into an introductory computer science course

We present our experience in integrating professional ethics into an introductory computer science course. The paper focuses on the ethics curriculum, assessment instruments and implementation resu...

Introducing security and responsible coding into introductory computer science courses

The CS2013 curriculum draft recommends that Information Security and Assurance be pervasive across all knowledge areas. However, introducing security in CS0, CS1, CS2, and Computer Literacy is challenging because of a lack of appropriate teaching resources and training. This workshop will provide a well-tested strategy for introducing secure and responsible coding concepts in these courses using self-contained, hands-on modules. These lab modules have been evaluated using large-scale quasi-experimental strategies and have been found to be effective (see references below). We will introduce attendees to secure coding through hands-on exercises, and provide self-contained, lab-based modules designed to be injected into CS0/CS1/CS2 and Literacy with minimal impact on the course (www.towson.edu/securityinjections).

Programming personal robots within an introductory computer science course for engineering majors

This paper presents teaching modules for personal robot programming developed to help make introductory computer science more relevant for first-year engineering majors. The modules provide early e...

The impact of supplementary hands-on practice on learning in introductory computer science course for freshmen

Introduction to Computer Science (ICS), which is a compulsory theoretical course for freshmen of the electrical engineering (EE) department, lays the foundation for more advanced courses. Nevertheless, since ICS covers a wide variety of concepts that are difficult to completely comprehend, incomplete understanding and a loss of learning incentive are possible problems. The aim of implementing hands-on practice (HOP) activities was to prepare the students for the actual hardware manipulation in the field of EE and also to enhance their performance in the future advanced practice courses. Through organizing optional evening hands-on practice (HOP) activities, this study investigated whether the first-year college students who participated in HOP would exhibit a better understanding in ICS compared to those who did not. The enrollment in HOP was optional in which the performance did not affect the score in the ICS course. The results showed that HOP participants not only had significantly higher academic scores (p < 0.05), but were also less stressed toward the ICS course (p < 0.05) than the non-participants. The former also showed increased interest in accepting challenges (e.g. Two HOP participants later entered the National Microcomputer Design Competition and were awarded the third prize). In conclusion, the introduction of optional HOP for freshmen of electrical engineering not only alleviated the stress that they face in response to the ICS course, but also improved the students' academic performance and class attendance rate as well as raising their interest and boosting their confidence in further challenges in the field of electrical engineering.

Infusing cyber-physical systems concepts into an introductory computer science course

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) is an emerging field of study that offers a wealth of applications in many domains of life and has the potential to change the way humans interact with and control the surrounding environment and physical processes. There is a need to prepare computer science students to join the innovation and development of CPSs and their applications. We proposed a cross-curricular enhancement framework that infuses CPS concepts into a few computer science courses from the freshman to the senior years, allowing a continuous exposure of CPS concepts with a gradually increased complexity and scale. In this paper, we introduce a sequence of course modules designed for an introductory computer science course that expose students to mathematical modeling, algorithmic thinking, and their interactions. The course modules leverage affordable robotic systems, require no students' preparation in programming, and are rich in mathematical modeling. An initial implementation of the course modules enforces the observation that potential CPS applications trigger excitement among students and increase their appreciation of mathematical modeling and its role in solving computing problems.

Impact of auto-grading on an introductory computing course

This project presents and assesses the impact of a pedagogical tool, called Bottlenose, deployed in an introductory Computer Science course. Bottlenose is a web-based framework that accepts student...

Profiles of Motivated Self-Regulation in College Computer Science Courses: Differences in Major versus Required Non-Major Courses

