research-article

Teaching programming by emphasizing self-direction: How did students react to the active role required of them?

Authors:

Ville Isomöttönen,

Ville TirronenAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), Volume 13, Issue 2

Article No.: 6, Pages 1 - 21

https://doi.org/10.1145/2483710.2483711

Published: 01 July 2013 Publication History

Abstract

Lecturing is known to be a controversial form of teaching. With massed classrooms, in particular, it tends to constrain the active participation of students. One of the remedies applied to programming education is to use technology that can vitalize interaction in the classroom, while another is to base teaching increasingly on programming activities. In this article, we present the first results of an exploratory study, in which we teach programming without lectures, exams, or grades, by heavily emphasizing programming activity, and, in a pedagogical sense, student self-direction. This article investigates how students reacted to the active role required of them and what issues emerged in this setting where self-direction was required. The results indicate three issues that should be taken into account when designing a student-driven course: the challenge of supporting students' theoretical synthesis of the topics to be learned, the individual's opportunities for self-direction in a group work setting, and mismatch between individual learning processes and academic course scheduling.

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Kokkoniemi MIsomöttönen V(2023)A systematic mapping study on group work research in computing education projectsJournal of Systems and Software10.1016/j.jss.2023.111795204(111795)Online publication date: Oct-2023
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2023.111795
Kacsmar B(2022)Improving Interactive Instruction: Faculty Engagement Requires Starting Small and Telling AllProceedings of the 22nd Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research10.1145/3564721.3564739(1-6)Online publication date: 17-Nov-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3564721.3564739
Lorås MSindre GTrætteberg HAalberg T(2021)Study Behavior in Computing Education—A Systematic Literature ReviewACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/346912922:1(1-40)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2021
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Index Terms

Teaching programming by emphasizing self-direction: How did students react to the active role required of them?
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
        Computer science education

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cover image ACM Transactions on Computing Education

ACM Transactions on Computing Education Volume 13, Issue 2

June 2013

82 pages

EISSN:1946-6226

DOI:10.1145/2483710

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Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Association for Computing Machinery

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Publication History

Published: 01 July 2013

Accepted: 01 February 2013

Revised: 01 January 2013

Received: 01 April 2012

Published in TOCE Volume 13, Issue 2

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Cited By

Kokkoniemi MIsomöttönen V(2023)A systematic mapping study on group work research in computing education projectsJournal of Systems and Software10.1016/j.jss.2023.111795204(111795)Online publication date: Oct-2023
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2023.111795
Kacsmar B(2022)Improving Interactive Instruction: Faculty Engagement Requires Starting Small and Telling AllProceedings of the 22nd Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research10.1145/3564721.3564739(1-6)Online publication date: 17-Nov-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3564721.3564739
Lorås MSindre GTrætteberg HAalberg T(2021)Study Behavior in Computing Education—A Systematic Literature ReviewACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/346912922:1(1-40)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3469129
Daniels MCajander AMcDermott RVasilcheko AGolay D(2021)Why Don't You Tell Me What I Need to Know? Self-Flipped Classroom and Students' Personal Epistemology2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE49875.2021.9637355(1-9)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2021
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Gupta V(2020)Blended SPOC Teaching and Learning Model for Computer Programming Course: Insights and Defeating Challenges2020 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE)10.1109/TALE48869.2020.9368312(251-257)Online publication date: 8-Dec-2020
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Tirronen VLappalainen VIsomottonen VLakanen ATaipalus TNieminen POgbechie A(2020)Incorporating teacher-student dialogue into digital course material: Usage patterns and first experiences2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274123(1-5)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2020
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Medeiros RRamalho GFalcão T(2019)A Systematic Literature Review on Teaching and Learning Introductory Programming in Higher EducationIEEE Transactions on Education10.1109/TE.2018.286413362:2(77-90)Online publication date: 1-May-2019
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Szabo CFalkner NKnutas ADorodchi MSheard JKorhonen A(2018)Understanding the Effects of Lecturer Intervention on Computer Science Student BehaviourProceedings of the 2017 ITiCSE Conference on Working Group Reports10.1145/3174781.3174787(105-124)Online publication date: 30-Jan-2018
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Sanders KBoustedt JEckerdal AMcCartney RZander CTenenberg JChinn DSheard JMalmi LTenenberg JMalmi L(2017)Folk PedagogyProceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research10.1145/3105726.3106192(145-154)Online publication date: 14-Aug-2017
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