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A Blended Learning Approach for an Introductory Computer Science Course

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Title: A Blended Learning Approach for an Introductory Computer Science Course
Authors: Förster, Anna (ORCID 0000-0001-5755-2672), Dede, Jens (ORCID 0000-0002-8422-265X), Udugama, Asanga (ORCID 0000-0001-8159-5146), Förster, Alexander (ORCID 0000-0003-0117-0135), Helms, Daniel, Kniefs, Louis, Müller, Julia, Gerken, Lars, Richter, Franziska, Kulmann, Jan
Source: Education Sciences. 2021 11.
Availability: MDPI AG. Klybeckstrasse 64, 4057 Basel, Switzerland. Tel: e-mail: indexing@mdpi.com; Web site: http://www.mdpi.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Blended Learning, Introductory Courses, Required Courses, Computer Science Education, Programming Languages, Engineering Education, College Freshmen, Student Motivation, Relevance (Education), Experiential Learning, Instructional Effectiveness, Student Projects, Grades (Scholastic), Dropout Rate, Group Activities, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Germany
ISSN: 2227-7102
Abstract: In this paper, we present our experience with redesigning an introductory computer science course for (electrical) engineers with blended learning concepts. It is a large mandatory course with eight credit points over the course of two semesters, where first year electrical engineers learn how to program with Arduino, C and Python. Additionally, they need to cover basic computer science concepts such as binary numbers, Boolean algebra, encodings, finite state machines and object-oriented programming. We designed the course to cover the fields that are most relevant to our students' future careers. With the new format, students declare they are much more engaged with the course, they drop the course less often and they actually achieve better exam results. We completely re-structured the course, introduced inverted classroom elements and hackathons and we continuously optimized and adapted the course. The main focus is on hands-on-experience and teamwork, which we mostly achieve by the use of hackathons. In this paper, we described the contents and teaching concepts of the course and we discussed the achieved results.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2021
Accession Number: EJ1307337
Database: ERIC
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  Data: A Blended Learning Approach for an Introductory Computer Science Course
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Förster%2C+Anna%22">Förster, Anna</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5755-2672">0000-0001-5755-2672</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dede%2C+Jens%22">Dede, Jens</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8422-265X">0000-0002-8422-265X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Udugama%2C+Asanga%22">Udugama, Asanga</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8159-5146">0000-0001-8159-5146</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Förster%2C+Alexander%22">Förster, Alexander</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0117-0135">0000-0003-0117-0135</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Helms%2C+Daniel%22">Helms, Daniel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kniefs%2C+Louis%22">Kniefs, Louis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Müller%2C+Julia%22">Müller, Julia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gerken%2C+Lars%22">Gerken, Lars</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Richter%2C+Franziska%22">Richter, Franziska</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kulmann%2C+Jan%22">Kulmann, Jan</searchLink>
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  Data: In this paper, we present our experience with redesigning an introductory computer science course for (electrical) engineers with blended learning concepts. It is a large mandatory course with eight credit points over the course of two semesters, where first year electrical engineers learn how to program with Arduino, C and Python. Additionally, they need to cover basic computer science concepts such as binary numbers, Boolean algebra, encodings, finite state machines and object-oriented programming. We designed the course to cover the fields that are most relevant to our students' future careers. With the new format, students declare they are much more engaged with the course, they drop the course less often and they actually achieve better exam results. We completely re-structured the course, introduced inverted classroom elements and hackathons and we continuously optimized and adapted the course. The main focus is on hands-on-experience and teamwork, which we mostly achieve by the use of hackathons. In this paper, we described the contents and teaching concepts of the course and we discussed the achieved results.
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Blended Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Introductory Courses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Required Courses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computer Science Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Programming Languages
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      – SubjectFull: Engineering Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Freshmen
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      – SubjectFull: Student Motivation
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      – SubjectFull: Relevance (Education)
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      – SubjectFull: Experiential Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Instructional Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Student Projects
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Germany
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      – TitleFull: A Blended Learning Approach for an Introductory Computer Science Course
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