Work in Progress - Effect of Instructional Design and Pair Programming on Student Performance in an Introductory Programming Course

Progressive programming assignments were used in an introductory Java programming course where every assignment built on the previous one. The major goal was to help students learn difficult, abstract concepts. This technique allows students to concentrate on the current topic while building on their previous work. This also provides an incentive for students to keep up with their work. Students often feel that they can skip the current topic and pick up after it is over, but it is difficult to do this in a programming course because every new concept builds on the previous ones. This approach also has built-in scalability, which is difficult to achieve in introductory programming courses due to time constraints and the students limited knowledge. These assignments were given in a CS2-type course where the topics predominantly deal with abstract concepts. This paper discusses the assignments, goals, faculty observations, student comments, and results.

The teaching and learning of programming are often considered a difficult topic for both teachers and students, due to its complexity and abstract nature. The traditional teaching approaches are unable to contribute substantially to the development of the necessary cognitive models by the students, producing high rates of failure and dropout in introductory programming courses. In the last 30 years, the scientific community has not stopped looking for new pedagogical approaches and teaching techniques in introductory computer programming courses. Various studies have shown that pair programming under appropriate conditions may create an environment conducive to learning, leading to an increase student interest in programming. In this paper, the author presents the results of a pilot teaching intervention. The sample was collected among first-grade students of a high school in Greece. The results showed that the pair programming is more efficient than the solo programming, both on facilitating and supporting students' learning and understanding of basic programming concepts, as well as on improving students' attitudes toward programming.

Computer programming is considered as a difficult area of study for novices. One of the reasons is the main focus of the curriculum presented in an introductory programming (IP) course which emphasizes more on the programming knowledge (syntax and semantic) of the programming language. This study introduced a new teaching curriculum in the IP course which focuses on different skills required by the novices. We compared the IP course materials based on the traditional and new approaches against five categories. The result shows that the new approach encourages both the programming knowledge and problem solving strategies, and promotes deep learning. Furthermore, it discourages programming shortcut (Problem statement → Code), and support three-step approach (Problem statement → Solution Plans → Code) in solving a problem statement. The new approach also promotes algorithmic thinking in the IP course by paying equal attention on the problem solving strategies.

Problem solving skills are considered an integral part of grasping the precise concepts of the programming domain for novices in introductory programming (IP) courses. But these skills are mostly covered only in early lectures of such courses or are included in just a few early chapters of some relevant textbooks. Consequently, high failure and dropout rates are often reported in IP courses. In this study, we developed and introduced an application, called PROBSOL, which is designed to focus on, and enhance, novice programmers’ problem solving skills. Two versions of the application were developed, a web-based version and a mobile app. The applications were based on pseudo-code techniques. A survey was implemented to collect students’ feedback and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect instructors’ opinion about the applications. Moreover, final exam grades over two semesters were compared to determine the impact of including the PROBSOL applications in the course. The results show that both students and instructors appreciated the applications and that their use supports students’ cognitive gains and engagement. Moreover, they promote students’ affective engagement in the IP course. The use of the applications improves novices’ programming understanding, logic capabilities and problem solving skills. However, students preferred the mobile version rather than the web-based version during the course. The comparison of students’ grades showed that the students’ achievements were improved and attrition rates were reduced after introducing the PROBSOL applications in the course.

Learning to program requires the development of multiple skills including critical thinking, problem-solving, as well as learning the syntax and semantics of the programming language. For novices, to acquire all these skills is considered a challenging and difficult task. They have to focus on both problem-solving strategies and the syntax and semantics of the programming language to acquire these skills. In this study, this article compares the current teaching and learning approach of an introductory programming (IP) course with the six categories of Bloom's taxonomy. The assurance of learning (AOL) process was incorporated in the IP course to assess students' learning outcomes on the basis of achiever (high, medium and low) and performance (very good, good enough and not good enough) categories. The results showed that the current teaching and learning approach of the IP course addressed all the six categories of Bloom's taxonomy. Most of the students (63%) fall under the medium achiever category. Moreover, 50% students learning outcomes come under ‘not good enough' performance category.

