Learning Object-Oriented Programming In Python: Towards An Inventory Of Difficulties And Testing Pitfalls, Craig Miller, Amber Settle, John Lalor
Jan 2018
Learning Object-Oriented Programming In Python: Towards An Inventory Of Difficulties And Testing Pitfalls, Craig Miller, Amber Settle, John Lalor
Amber Settle
We report a small yet detailed study where we recorded students completing an object-oriented programming exercise in the context of a CS2 course using Python. All students struggled while completing the assignment, most notably experiencing difficulties with parameters and referencing elements with object-dot notation. While previous research has identified these areas as troublesome for novice programmers, our analysis suggests that parameters and reference specifications are particularly critical prerequisites for learning advanced object-oriented concepts with the Python programming language. Given our findings, we recommend extensive practice with parameter passing and object-dot notation before addressing advanced object-oriented concepts in a Python course.
Informing Students About Academic Integrity In Programming., Simple Simon, Judy Sheard, Michael Morgan, Andrew Petersen, Amber Settle, Jane Sinclair
Dec 2017
Informing Students About Academic Integrity In Programming., Simple Simon, Judy Sheard, Michael Morgan, Andrew Petersen, Amber Settle, Jane Sinclair
Amber Settle
In recent years academic integrity has come to be seen as a major concern across the full educational spectrum. The case has been made that in certain ways academic integrity is not the same in computing education as in education more generally, and that as a consequence it is the responsibility of computing educators to explicitly advise their students of the academic integrity requirements of their assessments. As part of a larger project, computing academics around the world were asked a number of questions regarding how they advise their students about academic integrity in programming assessments. Almost all respondents indicated …
Information Technology And Computer Science Programs: How Do We Relate?, Bonnie K. Mackellar, Gregory Hislop, Mihaela C. Sabin, Amber Settle
Sep 2015
Information Technology And Computer Science Programs: How Do We Relate?, Bonnie K. Mackellar, Gregory Hislop, Mihaela C. Sabin, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
In this panel session, the relationship between computer science programs and information technology programs at universities that house both will be explored. People outside the computing disciplines often find the distinction between these programs confusing. The panelists, who have experience with both types of program, will discuss strategies for differentiating the programs in the eyes of administrators, for advising students into the correct program, and for maintaining focus and excellence in both computer science and information technology programs.
A Computer Science Linked-Courses Learning Community, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Jun 2015
A Computer Science Linked-Courses Learning Community, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Amber Settle
Previous work has shown that factors such as student engagement and involvement can impact progress for computer science majors. One promising approach for improving student engagement is learning communities, which have a long history in academia but are relatively uncommon in computing. In this article we describe a linked-courses learning community for women and men of color majoring in development-focused computing degrees. We provide logistical information about the first offering of the learning community and assess the effectiveness of the community via a student survey. Our results show that students in the learning community are more likely to report that …
Reconsidering The Impact Of Cs1 On Novice Attitudes, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Feb 2015
Reconsidering The Impact Of Cs1 On Novice Attitudes, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach
Amber Settle
Student success in an introductory programing course is crucial, both because it influences retention and because student attitudes and habits in a first course can have a lasting impact on student success in computer science as a field. In this paper we present results about student attitudes and habits before and after a CS1 class. Statistically significant attitude differences were found in three areas: students were less likely to report they were good at programming, more likely to agree they are challenged by programming problems they can't understand immediately, and are less likely to report that computer science allows them …
Three Views On Motivation And Programming, Amber Settle, Arto Vihavainen, Juha Sorva
Jun 2014
Three Views On Motivation And Programming, Amber Settle, Arto Vihavainen, Juha Sorva
Amber Settle
Teaching programming is one of the most widely studied areas in computing education. Part of the reason for this may be the difficulty students experience when learning programming which makes it a challenging endeavor for instructors. There is a relationship between student motivation and success in learning to program [1], and motivation is also important in the bigger picture for computing educators, having inspired two ITiCSE working groups [2]. What is perhaps surprising is that motivation does not play an equal role in the various subfields of programming education.
