Karen Anewalt

A snapshot of current practices in teaching the introductory programming sequence

We present results from a nationwide survey of undergraduate computer science departments regarding languages and techniques taught in CS0, CS1, and CS2. This snapshot of 371 schools provides an intriguing look into the state of computing education today in the U.S., quantifying which practices are actually in common use. Among other things, the study reveals the great variety in CS0 approaches, the relative uniformity of CS1 and CS2 approaches, the dominance of Java as a language for the introductory major sequence, and the tendency for departments to teach CS1 and CS2 in a consistent manner, rather than exposing students to different ideas in each.

A Curriculum Model Featuring Oral Communication Instruction and Practice

Good oral communication skills are essential for success in the workplace. Burge [3] recently highlighted the need to create a curriculum-wide program emphasizing communication skills. We have implemented a curriculum that provides communication skills instruction and practice at each level of the computer science major. Here we present a description of the coursework emphasizing formal presentation and small group communication skills. We also share findings from a survey of alumni showing their perception of communication preparation. Even in our program that provides significant opportunities for communication skill development, the majority of alumni felt that additional instruction should be integrated into the major curriculum.

Playing to Learn: Using Hands-on Activities to Boost Learning in Computer Science (Abstract Only)

Active learning techniques are widely reported to enhance student learning and increase student engagement. They provide a powerful tool to reinforce course concepts and allow students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles to master essential concepts efficiently. In addition, many students and faculty find hands-on activities to be fun and memorable. Workshop attendees will participate in five hands-on activities covering concepts that are commonly taught in introductory programming courses including variable declaration, object instantiation, parameter passing, memory management, and the software development process. Workshop participants will be challenged to create additional activities to be included in an online repository. Instructors of introductory programming courses at the undergraduate and K-12 level who are interested in creating memorable learning experiences using free and low-cost props will find this participatory workshop to be relevant to their teaching. Come ready to play!

A snapshot of current languages used in industry

We provide results from a nationwide survey of advertisements for jobs in the technology sector. This snapshot of 521 job postings provides an interesting glimpse into the state of the computing industry in the U.S., quantifying the programming languages most frequently requested by employers today. This study reveals industry preference for Java and C++ skills. C++ is requested most frequently in the South Atlantic Region and was also favored on the west coast. Additionally, SQL skills were more requested for positions related to testing, JSP skills were more requested in architect positions, and both C and C++ were more requested in analyst positions. While academic practices should not be based solely on industry practice, industry demand for languages serves as one useful data point when institutions make pedagogical choices.

Workshop: Learning agile through active learning activities

Games and simulation are a great way to learn theories and new behaviors that can be applied to software engineering activities. The presenters are going to teach three games that can be used in a software engineering course or any course that deals with agile methods. The presenters will talk about the benefits of agile development and how these games will solidify behaviors that are essential to successful agile processes.

Work in progress — Computer science e-portfolios: Perspectives from upper and lower division students

An e-portfolio is an online multimedia-capable portfolio that showcases a students collection of academic learning, achievements, knowledge, and skills. While using e-portfolios to showcase student work has been a hot topic in the engineering education community, the topic has received less attention in the computer science education community. This paper presents a work in progress comparing the use of e-portfolios early in a computer science students academic career versus late. We find that there are benefits to each approach, both from a student perspective and an instructor perspective.