Allison Elliott Tew and Mark Guzdial Georgia Institute of Technology Charles Fowler

1. Tracking an Innovation in Introductory CS Education from a Research University to a Two-Year College Allison Elliott Tew and Mark Guzdial Georgia Institute of Technology Charles Fowler Gainesville College

2. Overview • Summary of Media Computation Innovation at Georgia Tech • Overview of successful results • Adaptation at Gainesville College • Results at Gainesville College • Key Findings • Current/Future Work • Other Adoptions/Adaptations

3. What is Media Computation? • Introductory CS course with focus on • Learning to program and CS concepts within the context of media manipulation and creation • Converting images to grayscale/negatives • Splicing and reversing sounds • Writing programs to generate HTML web pages • Creating movies by sequencing images • Computing for communication, not calculation • For non-CS majors • Liberal arts, management, architecture and biology majors

4. Programming Language Python Pictures Data structures, defining functions, for loops, if conditionals Sounds Data structures, defining functions, for loops, if conditionals Text Converting between media, generating HTML Movies Traditional CS Topics Algorithms Representations Can’t we do this any faster? Machine language, interpreters, and compilers Algorithm complexity & limits of computation Can’t we do this any easier? Modularity, recursion, OO Overview of Syllabus

5. Georgia Tech Results Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or (100% - students earning a D, F, or W)

6. Innovation transfer Can the media computation innovation be successfully adopted/adapted at other institutions? How do the student experiences differ across institutions? Related Work TeachScheme! Project Alice project Methodology Course Enrollment History Demographics Grade Distribution Student Surveys Initial: background, expectations, goals for the course Midterm: experience, attitudes & perceptions Final: learning, experience, attitudes & perceptions Research Questions

7. Georgia Tech 4 year Research University Engineering & science 15,575 students 27.1% Female 72.9% Male 1336 Average SAT Media Computation Course Computing requirement Enrollment ~ 260 - 265 Gainesville College 2 year Community College Liberal Arts 5,000 students 57.2% Female 42.8% Male 946 Average SAT Media Computation Course Elective course Enrollment ~ 20 - 22 Institutional Comparison

8. Media Computation adapted in introductory course for students without background for traditional CS1 course Self-selected placement into course CSCI 1100 Course Content Media Computation Pictures Sound Computer Literacy Office Applications Internet/WWW Classroom computing facilities Collaboration by encouraging pair programming Adaptation - Gainesville College

9. Gainesville College Results Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or (100% - students earning a D, F, or W)

10. Demographics Students were majority female and Caucasian Women (average) 53.8% - Georgia Tech 69.2% - Gainesville Non-CS majors, but not techno-phobic Architecture, Business, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Sciences, Undecided Student Goals for Course 90.0% of Gainesville students were focused on programming skills and general computer knowledge Georgia Tech students were equally interested in Getting a good/passing grade Relevant skills for their major Georgia Tech & Gainesville Student Populations

11. Relevance of Course Material • Homework was not perceived as particularly relevant • 39.2% - Georgia Tech • 31.2% - Gainesville • But majority of students at both institutions perceived skills would be useful later in life • 59.9% - Georgia Tech • 56.2% - Gainesville • Georgia Tech students saw greater relevance of course material for career • 45.5% - Georgia Tech • 37.5% - Gainesville

12. Almost all students at both institutions reported improved programming skills 91.6% - Georgia Tech 87.5% - Gainesville Georgia Tech students reported greater confidence in their programming abilities (rated their programming skills as strong or very strong) 75.8% - Georgia Tech 68.8% - Gainesville Gainesville students reported greater motivation to take additional coursework in Media Computation 50.0% - Gainesville 42.6% - Georgia Tech Computer Science 31.2% - Gainesville 23.4% - Georgia Tech Attitudes & Perceptions

13. Media Computation Courses Gainesville College Traditional CS1 now using Media Computation University of Illinois - Chicago University of California - Santa Cruz Denison University First trial of Java materials Software DePauw University Algorithmic Art course Brandeis University Georgia Perimeter College Course Materials University of Maryland - College Park Other Adoptions/Adaptations

14. Insights • Common in Adaptations • Improvement in Success Rates • Anecdotal evidence shows improvement in almost all adaptations, but not always dramatic • Attracting alternate student populations • Increased female enrollment in courses • Women & minorities are succeeding at the same rates as male students • Computer art, architecture • Myriad of Variables - Not just the media • Collaboration • Online galleries of personally meaningful artifacts

15. Questions?