Priming Computer Science Students for Success

Ramapo College Of New Jersey, Mahwah NJ

Investigators

Abstract

As the demand for computer science graduates skyrockets, "Priming Computer Science Students for Success" tackles the large attrition rate in computer science by applying mastery learning and mentoring to target two universally acknowledged stumbling blocks in the curriculum: the introductory computer science course (CS1) and four required mathematics courses. The project will provide four-year scholarships to two cohorts of eight students studying computer science at Ramapo College over five years. Participating scholars will have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, programming contests, peer-tutoring, technology-related campus clubs, and alumni mentoring. Ramapo will recruit students from local urban school districts serving low-income students as well as a long-running Upward Bound Math Science program. The recruitment team includes two female faculty, valuable role models for cultivating interest in computer science among female students. Mastery learning for the CS1 scholars builds upon the prior success of "problets" and "epplets," two software tutoring suites available for use over the web that facilitate learning anytime anywhere. These suites have been shown to raise the level of self-efficacy of women to that of men. The tutors automatically grade student solutions and provide step-by-step feedback that helps students learn. Designed to be used online after class, individual students spend as much time as needed with the exercises until they have mastered the assigned concepts. Scholars enrolled in CS1 benefit from cognitive-apprenticeship-style teaching. When using this approach, the instructor first models the problem-solving process related to a concept, then uses Socratic questioning to steer students toward the correct solution under supervision, and gradually fades support while requiring students to rely increasingly on their own knowledge and experience. S-STEM scholars experiencing academic distress in mathematics courses will be paired with a mathematics faculty mentor who will spend an hour each week solving problems with the student using a cognitive-apprenticeship model. The project will generate knowledge on the effectiveness of mastery learning and the cognitive-apprenticeship-style approach in reducing attrition in the computer science major. Results will be presented at national and regional conferences such as ACM SIGCSE, ITiCSE, and CCSCNE, and IEEE FIE.