Curriculum for an Introductory Computer Science Course: Identifying Recommendations from Academia and Industry

The purpose of this study was to define the course content for a university introductory computer science course based on regional needs. Delphi methodology was used to identify the competencies, programming languages, and assessments that academic and industry experts felt most important. Four rounds of surveys were conducted to rate the items in the straw models, to determine the entries deemed most important, and to understand their relative importance according to each group. The groups were then asked to rank the items in each category and attempt to reach consensus as determined by Kendall\u27s coefficient of concordance. The academic experts reached consensus on a list of ranked competencies in the final round and showed a high degree of agreement on lists of ranked programming languages and assessments. The industry experts did not reach consensus and showed low agreement on their recommendations for competencies, programming languages, and assessments

College Student Perceptions of MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ in an Introductory Computing Course

Students in introductory computing courses face various challenges. Many learning systems are available to support teaching and learning in introductory computing courses. Empirical work examining the use of such learning systems is available, but limited. In this research, we gathered student perceptions of two learning systems MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ. Understanding student perceptions of learning systems and their impact on learning to program is valuable information for both instructors and students. In this analysis, we gathered student perceptions of MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ in three surveys towards the end of a 15-week semester. Although students encountered problems in MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ, more than three quarters of the students perceived MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ to be useful in helping develop their programming skills. Many students agreed that using MyProgrammingLab and BlueJ helped them better understand the course materials

Gamified Coding Platforms and Student Motivation: An Investigation into Motivation and Academic Performance in Computer Programming Students

Students taking computer programming classes face several serious challenges: learning the syntax, problem solving, and interacting with new interfaces. In order to meet these challenges, instructors have been using Gamified Coding Platforms such as Codewars.com which offer students the opportunity to gain points, see other solutions, and practice in an online environment without the need to install extra software. The study seeks to build a psychological profile of students by measuring their intrinsic motivations along with their extrinsic motivations in the computer programming classroom. The surveys used for the intrinsic and extrinsic measures are based on the self-determination theory, which is also often used in the study of gamification. Additionally, students were questioned about goal setting, their perceptions of their instructor, and demographic questions. The dependent variable in question was the level of student engagement, which was based on the National Survey of Student Engagement. The initial pilot study involved 74 participants and the main study involved 159 completed student responses. A linear regression model was completed to examine the direct effects of the predictors on the dependent variable. Two components of intrinsic motivation: perceived competence and a greater desire to experience stimulation had a positive effect on student engagement. Additionally, students who perceived a greater instructor investment in their lives had a significant effect on student engagement. The study highlights the importance of the role of the instructor and intrinsic motivations to encourage student engagement. The insights from the study can be used to increase student engagement by encouraging instructors to show a greater interest in their students studying computer programming

Defining the Competencies, Programming Languages, and Assessments for an Introductory Computer Science Course

The purpose of this study was to define the competencies, programming languages, and assessments for an introductory computer science course at a small private liberal arts university. Three research questions were addressed that involved identifying the competencies, programming languages, and assessments that academic and industry experts in California’s Central Valley felt most important and appropriate for an introduction to computer science course. The Delphi methodology was used to collect data from the two groups of experts with various backgrounds related to computing. The goal was to find consensus among the individual groups to best define aspects that would best comprise an introductory CS0 course for majors and non-majors. The output would be valuable information to be considered by curriculum designers who are developing a new program in software engineering at the institution. The process outlined would also be useful to curriculum designers in other fields and geographic regions who attempt to address their local education needs. Four rounds of surveys were conducted. The groups of experts were combined in the first round to rate the items in the straw models determined from the literature and add additional components when necessary. The academic and industry groupings were separated for the remainder of the study so that a curriculum designer could determine not only the items deemed most important, but also their relative importance among the two distinct groups. The experts selected items in each of the three categories in the second round to reduce the possibilities for subsequent rounds. The groups were then asked to rank the items in each of the three categories for the third round. A fourth round was held as consensus was not reached by either of the groups for any of the categories as determined by Kendall’s W. The academic experts reached consensus on a list of ranked competencies in the final round and showed a high degree of agreement on lists of ranked programming languages and assessments. Kendall’s W, values, however, were just short of the required 0.7 threshold for consensus on these final two items. The industry experts did not reach consensus and showed low agreement on their recommendations for competencies, programming languages, and assessments

Development and Application of a Rasch Model Measure of Student Competency in University Introductory Computer Programming

University computer programming instruction nomenclature commonly uses the term Computer Science 1 (CS1) to describe introductory units of study. Success in CS1 is important as a pre-requisite for further study in programming and related disciplines. It is important to measure student progress and the antecedent influences. This study applied the Rasch Model and Messick’s Unified Theory of Validity to construct an interval level measure of CS1 competency with demonstrable suitability for this purpose