A Study on the Effect of Non-Traditional Demographic Populations in an Undergraduate Computer Science Course

Abstract

There is a significant amount of research analyzing the effect of race, gender, and other common demographical data on student interest and performance in computer science. However, there is relatively little research concerning less common demographic populations, such as introverts, artistic students, and visual learners. This study investigates if these less traditional demographic data affect student performance or interest in computer science and what effect delaying coding in introductory courses may have on these populations. We taught three sections of an introductory computer science course (one which delayed coding by half a term) and compared student performance and interest with non-traditional demographic data. We find relatively little correlation between student grades and their demographic data, but this study supports the idea that the delayed programming affects student interest

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