Combining cooperative learning and peer instruction in introductory computer science (original) (raw)
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ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 2009
It is common knowledge that enrollments in computer science have plummeted and educators are challenged to find ways to engage and promote success and retention of students while maintaining standards in introductory computer science courses. This study focuses on the implementation of a collaborative, modified peer-led team learning (PLTL) instructional approach in a large sized introductory computer science course. The site is a major southeastern university in the United States where all students are required to take one of three introductory computer science classes. The course version selected for this study specifically targets computer science majors and the study spans three years of data, and involves 591 students. Students who experienced the student-centered instruction and worked in small groups facilitated by a peer leader (treatment) in years 2006-07 and 2007-08 were compared with students who experienced a traditional recitation lecture section (control) in 2005-06. The content and the course owner was the same for all three years. Quantitative data analysis show marked and statistically significant improvements in student performance, for both male and female students. These findings suggest that using undergraduate leaders to implement a peer-led team learning model can be as effective in promoting achievement and retention in computer science education as it has shown to be in math and science classes over the past several years.
Studying the Use of Peer Learning in the Introductory Computer Science Curriculum
Computer Science Education, 1999
This paper reports the results of studying the use of peer learning in the introductory computer science curriculum. The project involves educators from a variety of institutions who participated in two summer workshops and either introduced or continued their use of peer learning at their institutions as part of this project. The results of the collective work include much experience with di erent types of peer learning in di erent settings. Overall, the results indicate that peer learning is a valuable technique that should be used as one pedagogical approach in teaching the introductory computer science curriculum.
Experience Report: Peer Instruction in Remedial Computer Science in Proceedings of Ed-Media 2010
We report on our experience implementing Peer Instruction (PI) in a remedial first-year computer science (CS) course in a large North American research university. Quantitative analysis of question data shows modest learning gains following group discussion; qualitative survey data show student endorsement and appreciation for the PI model. We urge the continued study and adoption of PI in CS, and make our reading quizzes and ConcepTests freely available as a takeoff point.
Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
The Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course was the culmination of an eight-year NSF/College Board pilot project that exceeded all expectations in terms of enrollment in its first two official years. Four NSF-sponsored projects and six other projects have endorsed AP CSP curricula and professional development (PD), a first for an AP course. In this paper, we report on an NSF-sponsored multi-year effort to infuse cooperative learning (CL) structures into AP CSP classrooms to improve class participation and student learning. As we report, CL structures have been beneficial for both new and experienced teachers and across the curricula of the endorsed providers. Since AP CSP was designed to engage all learners, the CL structures used in our PD workshops and the CL resources designed by participating teachers in our project have the potential to positively impact all AP CSP classrooms. Research was conducted on the extent to which use of CL structures impacted student efficacy and student achievement. Three cohorts of AP CSP teachers participated in PD that focused on AP CSP pedagogical content knowledge using CL structures. A cumulative 143 teachers attended one-week PD workshops spanning July 2015, 2016, and 2017. We studied the effect of CL structures on student learning using AP scores as an outcomes measure. Use of CL structures was a statistically significant and positive predictor of student AP scores for participating classes in cohorts 2 and 3. Additionally, the use of pair programming was a significant and positive predictor of AP scores.
Structured Peer Learning Program - An Innovative Approach to Computer Science Education
Cornell University - arXiv, 2017
Structured Peer Learning (SPL) is a form of peer-based supplemental instruction that focuses on mentoring, guidance, and development of technical, communication, and social skills in both the students receiving assistance and the students in teaching roles. This paper explores the methodology, efficacy, and reasoning behind the practical realization of a SPL program designed to increase student knowledge and success in undergraduate Computer Science courses. Students expressed an increased level of comfort when asking for help from student teachers versus traditional educational resources, historically showed an increased average grade in lower-level courses, and felt that the program positively impacted their desire to continue in or switch to a Computer major. Additionally, results indicated that advances in programming, analytical thinking, and abstract analysis skills were evident in not only the students but also the student teachers, suggesting a strong bidirectional flow of knowledge.
Peer Instruction in Computing: The Value of Instructor Intervention
Research has demonstrated that Peer Instruction (PI) is an attractive peda-gogical practice in computer science classes. PI has been shown to improve final exam performance over standard lecture, reduce failure rates, contribute to increased retention, and be widely valued by students. In addition, a recent study using isomorphic (same-concept) questions found that students are learning during peer discussion and not merely copying from neighbors. Though this prior work is useful for evaluating peer discussion, it does not capture learning that takes place after peer discussion when the instructor further expands on the concept through a whole-class discussion. In the present work, isomorphic questions were used to determine the value of a PI question from start to finish: solo vote, group discussion, group vote, and instructor-led classwide discussion. The analysis revealed that the value of the instructor-led classwide discussion was evident in increased student performance over peer-discussion alone (raw gains of 22% compared to 14%). Moreover, the instructor-led discussion was highly valuable for all groups of students (weak, average, and strong) and was of particular value for weak students. Importantly, the largest gains were associated with more challenging PI questions, further suggesting that instructor expertise was valuable when students struggled.
An experimental study of cooperative learning in cs1
ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 2008
An experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of the cooperative learning approach to teaching CS1. The cooperative learning exercises, which used specific roles to focus students' attention on key concepts, were designed so they could be used in a variety of educational settings. Experimental results show that the benefits of cooperative learning clearly outweighed any possible losses due to reduced lecture time. These benefits were enjoyed by both male and female students, and by students from a variety of majors. Majority and minority students performed at approximately the same overall level when using the cooperative learning approach. There are indications that the educational benefits continue when students who had a cooperative learning experience in CS1 go on to CS2.
Engaging computer science students through cooperative education
2010
Computer science educators continuously seek creative and effective ways of engaging students. The model of cooperative education, in which students systematically combine academic learning with practical work experiences, provides opportunities to deepen student learning, promote student retention, and prepare students for professional life. We discuss ways in which cooperative learning can engage students in the broader discipline of computer science.
A Multi-institutional Study of Peer Instruction in Introductory Computing
Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education - SIGCSE '16, 2016
Peer Instruction (PI) is a student-centric pedagogy in which students move from the role of passive listeners to active participants in the classroom. Over the past five years, there have been a number of research articles regarding the value of PI in computer science. The present work adds to this body of knowledge by examining outcomes from seven introductory programming instructors: three novices to PI and four with a range of PI experience. Through common measurements of student perceptions, we provide evidence that introductory computing instructors can successfully implement PI in their classrooms. We find encouraging minimum (74%) and average (92%) levels of success as measured through student valuation of PI for their learning. This work also documents and hypothesizes reasons for comparatively poor survey results in one course, highlighting the importance of the choice of grading policy (participation vs. correctness) for new PI adopters.