allison elliott tew and mark guzdial georgia institute of technology charles fowler
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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. Overview. Summary of Media Computation Innovation at Georgia Tech - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Tracking an Innovation in Introductory CS Education from a Research University to a Two-Year
College
Allison Elliott Tew and Mark GuzdialGeorgia Institute of Technology
Charles FowlerGainesville College
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
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
Overview of Syllabus
• 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
Georgia Tech Results
EnrollmentSuccess
Rate
Georgia Tech’s CS 1
2000 - 2002 (average)
930 71.2%
Media Computation
Spring 2003 120 90.0%
Fall 2003 303 86.5%
Spring 2004 395 86.9%
Summer 2004
120 73.3%
Fall 2004 366 80.3%
Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or(100% - students earning a D, F, or W)
Research Questions
• 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
Institutional Comparison
• 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
Adaptation - Gainesville College
• 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
Gainesville College Results
EnrollmentSuccess
Rate
Gainesville’s CSCI 1100
2000 - 2003 (average)
28 70.2%
Media Computation
Summer 2003
9 77.8%
Fall 2003 39 84.6%
Spring 2004 22 77.3%
Summer 2004
11 90.9%
Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or(100% - students earning a D, F, or W)
Georgia Tech & Gainesville Student Populations
• 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
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
Attitudes & Perceptions
• 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
Other Adoptions/Adaptations
• 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
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
Questions?