High failure and drop-out rates from introductory programming courses continue to be of significant concern to computer science disciplines despite extensive research attempting to address the issue. In this study, we include the three entities of the didactic triangle, instructors, students and curriculum, to explore the learning difficulties that students encounter when studying introductory programming. We first explore students' perceptions of the barriers and affordances to learning programming. A survey is conducted with introductory programming students to get their feedback on the topics and associated learning resources in the introductory programming course. The instructors' perceptions are included by analyzing current teaching materials and assessment tools used in the course. As a result, an ADRI based approach is proposed to address the problems identified in the teaching and learning processes of an introductory programming course.

Programming is a rewarding and yet demanding field in the ICT labormarket, but it is considered a challenging and difficult area of learning for significant numbers of novice programmers. As a result, high attrition rates from introductory programming (IP) courses are reported despite extensive research which attempts to address the issue. In this research, an action research methodology was used with three cycles to investigate and improve the teaching and learning process of the IP course. There were nine activities performed during the span of these three cycles. All three entities of the didactic triangle (student, instructor, and content) together with learning context were incorporated into the research design to understand the problem better and execute the proposed solution. The result shows that three cycles of the action research methodology helps in understanding and improving the students learning outcomes in the IP course. Moreover, the attrition rate was also reduced in the IP course.

In our research, we have introduced and implemented a new software development method, testing before coding (TBC), to bring in the benefits of using software development lifecycle in computer programming and improved students program quality. TBC follows the basic concept of agile method (such as test-driven development, TDD) and makes students a "cultural shift" in developing their computer programs i.e., students must test their own codes and consider testing as an indispensable part of program development. Our method has been exercised in the introductory computer programming courses and has improved the students' programs quality at least 24%.

Program Visualization (PV) is an educational tool frequently used to assist users for understanding a program flow. However, despite its clear benefits, PV cannot be incorporated easily on Introductory Programming course. Several key properties such as student characteristics and behavior should be considered beforehand. This paper is intended to provide an empirical review about the impact of PV toward students of Introductory Programming course. For our case study, PythonTutor is selected as a sample of PVs due to its accessibility. It can be accessed anywhere and anytime through a web browser. Three conclusions are obtained based on our evaluation on data collected from a survey. Firstly, PV is quite effective to assist students for conducting several programming sub-tasks. Secondly, PV, at some extent, may help students to learn advanced topics on Introductory Programming course. Finally, despite the fact that several features should be incorporated to enhance understanding of students, PV is beneficial for learning Introductory Programming course, especially when it is frequently used.

The introductory programming course (IPC) holds a special significance in computing disciplines as this course serves as a prerequisite for studying the higher level courses. Students generally face difficulties during their initial stages of learning how to program. Continuous efforts are being made to examine this course for identifying potential improvements. This article presents the review of the state-of-the-art research exploring various components of IPC by examining sixty-six articles published between 2014 and 2020 in well-reputed research venues. The results reveal that several useful methods have been proposed to support teaching and learning in IPC. Moreover, the research in IPC presented useful ways to conduct assessments, and also demonstrated different techniques to examine improvements in the IPC contents. In addition, a variety of tools are evaluated to support the related course processes. Apart from the aforementioned facets, this research explores other interesting dimensions of IPC, such as collaborative learning, cognitive assessments, and performance predictions. In addition to reviewing the recent advancements in IPC, this study proposes a new taxonomy of IPC research dimensions. Furthermore, based on the successful practices that are listed in the literature, some useful guidelines and advices for instructors have also been reported in this article. Lastly, this review presents some pertinent open research issues to highlight the future dimensions for IPC researchers.

A core challenge in introductory programming courses during the freshmen year is getting students to understand how a static textual representation (source code) maps to a highly dynamic process (program execution). Most students nowadays are visual learners who learn programming concept better through web-based visual and interactive learning instead of learning from traditional black board lecturing styles. This presentation will report our experience with positive learning outcomes in teaching an introductory programming course in Python by using a dynamic visual programming development environment based on flow-charts (RAPTOR) and active learning with an interactive eBook (zyBook). In this study, eleven sections of COSC 111 were included over three semesters as control and experimental groups. Analysis showed a marginally significant difference (F (1,5) = 5.87; p = 0.060) between sections taught via the traditional method and sections taught with the proposed pedagogical innovation. We also found that there are statistically significant positive correlations in between uses of the interactive book (eBook) and performances of students in tests. To add to our understanding of what students were experiencing, we also administered a survey to students at the end of the course. Regarding learning styles and tools, survey result showed that the eBook was helpful in understanding programming concepts (71.5%), that the instant feedback that the online book provided was helpful (82.9%), that the class discussion and interaction were helpful (85.7%). Overall, it seems that the proposed pedagogical approaches have made a positive difference by increasing student motivation and engagement, and reducing failure rates.