The goal of the present study was to utilize a profiling approach to understand differences in motivation and strategic self-regulation among post-secondary STEM students in major versus required non-major computer science courses. Participants were 233 students from required introductory computer science courses (194 men; 35 women; 4 unknown) at a large Midwestern state university. Cluster analysis identified five profiles: (1) a strategic profile of a highly motivated by-any-means good strategy user; (2) a knowledge-building profile of an intrinsically motivated autonomous, mastery-oriented student; (3) a surface learning profile of a utility motivated minimally engaged student; (4) an apathetic profile of an amotivational disengaged student; and (5) a learned helpless profile of a motivated but unable to effectively self-regulate student. Among CS majors and students in courses in their major field, the strategic and knowledge-building profiles were the most prevalent. Among non-CS majors and students in required non-major courses, the learned helpless, surface learning, and apathetic profiles were the most prevalent. Students in the strategic and knowledge-building profiles had significantly higher retention of computational thinking knowledge than students in other profiles. Students in the apathetic and surface learning profiles saw little instrumentality of the course for their future academic and career objectives. Findings show that students in STEM fields taking required computer science courses exhibit the same constellation of motivated strategic self-regulation profiles found in other post-secondary and K-12 settings.

When Life and Learning Do Not Fit

We present the results of an interview study investigating student experiences in two online introductory computer science courses. Our theoretical approach is situated at the intersection of two research traditions: distance and adult education research , which tends to be sociologically oriented, and computer science education research , which has strong connections with pedagogy and psychology. The article reviews contributions from both traditions on student failure in the context of higher education, distance and online education as well as introductory computer science. Our research relies on a combination of the two perspectives, which provides useful results for the field of computer science education in general, as well as its online or distance versions. The interviewed students exhibited great diversity in both socio-demographic and educational background. We identified no profiles that predicted student success or failure. At the same time, we found that expectations about programming resulted in challenges of time-management and communication. The time requirements of programming assignments were unpredictable, often disproportionate to expectations, and clashed with the external commitments of adult professionals. Too little communication was available to access adequate instructor help. On the basis of these findings, we suggest instructional design solutions for adult professionals studying introductory computer science education.

The GAP Logic Circuit Simulator tool

Digital logic circuit design involves constructing or drawing a logic circuit and verifying its operation. Introductory Computer Science or Computer Engineering courses that cover this topic can be...

Teaching peer-to-peer programming methodologies in introductory computer science courses to facilitate collaborative programming paradigms

Many sophisticated collaborative technologies and social computing systems are connected to a growing cyberculture that continues to emerge among today's population of students. This type of collab...

Critical thinking in an introductory programming course

The need for an introductory Computer Science course in universities is well established. As computing impacts all aspects of modern life, it is advantageous for students (future generation work fo...

Hit Me: Blackjack as a Sure Bet for Teaching Algorithmic Skills

Introductory computer science courses need to cover fundamental concepts and terminology as well as algorithmic skills. One way to accommodate these demands is to employ problem-based assignments as a vehicle for the programming content. An assignment is discussed in which students must develop a blackjack application in both Excel and Mathematica. Common solutions are considered in relation to general problem-solving strategies, and the assignments are contrasted with full-semester problem-based learning approaches.

Update on the CS Principles project

The Computer Science Principles project is a collaborative effort sponsored by the NSF and led by a group of Computer Science faculty working together with the College Board. Our goal is to design and teach a new introductory course in computer science that will attract a broader range of students to computer science. This course would serve as a new Advanced Placement (AP) course in addition to the current CS AP A.

Multi-agent simulation and netLogo in the introductory computer science curriculum

The tutorial introduces the NetLogo programming language and presents an approach to an introductory computer science course based on multi-agent simulation and NetLogo. This course has been taught...

Meeting the challenges of rising enrollments

FOR MOST OF THE LAST DECADE, the number of computer science majors declined signifi cantly at colleges and universities throughout the United States, in spite of continuing demand from industry for graduates in the fi eld. In the last few years, however, many institutions have witnessed a dramatic turnaround in enrollment, with many more students choosing to become CS majors, or at least exploring that possibility by taking introductory computer science courses.

Teaching a shader-based introduction to computer graphics.

OpenGL has become the application programming interface (API) for teaching introductory computer graphics courses in computer science, engineering, and mathematics. Faculty can rely on many OpenGL features-such as its availability across platforms, its backward compatibility, and its defaults-to support a variety of teaching styles and course goals. More recently, OpenGL has changed radically to support new hardware features, and new versions of OpenGL necessitate reexamining and updating the standard way of teaching computer graphics.