On-Line Support for Object-Oriented Programming Language Instruction

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This project addresses the issues of attracting, engaging, and competently training students in computer science by developing innovative multimedia-based instructional software for introductory computer science classes. The software tools is built on top of an existing system called Online Web-based Learning (OWL), a system that has been used with great success in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. This project identifies three broad characteristics of first year CS instruction in object-oriented (OO) programming instruction, particularly in Java: 1) there is too much material for students to learn in a single 14 week semester; 2) staffing in introductory courses is stretched too thinly and devotes too much time to background chores such as grading; and 3) because of very uneven instruction in high schools and varying expectations about the purpose of programming instruction, student competence, interest, and expectation varies greatly in a single class. Moreover three additional features characterize defects in teaching strategies: 1) students are reluctant to read code (programs) carefully; 2) students often complete the first two semesters of Java programming instruction with a very poorly developed sense of high-level design; and 3) students are isolated and work together poorly. We are implementing the following pedagogical and technical remedies for these problems in the context of the first two courses in a traditional CS curriculum, introduction to programming and data structures. These remedies include: the development of a wide range of on-line exercises that teach about the fundamental concepts of OO programming and data structures; the development of exercises that train students to be careful code-readers; the development of exercises that teach students first to understand code from a UML perspective, and second to use UML thinking to design code at a high level; and finally, through the mechanism of an informal drop-in center, and through the development of multi-student on-line exercises, we train students to collaborate more effectively with their peers.