Computer science is a fast-growing field in today’s digitized age, and working in this industry often requires creativity and innovative thought. An issue within computer science education, however, is that large introductory programming courses often involve little opportunity for creative thinking within coursework. The undergraduate introductory programming course (CS1) is notorious for its poor student performance and retention rates across multiple institutions. Integrating opportunities for creative thinking may help combat this issue by adding a personal touch to course content, which could allow beginner CS students to better relate to the abstract world of programming. Research on the role of creativity in computer science education (CSE) is an interesting area with a lot of room for exploration due to the complexity of the phenomenon of creativity as well as the CSE research field being fairly new compared to some other education fields where this topic has been more closely explored.To contribute to this area of research, this article provides a literature review exploring the concept of creativity as relevant to computer science education and CS1 in particular. Based on the review of the literature, we conclude creativity is an essential component to computer science, and the type of creativity that computer science requires is in fact, a teachable skill through the use of various tools and strategies. These strategies include the integration of open-ended assignments, large collaborative projects, learning by teaching, multimedia projects, small creative computational exercises, game development projects, digitally produced art, robotics, digital story-telling, music manipulation, and project-based learning. Research on each of these strategies and their effects on student experiences within CS1 is discussed in this review. Last, six main components of creativity-enhancing activities are identified based on the studies about incorporating creativity into CS1. These components are as follows: Collaboration, Relevance, Autonomy, Ownership, Hands-On Learning, and Visual Feedback. The purpose of this article is to contribute to computer science educators’ understanding of how creativity is best understood in the context of computer science education and explore practical applications of creativity theory in CS1 classrooms. This is an important collection of information for restructuring aspects of future introductory programming courses in creative, innovative ways that benefit student learning.

Usually, students face different difficulties when learning computer programming, this leads many of them to drop out of computing major, or continue with fear of programming assignments in subsequent courses. The main reason of these difficulties is inappropriate method used by students to study this subject. In this paper, we describe our experience of using e-journal to train students on self-regulated learning skills when studying computer programming. Although using this tool has many challenges, it proves its effectiveness in improving students' self-regulated learning skills, and consequently enhances students' performance in introductory computer programing course.

This paper discusses the proposed model of the collaborative virtual learning system for the introductory computer programming course which uses one of the collaborative learning techniques known as the “Think-Pair-Share”. The main objective of this study is to design a model for an online learning system that facilitates the collaborative learning activities in a virtual environment such as online communications and pair or small group discussions. In order to model the virtual learning environment, the RUP methodology has been used where it involves the data collection phase and the analysis and design phase. Fifty respondents have been randomly selected to participate in the data collection phase to investigate the students’ interest and learning styles as well as their learning preferences. The results have shown the needs for the development of online small group discussions that can be used as an alternative learning style for programming courses. The proposed design of the virtual learning system named as the Online Collaborative Learning System or OCLS is being depicted using the objectoriented models which are the use-case model and class diagram in order to show the concise processes of virtual “Think-Pair-Share” collaborative activities. The “Think-PairShare” collaborative learning technique that is being used in this model has been chosen because of its simplicity and relatively low-risk. This paper also presents the proposed model of the system’s architecture that will become the guidelines for the physical development of OCLS using the web-based applications.

We describe the evolution of an introductory programming course into an active learning format, thereby replacing the traditional textbook and online tutoring system with an integrative version. We find a strong positive correlation between the student achievement scores in the integrated online textbook exercises and quizzes as well as overall course achievement. However, we observe that the comparable performance is not across all learning assessment categories when comparing subsequent course offerings. Particularly, we note slightly lower average performance for programming assignments and quizzes in the flipped classroom offering. For this active learning format offering, we perceive that performing students have a higher average score in the interactive textbook environment and skipped fewer overall assignments than the lower performing learners. We additionally find that students performing well in the online self-guided hands-on programming exercises perform significantly better than their lower performing peers.