Houston, we have a problem: There’s a leak in the CS1 affective oxygen tank

1. Houston, we have a problem:There’s a leak in the CS1 affective oxygen tank Dawn McKinney and Leo F. Denton SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

2. Houston, we have a problem:There’s a leak in the CS1 affective oxygen tank Dawn McKinney and Leo F. Denton SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

3. Affective Taxonomy Krathwohl, Bloom, et. al. 1.0 Receiving 2.0 Responding 3.0 Valuing 4.0 Organization 5.0 Characterization SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

4. “In contrast to the perception that low graduation rates in the STEM disciplines are a result of a ‘normal weed-out process,’ studies show that large percentages of students are capable but choose not to persist, while others despite their dissatisfaction persist to graduation.” SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

5. Causes of the problem • Loss of student interest • Poor teaching/instruction • Difficulty of discipline • Inadequate prior knowledge • Cultural issues • External factors SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

6. Focusing on excellence NACE – industry’s top ten qualities for graduates: Communication skills Honesty/integrity Teamwork skills Interpersonal skills Motivation/initiative Strong work ethic Analytical skills Flexibility/adaptability Computer skills Organizational skills SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

7. Parallelism and interdependence of cognitive and affective domains • The division between the affective and cognitive domains is artificial. • Throughout the educational process affective and cognitive behaviors are inseparably linked. • Growth in each domain may lead to further growth in the other domain. - Bloom, Krathwohl, Martin and Briggs SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

8. Keeping the oxygen flowing: the affective domain can encourage … • Internalization of cognitive content • Development of habits • Professional practices • Interest and belonging in the discipline • Increased effort • Perceived competence SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

9. Examples of Affective Objectives 1.0 Receiving Students become aware that testing is a part of the software development life cycle during the initial programming labs. 2.0 Responding Students use coding standards as taught in the lectures with minimal prompting in the lab. 3.0 Valuing Students consistently show strong work ethic, cooperation, and initiative while working in groups. 4.0 Organization Students discuss a wide variety of useful personal initiatives indicative of a growing commitment to life-long learning. SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

10. Our broader research recommends the integration of discipline-basedaffective objectives into curricula to enliven, incorporate, and sustain the energy of students in order to attain higher cognitive and affective achievement. SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

11. Gauging the oxygen level: • Factors measured: • Interest • Value • Perceived competence • Effort • Lack of Pressure • Sense of Belonging • Student surveys • Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) • Institutional Integration Scale SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

12. CS1 sections studied • 2 sections using specific affective initiatives • 2 sections not using specific affective initiatives Questions asked Do the affective factors significantly correlate with course grade? Do the levels of these affective factors change during the semester? Do affective initiatives impact the levels of affective factors? SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

13. Course Grade Correlated with Affective Factors SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

14. SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

15. SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

16. The crew reported... “This class wasn't interesting to me and basically I didn't learn much.” “This course involves programming assignments back-to-back. There is definitely an added pressure associated.” “The work load in this class is tremendous. Coupled with this course and others I'm struggling to pass most of my classes because I am unable to manage my time.” “I just got here. Maybe it will be different later, but people seem to stick to their little subgroups around here.” “Programming is harder than I thought and I don't quite understand everything. I'm not sure that I should major in something that I don't completely understand.” “Since I do not feel highly experienced in CIS, I feel I may decide to change my major.” SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

17. Keeping the oxygen flowing… • Use of cognitive/affective objectives • Classroom discussion • Student self-reflection • Cooperative and active learning • Learning communities SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

18. Recent reports from the crew… “Due to the hard nature of this course and my doing well in it, I feel that the pressure has decreased because if I can do it in this course then I can do it in other CIS courses.” (sense of competence) “Before I took CIS 120 I didn't know for sure I wanted to go into computer science for a living. Now I am sure this is what I want to go into.” (sense of belonging) SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

19. Recent reports from the crew… “The value I place in this class on a scale of 1-10 would be a 10. Because we are a team in here and I know that I am an asset to my team. I have to be here.” (teamwork) “My instructor has high expectations and I, like others, respond to that positively and work harder in this class as well as other classes.” (work ethic) SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

20. Recent reports from the crew… • “The reason my effort has increased is that this class has made me work harder and think harder. So this has made me want to go on with the CIS courses.” (motivation/initiative) • “Now that I actually know what working with programs is somewhat like, I find I enjoy it! I also like the challenge that problem solving involves. ” (analytical skills) SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

21. SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama

22. Dawn McKinney and Leo F. Denton School of Computer and Information Sciences University of South AlabamaMobile, Alabama 36688(251) 460-6390 {dmckinney, ldenton}@usouthal.edu SIGCSE 2004 School of Computer and Information Sciences Norfolk, VA University of South Alabama