Forming Groups for Collaborative Learning in Introductory Computer Programming Courses Based on Students' Programming Styles: An Empirical Study

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eustaquio Jose De Faria ◽  
Juan Adan-coello ◽  
Keiji Yamanaka
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Introductory Computer Programming ◽  
Programming Courses

scholarly journals Learning Computer Programming Using Project-Based Collaborative Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
Wilson Osafo Apeanti ◽  
Daniel Essel
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Programming Students ◽  
Project Groups ◽  
Programming Courses

The major concern of teaching computer programming in higher education is to provide students with the skills necessary to integrate theory and practice. One of the methods most suited for this task is project-based collaborative learning (PBCL). This study provides an in-depth analysis of students’ experiences, levels of collaboration and challenges in learning computer programming in a PBCL setting. A survey of 428 students was selected from a population of 840 undergraduate computer programming students at all levels using a stratified random sampling technique. It was found that focusing programming courses on real problems made the course more interesting for students. The students gained new interpersonal skills and understood the technical concepts of the courses better. PBCL was found to be suitable for teaching lower level (level 100 and 200) undergraduate programming courses compared with higher level (level 300 and 400) courses. Students' challenges in PBCL computer programming courses include time allocation for projects, choosing appropriate problems and piggy riding in project groups. We expect the findings of this study to influence policy on the teaching of computer programming courses at the undergraduate level.

scholarly journals Increasing Student Retention and Satisfaction in IT Introductory Programming Courses using Active Learning

10.28945/3003 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Whittington
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
National Science ◽  
Introductory Computer Programming ◽  
Introductory Programming Courses ◽  
Programming Courses

The emerging field of Information Technology is one of several fields that require students to leam computer programming. A large proportion of the students were having difficulty getting through the programming sequence and ultimately changed majors or dropped out of college. To deal with this problem, curricular reforms were implemented and active learning techniques were added to the classroom. The outcome of which was increased student retention, grades, and overall satisfaction. As a result of these encouraging results, an NSF CCLI grant was awarded to formally compare teaching techniques and to create active learning activities specifically designed for introductory computer programming courses. This paper discusses the preliminary work and results that led to the grant award and also summarizes the work that is currently underway. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. DUE-0442987.

Forming Groups for Collaborative Learning of Introductory Computer Programming Based on Students’ Programming Skills and Learning Styles

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Adán-Coello ◽  
Carlos Miguel Tobar ◽  
Eustáquio São José de Faria ◽  
Wiris Serafim de Menezes ◽  
Ricardo Luís de Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
The Social ◽  
Grouping Students ◽  
Introductory Computer Programming ◽  
Introductory Programming Courses

Collaborative learning is pointed out as an effective approach to reduce apprentices’ difficulties that arise during the effort to learn computer programming. In a collaborative learning process, the formation of groups is a fundamental activity and one of the most complex, because grouping students randomly is ineffective in obtaining real collaboration. PQAS and GroupOrganizer were developed to address the lack of tools that support group formation in the context of collaborative learning of computer programming. These tools form groups based on the theories of socio-cognitive conflict and learning styles. In order to stimulate the social-cognitive conflict, PQAS groups students with significant differences in programming style. GroupOrganizer extends PQAS and forms groups also considering students’ learning styles. Two experiments involving students taking introductory programming courses provide evidences that the adopted approaches contribute to increase students’ learning both in terms of programming style and workgroup skills.

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