Design and pedagogy of the introductory programming course

Overview

College level computer programming is difficult to teach. Failure rates in programming courses are high worldwide, and in India it is noted that students are not able to write simple programs despite completing degrees in computer science. This course will consider the following questions. • How do you design the syllabus for an introductory programming course? • How do you teach it so that it captures the attention of students? • How do you design examinations, and programming assignments which are fair and encourage students to learn in the desired manner? We will sketch out a course design, and strategies for teaching the course. It will use the C++ languages, but most ideas will be independent of the language.

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INTENDED AUDIENCE: Teachers in Computer Science and related departments
PREREQUISITES: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or experience in teaching computer programming
INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Industries that offer training to their employees

Syllabus

COURSE LAYOUT Week 1: The introductory programming course: approaches, experience, and challenges. Week 2: Our approach. Premises and basic ideas. Importance of manual computation and translating from manual computation to programs. Learning outcomes. Choice of language. Week 3: Pedagogical strategies. The first lecture: convey the spirit of the course and grab student attention. Use of graphics and "repeat" statement. Teaching strategies for specific topics. Week 4: Program design. Correctness and reasoning about programs. The continuum from problem solving to algorithm design. Design of assignments and examinations.