Date of Award

2020

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Software Engineering

Department

Computer Science

College

Engineering

Faculty Advisor

Walia, Gursimran

Description

Introductory computer programming course is one of the fundamental courses in computer science. Students enrolled in computer science courses at the college or university have been reported to lack motivation, and engagement when learning introductory programming (CS1). Traditional classrooms with lecture-based delivery of content do not meet the needs of the students that are being exposed to programming courses for the first time. Students enrolled in first year programming courses are better served with a platform that can provide them with a self-paced learning environment, quicker feedback, easier access to information and different level of learning content/assessment that can keep them motivated and engaged. Introductory programming courses (hereafter referred to as CS1 and CS2 courses) also include students from non-STEM majors who struggle at learning basic programming concepts. Studies report that CS1 courses nationally have high dropout rates, ranging from anywhere between 30-40% on an average. Some of the reasons cited by researchers for high dropout rate are lack of resource support, motivation, lack of engagement, lack of motivation, lack of practice and feedback, and confidence. Although the interest to address these issues in computing is expanding, the dropout rate for CS1/CS2 courses remains high. The software engineering industry often believes that the academic community is missing the mark in the education of computer science students. Employers recognize that students entering the workforce directly from university training often do not have the complete set of software development skills that they will need to be productive, especially in large software development companies.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31781

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