In this panel we discuss three areas of programming education, emphasizing …
Beyond Computer Science: Computational Thinking Across Disciplines, Amber Settle, Debra S. Goldberg, Valerie Barr
Jun 2013
Beyond Computer Science: Computational Thinking Across Disciplines, Amber Settle, Debra S. Goldberg, Valerie Barr
Amber Settle
In her influential CACM article, Jeannette Wing argues that computational thinking is an emerging basic skill that should become an integral part of every child’s education [14]. The potential impact of any approach for incorporating computational thinking into the curriculum is limited by the low enrollment in computing classes and the homogeneous population choosing these classes. While there are continuing efforts to draw students into computing courses, a complementary approach is to bring computational thinking into courses already taken by a diverse set of students. Because computing is transforming society and impacting many areas of study, providing students with meaningful …
Demographics Of Undergraduates Studying Games In The United States: A Comparison Of Computer Science Students And The General Population, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle, Adrienne Decker
Jan 2013
Demographics Of Undergraduates Studying Games In The United States: A Comparison Of Computer Science Students And The General Population, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle, Adrienne Decker
Amber Settle
Our study gathered data to serve as a benchmark of demographics of undergraduate students in game degree programs. Due to the high number of programs that are cross-disciplinary with computer science programs or that are housed in computer science departments, the data is presented in comparison to data from computing students (where available) and the US population. Participants included students studying games at four nationally recognized postsecondary institutions. The results of the study indicate that there is no significant difference between the ratio of men to women studying in computing programs or in game degree programs, with women being severely …
Best Practices In Teaching Information Technology Development, Amber Settle, Deborah Labelle, Hazem Said, Sheila S. Sicilia
Oct 2012
Best Practices In Teaching Information Technology Development, Amber Settle, Deborah Labelle, Hazem Said, Sheila S. Sicilia
Amber Settle
Programming is one of the most fundamental and central topics in the information technology curriculum. Because of its importance it is crucial to understand how to effectively teach development students. In this panel we share best practices for teaching programming to a variety of populations, including freshman, non-majors, and community college students. Various pedagogical approaches including pair programming, studiobased instruction, peer instruction, active learning, cooperative learning, project-based pedagogy, high-impact education practices, and CS Unplugged type activities are included.
Turning The Tables: Learning From Students About Teaching Cs1, Amber Settle
Oct 2012
Turning The Tables: Learning From Students About Teaching Cs1, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
Programming has a central role in the computing curriculum, and introductory programming classes have been extensively studied in the computer science education literature. However, most of the studies focus on the effectiveness of various pedagogical approaches on student learning and engagement, and relative little attention is paid to faculty development. The gap in the literature puts CS1 faculty interested in effectively implementing innovative pedagogical approaches in a difficult situation. This article argues that taking a behaviorist approach to the CS1 classroom can provide much-needed feedback. Students provide instructors with one of the best sources of information about effective programming instruction, …
Interactive Learning Online: Challenges And Opportunities, Mihaela Sabin, Amber Settle, Becky Rutherfoord
Oct 2012
Interactive Learning Online: Challenges And Opportunities, Mihaela Sabin, Amber Settle, Becky Rutherfoord
Amber Settle
Since the early 1990s online education and online learning systems have held the promise of increasing instructional productivity and reducing costs without sacrificing educational quality. There is no evidence to date that such promise has materialized. The impetus of the newest developments with free online courses to hundreds of thousands of students might drastically transform how we teach more and better with less. The innovation that prompted this panel is called Interactive Learning Online (ILO), and has the distinctive feature of highly interactive, machine-guided instruction that can be scaled to accommodate a large number of students who benefit from targeted …
Infusing Computational Thinking Into The Middle- And High-School Curriculum, Amber Settle, Baker Franke, Ruth Hansen, Frances Spaltro, Cynthia Jurisson, Colin Rennert-May, Brian Wildeman
Jul 2012
Infusing Computational Thinking Into The Middle- And High-School Curriculum, Amber Settle, Baker Franke, Ruth Hansen, Frances Spaltro, Cynthia Jurisson, Colin Rennert-May, Brian Wildeman
Amber Settle
In recent years there have been significant efforts to revamp undergraduate and K-12 curricula to emphasize computational thinking, a term popularized by Jeannette Wing in 2006. We describe work introducing and enhancing computational thinking activities and assessments in the middle- and high-school curriculum at the University of Chicago Lab Schools. In total six courses were altered as a part of the Computational Thinking across the Curriculum Project: middle-school and high-school computer science, and high-school Latin, graphic arts, English, and history. We detail the modifications to the curriculum and discuss the successes and challenges of the project.
