How to Effectively Infuse Active Learning into Introductory Programming Courses

1. How to Effectively Infuse Active Learning into Introductory Programming Courses Keith J. Whittington Rochester Institute of Technology kjw@it.rit.edu This material is partially based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. DUE-0442987 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

2. Career Summary • 23 years at Sikorsky Aircraft • 10 years adjunct professor in CS dept at community college • 7th year at RIT 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

3. Ice Breaker - Minute Interview • Split into groups of 2 • Find someone you don't know well • First person interview the other person • Get as much information as you can • Focus on any active learning experience or questions • Switch roles • Together, find another group and form a quad • Take turns introducing your new friend to the group 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

4. Opportunity • Chosen to develop a two-course sequence • Targeted for at-risk students 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

5. Alternative Prog. Sequence Traditional Sequence CS 2 CS 1 CS 3 CS 2A CS 2B AlternativeSequence 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

6. Thoughts… • Perhaps the students aren’t slow • Maybe it’s the teaching methods • What problems do other instructors have? • Determined to help the at-risk students 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

7. My Path of Discovery • Constructivism • Cooperative learning • Learner-centered teaching • Active learning 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

8. Problem • Lots of active learning articles • Few target intro programming courses • Many focus on humanities, sciences, and advanced courses 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

9. Don’t Do This at Home • Threw away old materials • Redesigned course around active learning • Developed my own activities 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

10. Goal-Based Course Design • Conceptual knowledge • Specific details used to develop concepts • Move students away from memorization • Help them learn how to learn 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

11. New Focus • Traditional Focus • Cover as many constructs as possible • Lecture - primary mode of instruction • My Focus • Use constructs to develop conceptual knowledge • Use active learning to supplement lectures 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

12. Consistent Course Results • Increased retention by 9% • Increased A,B,C grades by 14% • Reduced feelings of intimidation by 40% 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

13. CS 3 Results • No difference in the performance between CS 2B and CS 3 students • CS 2B performed insignificantly better 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

14. Comparison of Teaching Styles • Traditional • 28% D, F, W rate • 59% A/B rate • Active Learning • 8% D, F, W rate • 75% A/B rate 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

15. NSF Grant Main Goals • Show evidence of increased learning • Develop educational materials • Disseminate via workshops 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

16. Quasi-Experiment • Students not randomly assigned • Data gathered over 2 quarters • Parallel courses • One active section (experimental section) • One traditional section (control section) • Same materials/tests • Same rubrics and grade percentages • Same amount of instructional time • Different instructors • Students statistically similar in pre-knowledge • Multiple assessments 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

17. Winter Quarter – Pre/Post Tests • Active (A) section N= 22 • Traditional (T) section N = 10 • Unit Pre-Test Averages • A section = 2.45 • T section = 3.1 • No significant difference (p=.26) • Unit Post-Test Averages • A section = 6.9 • T section = 6.25 • Significant at p = .037 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

18. Winter Quarter - Grades • Traditional (N = 14) • 36% D, F, W rate • 14% A/B rate • Active Learning (N=24) • 8% D, F, W rate • 88% A/B rate 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

19. Preliminary Conclusion • Both sections learned as evidenced by changes in scores • Active group: • slightly weaker (not significantly) to start • scored significantly higher in the post test • Active learning worked better for this unit 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

20. Spring Quarter – Pre/Post Tests • A section N = 28 • T section N = 7 (some transferred sections) • Pre-Test Unit Scores • A section = 4.13 • T section = 4.16 • No significant difference (p = .96) • Pre-Test Unit Scores • A section = 9.035 • T section = 9.428 • No significant difference ( p = .33) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

21. Spring Quarter – Grades • Traditional (N=7) • 29% D, F, W rate • 71% A/B rate • Active Learning (N=27) • 7% D, F, W rate • 78% A/B rate 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

22. Preliminary Conclusion • An active learning class of 28 can perform equally to a traditional class of 7 • Generally speaking, smaller class size correlates with improved scores • AL can achieve “small class” results with larger classes 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

23. Student Comments • I felt very confident about the material even a week after I had learned it. I did not feel so rushed in this class as I did in the other class. In my view the method is most important, not teacher’s knowledge • My partner helped to clear up my confusion regarding usage of syntax. He had trouble with an error causing his program to not compile and was able to clear up confusion regarding the homework through e-mail with Keith. I would not have understood the topic without help from a partner. • I’m) A hundred times more confident now than then…He’s doing a phenomenal job – he’ll annoy you until you learn it. 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

24. Group Activity – One Answer • One person write a sentence • Next person write a sentence • Add/improve previous statements • Rules: • All members need to write a statement • Vocalize your answer to the group • Discuss the team’s answers when finished • One person will explain answer to the class 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

