Tracking an Innovation in Introductory CS Education from a Research University to a Two-Year

College

Allison Elliott Tew and Mark GuzdialGeorgia Institute of Technology

Charles FowlerGainesville College

Overview

• Summary of Media Computation Innovation at Georgia Tech Overview of successful results

• Adaptation at Gainesville College Results at Gainesville College

• Key Findings• Current/Future Work

Other Adoptions/Adaptations

What is Media Computation?

• Introductory CS course with focus on Learning to program and CS concepts within

the context of media manipulation and creation Converting images to grayscale/negatives Splicing and reversing sounds Writing programs to generate HTML web pages Creating movies by sequencing images

Computing for communication, not calculation

• For non-CS majors Liberal arts, management, architecture and

biology majors

Overview of Syllabus

• Programming Language Python

• Pictures Data structures, defining

functions, for loops, if conditionals

• Sounds Data structures, defining

functions, for loops, if conditionals

• Text Converting between

media, generating HTML• Movies

• Traditional CS Topics Algorithms Representations Can’t we do this any

faster? Machine language,

interpreters, and compilers Algorithm complexity &

limits of computation

Can’t we do this any easier? Modularity, recursion, OO

Georgia Tech Results

EnrollmentSuccess

Rate

Georgia Tech’s CS 1

2000 - 2002 (average)

930 71.2%

Media Computation

Spring 2003 120 90.0%

Fall 2003 303 86.5%

Spring 2004 395 86.9%

Summer 2004

120 73.3%

Fall 2004 366 80.3%

Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or(100% - students earning a D, F, or W)

Research Questions

• Innovation transfer Can the media

computation innovation be successfully adopted/adapted at other institutions?

How do the student experiences differ across institutions?

• Related Work TeachScheme! Project Alice project

• Methodology Course Enrollment

History Demographics Grade Distribution

Student Surveys Initial: background,

expectations, goals for the course

Midterm: experience, attitudes & perceptions

Final: learning, experience, attitudes & perceptions

Institutional Comparison

• Georgia Tech 4 year Research

University Engineering & science 15,575 students

27.1% Female 72.9% Male

1336 Average SAT Media Computation

Course Computing requirement Enrollment ~ 260 - 265

• Gainesville College 2 year Community

College Liberal Arts 5,000 students

57.2% Female 42.8% Male

946 Average SAT Media Computation

Course Elective course Enrollment ~ 20 - 22

Adaptation - Gainesville College

• Media Computation adapted in introductory course for students without background for traditional CS1 course Self-selected

placement into course

• CSCI 1100 Course Content

Media Computation• Pictures• Sound

Computer Literacy• Office Applications• Internet/WWW

Classroom computing facilities

Collaboration by encouraging pair programming

Gainesville College Results

EnrollmentSuccess

Rate

Gainesville’s CSCI 1100

2000 - 2003 (average)

28 70.2%

Media Computation

Summer 2003

9 77.8%

Fall 2003 39 84.6%

Spring 2004 22 77.3%

Summer 2004

11 90.9%

Success Rate = (Students earning an A, B or C) or(100% - students earning a D, F, or W)

Georgia Tech & Gainesville Student Populations

• Demographics Students were

majority female and Caucasian Women (average)

• 53.8% - Georgia Tech• 69.2% - Gainesville

Non-CS majors, but not techno-phobic Architecture, Business,

Liberal Arts, Nursing, Sciences, Undecided

• Student Goals for Course 90.0% of Gainesville

students were focused on programming skills and general computer knowledge

Georgia Tech students were equally interested in Getting a good/passing

grade Relevant skills for their

major

Relevance of Course Material

• Homework was not perceived as particularly relevant 39.2% - Georgia Tech 31.2% - Gainesville

• But majority of students at both institutions perceived skills would be useful later in life 59.9% - Georgia Tech 56.2% - Gainesville

• Georgia Tech students saw greater relevance of course material for career 45.5% - Georgia Tech 37.5% - Gainesville

Attitudes & Perceptions

• Almost all students at both institutions reported improved programming skills 91.6% - Georgia Tech 87.5% - Gainesville

• Georgia Tech students reported greater confidence in their programming abilities (rated their programming skills as strong or very strong) 75.8% - Georgia Tech 68.8% - Gainesville

• Gainesville students reported greater motivation to take additional coursework in Media Computation

50.0% - Gainesville 42.6% - Georgia Tech

Computer Science 31.2% - Gainesville 23.4% - Georgia Tech

Other Adoptions/Adaptations

• Media Computation Courses Gainesville College

Traditional CS1 now using Media Computation

University of Illinois - Chicago

University of California - Santa Cruz

Denison University First trial of Java

materials

• Software DePauw University

Algorithmic Art course Brandeis University Georgia Perimeter

College

• Course Materials University of Maryland -

College Park

Insights

• Common in Adaptations Improvement in Success Rates

Anecdotal evidence shows improvement in almost all adaptations, but not always dramatic

Attracting alternate student populations Increased female enrollment in courses Women & minorities are succeeding at the same rates

as male students Computer art, architecture

• Myriad of Variables - Not just the media Collaboration Online galleries of personally meaningful

artifacts

Questions?