Institutional Support For Computing Faculty Research Productivity: Does Gender Matter?, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle
Mar 2012
Institutional Support For Computing Faculty Research Productivity: Does Gender Matter?, Monica M. Mcgill, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
We address the question of how male and female computing faculty in the U.S. and Canada perceive research requirements and institutional support for promotion and tenure. Via a survey sent to approximately 7500 computing faculty at the 256 institutions that participate in the annual Taulbee Survey, our results identify differences in reported tenure and promotion requirements, including the number of publications required during the probationary period, the importance of the scope of publication venues, the importance of publishing in non-refereed journals, and the importance of collaborative presentations. Differences were also discovered in institutional support and the satisfaction levels with that …
When Practice Doesn’T Make Perfect: Effects Of Task Goals On Learning Computing Concepts, Craig S. Miller, Amber Settle
Oct 2011
When Practice Doesn’T Make Perfect: Effects Of Task Goals On Learning Computing Concepts, Craig S. Miller, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
Specifying file references for hypertext links is an elementary competence that nevertheless draws upon core computational thinking concepts such as tree traversal and the distinction between relative and absolute references. In this article we explore the learning effects of different instructional strategies in the context of an introductory computing course. Results suggest that asking students to do targeted tasks, albeit supported with working examples, is not the best preparation. Instead, unstructured study of examples produces superior learning. Answering targeted conceptual questions can also yield comparably positive learning but only in qualified contexts. While perhaps unintuitive, these results are consistent with …
Engaging Game Design Students Using Peer Evaluation, Amber Settle, Charles Wilcox, Chad Settle
Oct 2011
Engaging Game Design Students Using Peer Evaluation, Amber Settle, Charles Wilcox, Chad Settle
Amber Settle
Many information technology educators have worked in recent years to develop courses to attract students to the field. As faculty achieve success with technical courses designed to be appeal to a broad audience, it can be hard to maintain the initial excitement particularly as multiple sections of the courses are taught on a continuing basis. In this article we describe a project that added peer evaluation to an assessment in a game design course with a large non-major audience. While controversial, peer evaluation has shown some promise in motivating students to work harder and in improving certain key skills. Consistent …
Computational Thinking In A Game Design Course, Amber Settle
Oct 2011
Computational Thinking In A Game Design Course, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
As a part of an NSF-funded project to enhance computational thinking in undergraduate general education courses, activities and assessments were developed for a game design course taught at DePaul University. The focus of the course is on game analysis and design, but the course textbook uses an approach that is heavily grounded in computational thinking principles. We describe the course activities and assignments and discuss an initial assessment of those materials. Our results show that there is a gap in difficulty between several of the activities and indicate that the materials developed help students to better learn the computational thinking …
Does Lecture Capture Make A Difference For Students In Traditional Classrooms, Amber Settle, Lucia Dettori, Mary Jo Davidson
Jun 2011
Does Lecture Capture Make A Difference For Students In Traditional Classrooms, Amber Settle, Lucia Dettori, Mary Jo Davidson
Amber Settle
The College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) at DePaul University has recorded thousands of courses using an in-house system called Course Online (COL) since 2001. These recordings are available not only to students enrolled in online CDM courses, but also to students in traditional classrooms at CDM. In this study we analyzed survey responses and grade data to determine whether traditional students found COL recordings to be a valuable substitutional tool and whether the recordings had any impact on student performance. We found that a large majority of traditional CDM students find the recordings useful and believe that they …
Computational Thinking (Ct): On Weaving It In, Paul Curzon, Joan Peckham, Harriet G. Taylor, Amber Settle, Eric Roberts
Jul 2009
Computational Thinking (Ct): On Weaving It In, Paul Curzon, Joan Peckham, Harriet G. Taylor, Amber Settle, Eric Roberts
Amber Settle
Computing offers essential problem-solving tools needed for contemporary challenges. The role of computing in education, and appropriate pathways for modern students, are of concern [10]. Educators recognize the importance of improving information technology (IT) skills and fluency, and studies have developed guidelines [7][8], but the analytical concepts and tools of computing have benefits beyond IT fluency. CT [12] continues earlier discussions on the nature of computing, [3][9]. This has helped the computing community to strengthen definition of the problem solving skills that computing brings to society, through education, outreach, and research. Recently, CT has served as a basis for several …
A Hybrid Approach To Projects In Gaming Courses, Amber Settle, Joe Linhoff, André Berthiaume
Feb 2008
A Hybrid Approach To Projects In Gaming Courses, Amber Settle, Joe Linhoff, André Berthiaume
Amber Settle
We describe an approach to projects used in game development courses that supports learning individual skills while also developing team skills. Early assignments focus on developing individual skills in coding and content creation, and when those skills are honed, students form teams to work on a larger and more complex game. Classes that use a hybrid approach, that is individual projects that build toward a large group project, allow students to solidly learn game development skills required of gaming graduates and yet stimulate creativity and challenge students to move beyond their comfort zone.
Game Design As A Writing Course In The Liberal Arts., Amber Settle, Robin Burke, Lucia Dettori
Dec 2006
Game Design As A Writing Course In The Liberal Arts., Amber Settle, Robin Burke, Lucia Dettori
Amber Settle
The School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems (CTI) is a technologically-focused college within DePaul University. While DePaul CTI has a large number of technical degree programs, DePaul University is a liberal arts institution and one that is increasingly focused on improving the writing skills of its students. It can be difficult to create courses that cover necessary technical material while requiring writing as a major part of the assessments. In this paper we discuss GAM 224: Introduction to Game Design, a required course in one of the specialized degree programs at DePaul CTI that involves writing in a …
Computing Branches Out: On Revitalizing Computing Education., Ljubomir Perkovic, Amber Settle
Dec 2006
Computing Branches Out: On Revitalizing Computing Education., Ljubomir Perkovic, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
No abstract provided.
