On-line Support for Modern Programming Language Instruction

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Computer Science (31) This country urgently needs more people trained in computer science. At present the number of students entering the CS pipeline in American colleges and universities is not increasing and, in the case of female and minority students, is actually declining. Thus if we are to meet our national need for CS researchers, software developers, and information technology workers, it is vital to attract, engage, support, and retain computer science students more effectively. Our project addresses these issues by developing a prototype for innovative multimedia instructional software for introductory computer programming classes. These software tools will be built on top of the existing OWL on-line instruction system, a system that has been used with great success in chemistry, physics and mathematics. The array of proposed software tools is designed to make the techniques of introductory programming and problem-solving more accessible for students with a wide range of backgrounds in computing. This proof of concept project will include a fairly extensive suite of "single-step" OWL-based learning activities, a small collection of more complex, multistage problem solving exercises, an evaluation plan for a full study, including baseline data for that study, and a preliminary statistical assessment of the performance of CS-OWL machinery in our classes. - Construction of a suite of questions about code behavior by creating multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions for beginning CS1 activities, and using existing OWL machinery to automate grading, gather statistics, and keep class records for participating students - Construction of a collection of OWL-embedded interactive activities, which illustrate and develop elementary OO programming skills. - Develop the indexing scheme for a database of elementary Java code examples, for the purpose of developing student reading skills, and for the purpose of supplying raw material for other CS-OWL activities. - Development of guided problem solving exercises, which are designed to teach multi-step problem solving skills. develop three or four multi-stage problem-solving examples - Develop an evaluation plan in which lays the groundwork for a future full evaluation by establishing a baseline assessment of student performance in our CS1 classes over the next several semesters. We also expect to provide some preliminary statistics that show some early signs that our CS-OWL system is an effective learning tool.