25. What is Active Learning? 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

26. Active Learning Theory • If you get students: • Talking, listening, and writing • Sharing answers • Reflecting on prior knowledge • Teaching each other • Solving problems collectively • It helps them think critically, and • Deepens their knowledge 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

27. Group Activity – Round Robin • Take turns doing the following: • Write an answer to the question • Tell group your answer • Pass paper to next person • Rules • Continue until you run out of ideas • You can “pass” • One person will explain to the class 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

28. What are the benefits of active learning? 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

29. Benefits of Active Learning • Empowers students that might lose their voice in traditional settings • Learning shared between teacher and student • Builds confidence • Limits intimidation • Deepens understanding • Enjoy class more • Make contacts with multiple members of class • Creates genuine communities within classrooms 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

30. What are the problems with active learning? 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

31. Problems with Active Learning • Cannot cover as much content in class • Requires too much time to prepare for class • Materials and resources and examples are lacking • Time and preparation required to prepare materials • Instructors must be better prepared since class may be more varied • Disparity between active learning and the educational experience of most academics • Ceding some control in the classroom • Perception that AL is slower than traditional lectures • Difficult to ensure that students come to class prepared • Involves greater student engagement • Takes more time • Impossible to use AL in large classes 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

32. Personal Risks • Will colleagues perceive approach legitimate • How will student evaluations be influenced • How will promotion and tenure will be affected • Some faculty respond with disdain 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

33. Cooperative Learning • Well structured, sequenced assignments • Subset of collaborative learning • Students process material cooperatively in class • Ask questions that require thought • No student buy-in if too easy • Don’t ask questions that are too hard • Students give up and get discouraged 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

34. Learner-Centered Teaching • Focus is on learning • What the student is learning • How the student is learning • Help students retain and apply learning • Position students for future learning • Focus on what students are doing (not the teacher) • Students ultimately responsible for learning - Weimer (2002) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

35. What is the BIGGEST problem you have with freshman students that keeps them from maximizing their learning opportunities? 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

36. Intro Programming Problems • Many students hate programming or claim they can’t do it • Many fail, give up, or continue with degrees but vow that their future careers will not include programming • Active, sensing, and visual learners may be particularly disadvantaged by current methods of teaching -Thomas et al. (2002) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

37. Student Problems • Failure of introductory courses to motivate students • Passivity and competitiveness that is forced upon them • Focus on algorithmic problem solving rather than conceptual understanding Tobias (1990) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

38. “Traditional” Students • Don’t come to class prepared • Seem content to passively listen • Want teacher to be the “sage” • Want to be a receptacle that you pour knowledge into 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

39. “Traditional” Classroom • Students compete to answer questions • Majority of students never speak • Dominated by lecture 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

40. Obstacles to Good Teaching • Faculty consistently state: • Students are silent, sullen, withdrawn • Little capacity for conversation • Short attention spans • Do not engage well with ideas • Cling to narrow views of relevance and usefulness • Dismiss the world of ideas - Palmer (1998) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

41. National T&L Conference IT’S A FACT Many students have no direction and lack motivation. These students have little knowledge of the social skills necessary for teamwork and negotiation. They are bored and passive in situations that calling for action, and belligerent and destructive in contexts that require reflection - Unreferenced citing by Palmer (1998) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

42. Classroom Assessment • Takes “One Minute” • Use words like: Most and Least • Have to focus on MOST significant part of their learning • Does not evaluate student performance and subject mastery • Not graded • Anonymous • Formative - Angelo & Cross (1993) 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

43. Purpose • Students focus on the most significant parts of their learning • Must self-assess to form an answer • Transforms competitive environment • Gives a voice to ALL students • Ensures student questions are raised 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

44. Pros and Cons • Shows respect and interest in student feedback • Encourages active engagement • Can be seen as “busy work” if overused or poorly written • Difficult to ask good questions 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

45. Two Activities to Try • Minute paper • Muddiest Point 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

46. Minute Paper • Ask variations of the following: • What was the most important thing you learned today? • What questions still remain unanswered? • Usually takes longer than a minute 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

47. Muddiest Point • Students identify what was the least clear point of a lesson or topic • Potential Problems • Avoid always focusing on what students don’t understand • Disconcerting when your “brilliant” lecture is misunderstood 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

48. Anonymous Formative Surveys • How am I doing? • Did the activity promote learning? • Informs your practice • Revise based on opinions • Makes students feel like their opinions matter • Can be deceived by the vocal minority 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

49. Think - Pair - Share • Instructor asks a question • Students: • Think about the question • Share their answer with another person • Come to consensus • One person in the class is chosen to answer 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul

50. Purpose • Gives students time • Slows the teacher down • Students have to: • Process the question • Think about an answer • Formulate an answer 2006 Whittington Workshop - DePaul