Distance Learning And Student Satisfaction In Java Programming Courses, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Dec 2006
Distance Learning And Student Satisfaction In Java Programming Courses, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Amber Settle
Student satisfaction with distance learning is impacted by a variety of factors, including interaction with the instructor and the structure of the course. Satisfaction with distance-learning courses also has a strong impact on retention. In an earlier article, we determined that student satisfaction as measured by course evaluation scores in an online discrete mathematics course taught by the first author was not statistically significantly different from that of students in traditional versions of the same course, supporting some previous studies on distance-learning student satisfaction. However, the model of distance-learning studied in our initial work is not the dominant model used …
Online Teaching Practices (Both Best And Worst), Michael Nelson, Bhagyavati, Gail Miles, Amber Settle, Dale Shaffer, Jake Watts, Robert P. Webber
Nov 2005
Online Teaching Practices (Both Best And Worst), Michael Nelson, Bhagyavati, Gail Miles, Amber Settle, Dale Shaffer, Jake Watts, Robert P. Webber
Amber Settle
Online teaching is a whole new world for many instructors. The level of support provided varies greatly from one institution to the next. Various online platforms are available, or things can be as simple as e-mailed assignments and exams. This panel will share their online teaching experiences, discussing both what has and has not worked for them. While they do not claim to have all the answers, they are working from a good deal of experience.
Graduate Student Satisfaction With An Online Discrete Mathematics Course, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Sep 2005
Graduate Student Satisfaction With An Online Discrete Mathematics Course, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Amber Settle
Student satisfaction with distance learning is impacted by a variety of factors, including interaction with the instructor and the structure of the course. We describe our experiences teaching discrete mathematics to graduate students using both a traditional classroom setting and two different types of distance learning formats. We then compare student evaluations between the traditional and distance-learning courses to determine if student satisfaction was affected by the course format.
Testing First: Emphasizing Testing In Early Programming Courses, Will Marrero, Amber Settle
Jun 2005
Testing First: Emphasizing Testing In Early Programming Courses, Will Marrero, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
The complexity of languages like Java and C++ can make introductory programming classes in these languages extremely challenging for many students. Part of the complexity comes from the large number of concepts and language features that students are expected to learn while having little time for adequate practice or examples. A second source of difficulty is the emphasis that object-oriented programming places on abstraction. We believe that by placing a larger emphasis on testing in programming assignments in these introductory courses, students have an opportunity for extra practice with the language, and this affords them a gentler transition into the …
Distance Learning And Student Satisfaction In Java Programming Courses, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Dec 2004
Distance Learning And Student Satisfaction In Java Programming Courses, Amber Settle, Chad Settle
Amber Settle
Student satisfaction with distance learning is impacted by a variety of factors, including interaction with the instructor and the structure of the course. In an earlier article, we determined that student satisfaction as measured by course evaluation scores in an online discrete mathematics course taught by the first author was not statistically significantly different from that of students in traditional versions of the same course. In this article we show that vastly different results are seen when the course evaluations for online and traditional sections of Java I and II programming courses are considered.
Course Mentoring: Toward Achieving Consistency In The Curriculum, Lucia Dettori, Amber Settle
Dec 2004
Course Mentoring: Toward Achieving Consistency In The Curriculum, Lucia Dettori, Amber Settle
Amber Settle
One the main challenges in achieving consistency in the curriculum is the delivery and coordination of multi-section introductory courses. The mix of adjunct, new, and seasoned instructors, the frequent changes in course content and learning goals, and the non-homogeneous student body are some of the factors that makes successfully teaching such courses a challenge. In this paper we describe how the course mentoring project combines personal involvement with a technological solution to build an effective knowledge-sharing virtual community. Course mentoring has proven to be an efficient way to address and overcome the challenges of teaching introductory computer science courses.
Debating E-Commerce: Engaging Students In Current Events, Amber Settle, André Berthiaume
Dec 2002
Debating E-Commerce: Engaging Students In Current Events, Amber Settle, André Berthiaume
Amber Settle
A fundamental task for information technology educators is to help students understand the basic ethical, social, and legal issues inherent in the discipline. We present a method for achieving this goal using in-class debates. Debates allow for a high-level of participation, demand that students conduct significant research, and provide an interactive environment. This encourages the development of communication skills and exposes students to alternative points of view. The debates were conducted in two courses that provide a survey of some aspect of e-commerce technology, one at the undergraduate level and the other at the Masters level.
