Moving Classes in a Large Programming Course Online: An Experience Report

Authors Hrafn Loftsson , Ásrún Matthíasdóttir



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Author Details

Hrafn Loftsson
  • Department of Computer Science, Reykjavik University, Iceland
Ásrún Matthíasdóttir
  • Department of Sport Science, Reykjavik University, Iceland

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Hrafn Loftsson and Ásrún Matthíasdóttir. Moving Classes in a Large Programming Course Online: An Experience Report. In Second International Computer Programming Education Conference (ICPEC 2021). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 91, pp. 2:1-2:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)
https://doi.org/10.4230/OASIcs.ICPEC.2021.2

Abstract

We present an experience report on moving face-to-face classes in a large CS1 course to an online format, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course is based on the flipped classroom approach and team-based learning. Students prepare for classes by reading specific chapters of the textbook and/or by watching pre-recorded videos. The classes are synchronous, in which students take quizzes and work on programming assignments in teams, with the guidance of tutors. To evaluate the implementation, we compared the results from surveys and exams between 2019 and 2020. The results show that students were at least as satisfied with the online classes in 2020 in comparison with face-to-face classes from the previous year, and generally satisfied with the organization of the course and the learning experience. Moreover, we found no discernible change in the grades on the midterm exams and the final exam between the two years. In the future, we might allow the students to choose the class format that best fits their individual needs.

Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Applied computing → Education
Keywords
  • online learning
  • flipped classroom
  • team-based learning
  • introductory programming
  • CS1
  • COVID-19

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