Learning, not teaching, programming (a new approach)

Academic secondee: Caroline Langensiepen

First year computing students arrive at NTU with a wide range of skills and levels of motivation. One essential skill that can only be developed by regular practice is programming, however historically this has not always happened, resulting in some students entering the second year with poor programming skills. This can present problems for tutors who need to cater for weaker students, and can affect the motivation of strong students if they feel the work is not challenging enough.

This project worked to address these issues by developing a new method of teaching programming. The module was entirely lab based, with the students expected to learn and execute a new skill element each week.

Initial evaluation of the new system revealed that overall, students achieved a good basic standard of programming, with those not making the grade being likely to be those who failed to attend lab classes. Levels of motivation appeared to be high, with some stronger students progressing much further than the module standard outcomes, in terms of C++ and design skills.