Collaborative Research: Alice += Java

计算机科学（31）该项目是圣约瑟夫大学、伊萨卡学院和卡内基梅隆大学的合作项目。 它是集成爱丽丝，这是一个高影响力，高兴趣的程序可视化环境，到第一个计算机科学课程。以前的工作提供了证据表明，这种方法可以显着提高成就和保留的高风险CS专业在他们的第一年。该项目小组正在开发教学材料，包括教科书，实验室练习和讲座/演示幻灯片，用于使用这种综合方法教授第一门计算机科学课程。 主要的重点是使用可视化来教授基本编程概念和面向对象的交互式环境中的问题解决技术的强大核心。 这项工作解决了CS专业学生在第一年学习期间的高流失率，调查人员正在收集数据，以确定在第一门计算机科学课程中使用Alice是否会降低第一年的流失率。评估工作包括同行评议、学生态度和焦点小组、态度调查以及形成性和总结性评估的保留率统计。 调查人员正在网上提供所有材料，并通过期刊文章和SIGCSE，ITiCSE，FIE，CHI，HCC和CIT的演示文稿传播他们的方法和结果，并为社区学院教师，在信息技术和创新会议会议上，最后在几个普伦蒂斯厅信息技术（PHIT）会议上。他们还计划制作一本教科书，并创建一个在线社区。 更广泛的影响集中在广泛传播其教学材料。

Computer Science (31)The project is a collaboration involving St Joseph's University, Ithaca College, and Carnegie-Mellon University. It is integrating Alice, which is a high-impact, high-interest program visualization environment, into the first computer science course. Previous work has provided evidence that this approach can significantly improve achievement and retention of high-risk CS-majors during their first year. The project team is developing instructional materials, including a textbook, laboratory exercises, and lecture/demonstration slides, for teaching the first computer science course using this integrated approach. The major emphasis is using visualization to teach a strong core of fundamental programming concepts and problem-solving techniques in an object-oriented, interactive environment. The effort addresses the high attrition rate of CS-majors during their first year of study, and the investigators are collecting data to determine whether using Alice in the first computer science course reduces the first-year attrition rate. Evaluation efforts include peer reviews, student attitudes and focus groups, attitude surveys, and retention statistics for formative and summative evaluation. The investigators are making all materials available online and disseminating their approach and results through journal articles and presentation at SIGCSE, ITiCSE, FIE, CHI, HCC, and CIT and, for community college faculty, at the Conference for Information Technology and Innovations Conferences, and finally at several Prentice Hall Information Technology (PHIT) Conferences. They also are planning to produce a textbook and create an online community. Broader impacts focus on the wide dissemination of their instructional materials.