Promising Practices in CS1:Panel Agenda

• This Short Introduction

• Barbara Ericson, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Deepak Kumar, Bryn Mawr College

• Wanda Dann, Carnegie-Mellon University

• Lynn Lambert, Christopher Newport University

Promising Practices in CS1October 18, 2007

Promising Practices in

CS1

Lynn Lambert

Physics, Computer Science and Engineering

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia

CNU following national trends

CS1 Enrollment

0

50

100

150

200

250

AY00-01

AY01-02

AY02-03

AY03-04

AY04-05

AY05-06

AY06-07

Academic Year

Male

Female

total

Java and Collaborative Intervention Started

Promising Practices in

CS1

CS1 at CNU: Java since Fall 2004

Coverage: standard• Writing a Java program / Methods, classes• if / loops • Using objects / Writing and using methods• Arrays / ArrayLists • Testing/ Wrapper classes, this, main, static • File I/O / Inheritance • Abstract Classes and Interfaces

Promising Practices in

CS1

1 2 3 4 5

TextbookReading ppt Notes

Listening to PowerpointInclass Student Coding

Collaborative HomeworkExam Review

Programming PartnerInclass Prof Coding

ClickersProgram Assignments

Coding on Board

"Helps me learn Java"(1=no! … 5=yes!)

Promising Practices in

CS1

Collaborative Elements

• Programming partners: – Williams et. al.

• Collaborative homework

• Computer Science Unplugged• Group Scribbles

• Writing on the board• Clickers

Promising Practices in

CS1

Writing on the Board

• Entire class gets up, works at board in groups of 2 or 3

• Make problems small (e.g., "Create an ArrayList using generics. Write a print method.")

• Forces focus on concepts (at a computer, focus ';'s)

• Works best with class of 10-30

Promising Practices in

CS1

+/-s to Writing on Board

+ easy for instructor to see all students' code

+ everybody participates, but in groups simultaneously, so low pressure

+ students get immediate feedback+ students eavesdrop on each other and

instructor

- hard for wheelchair bound students- must allow time for students to copy code into their notes

Promising Practices in

CS1

•Students discuss their reasons

•Then vote again

Clickers

•Students enter multiple choice answer with clickers

•Choices displayed in aggregate

Promising Practices in

CS1

Results

• Standard CS1 course

• Retention to CS2 has gone from 60% (Ave 02-05) to 70% (Fall07)

• Enrollment is up 10% Fall 2007 from Fall 2006

• Related?

Promising Practices in

CS1

Counting the Dots: Binary NumbersColor By Numbers: Image RepresentationYou Can Say That Again!: TextCompressionCard Flip Magic: Error Detection and Correction Battleships:

Searching AlgorithmsLightest And Heaviest:

Sorting Algorithms

Beat the Clock: Sorting Networks

The Muddy City: Minimal Spanning Trees

The Orange Game: Routing and Deadlock

Treasure Hunt: Finite-state Automata

Marching Orders: Programming Languages

www.csunplugged.org

Promising Practices in

CS1

GroupScribbles from SRIPromising Practices in

CS1

• groupscribbles.sri.com

• virtual post-it notes

• works best with

tabletPCs

Comments?

Your experiences?

Promising Practices in CS1