A GRAND TOUR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE REDESIGNING CS

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A “GRAND TOUR” OF COMPUTER SCIENCE: RE-DESIGNING CS 1 FOR BREADTH AND RETENTION Natalie

A “GRAND TOUR” OF COMPUTER SCIENCE: RE-DESIGNING CS 1 FOR BREADTH AND RETENTION Natalie Linnell, Nicholas Tran, Carol Gittens: Santa Clara University

Goals of re-design Make course function better as an elective Improve retention, esp. women

Goals of re-design Make course function better as an elective Improve retention, esp. women and underrepresented minorities Give majors an idea of what CS is as a field � Intro to Computer Science, instead of Intro to Programming Timefram e F 11 -S 14 F 08 -S 14 % women in CS 1 (#offerings) 32% (13) NR %women in CS 2 (#offerings) 20% (5) 18% (8) %women who finish CS major 18% 13% % of completing course CS 1 (F 11 S 14) CS 2 (F 08 S 14) males the 72% 79% females the 69% 72%

Key Design Elements Separate problem solving and syntax Focus on breadth

Key Design Elements Separate problem solving and syntax Focus on breadth

Focus on breadth – “Grand tour” “Introduction to CS, ” not “Introduction to Programming”

Focus on breadth – “Grand tour” “Introduction to CS, ” not “Introduction to Programming” Applied examples in lecture and lab � Physics, Lots of collaborative active learning � Shown to improve retention of women “Big Ideas” in Computer Science � Brief intros to: the Internet, Databases, Hardware Societal issues, with 2 papers � Privacy, math, biology, psychology History of CS, HCI, Hacking Fulfills Science, Technology, and Society Core requirement

Separate problem solving and syntax Introduced new, 100 -minute lab Lab is only place

Separate problem solving and syntax Introduced new, 100 -minute lab Lab is only place C++ is used, pseudocode only in lecture Pair programming, assigned pairs in lab Lab is flipped Possibility of labs in different languages This grant allowed us to buy laptops, so we could have lab in a regular classroom No indication of increased student time commitment

Data gathering Programming problems Attitudes to CS Metacognition Early days, but so far, indications

Data gathering Programming problems Attitudes to CS Metacognition Early days, but so far, indications of improved retention Ter m Total Answe enroll red 7/7 red 5 ed on Q 1 7/7 on Q 1 W 15 25 (18 took surve y) W 14 37 W 13 30 9 (50% of survey ed 36% overall) 13 (72% of survey ed 52% overall) Took DFW Math at or least Physi CS 2 cs major s 3 1 (12% (4%) ) 10 (27% ) 10 (33% ) 11 (30% ) 8 (27% ) 6 (16%) 3 (10%)

Next steps Carry ideas into CS 2 Multiple labs for CS 1

Next steps Carry ideas into CS 2 Multiple labs for CS 1

Thanks! Natalie Linnell: nlinnell@scu. edu Nicholas Tran: ntran@scu. edu Carol Gittens: cgittens@scu. edu

Thanks! Natalie Linnell: nlinnell@scu. edu Nicholas Tran: ntran@scu. edu Carol Gittens: cgittens@scu. edu