Reneta Lansiquot

Alice's Adventures in Programming Narratives

This chapter describes our innovative approach to the teaching of computer programming and writing; professors worked with students across classes united by a theme of narrative. A year-long study examined if using Alice, a three-dimensional microworld programming software that allows users to create interactive narratives, was more effective than Visual Basic (VB) in developing problem-solving abilities in first-year college students in introductory computer programming courses. Results revealed that although both the Alice and VB group showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) increase in performance for problem-solving questions related to computer programming, only the Alice group showed a significant increase in problem-solving abilities not directly related to computer programming, and an increase in student retention.

Synergies between writing stories and writing programs in problem-solving courses

First-year problem-solving and computer programming courses are gateway courses with low passing rates, resulting in student attrition and transfers out of computer science degrees. Our urban institution serves mostly under-represented minority students, typically an at-risk population given their minimal previous programming experience and weak mathematical background. We offer a computer problem-solving course (PS) to prepare students in computing and engineering majors for a rigorous first programming course (CSI). Given a change in programming learning context from a programming language to the 3D programming environment Alice, the pass rate increased by 8% points (from 70% to 78%). The higher pass rate in the Alice PS course does not result in a weaker preparation of students for the subsequent CSI course. Moreover, teaching the Alice PS course as part of an interdisciplinary learning community linked to a first course in English composition with strong narrative components further increases student performance and retention. This intentional interdisciplinary approach to problem solving allows students to purposefully connect and integrate knowledge and skills from across the disciplines, developing synergies between writing stories and writing computer programs.

Promoting an Interdisciplinary Campus Culture

This chapter synthesizes best practices and lessons learned in order to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between courses, disciplines, programs, research fields, and industry. It describes strategic institutional integration that transforms approaches to recruitment, teaching, mentoring, supervision, communication, and collaboration within and across laboratories. Research and education are integrated with a focus on inquiry-based learning and developing a global workforce by expanding industry partnerships. This chapter also contributes to the dialogue on best institutional approaches focused on attracting, retaining, and preparing underrepresented students. The cross-institutional strategies, faculty development, and initiatives described provide real-life examples of what works toward these goals and what sustains and multiplies these efforts.

Conclusion: Integrating Interdisciplinary Pedagogies

Synthesizing the best practices and lessons learned from collaborative interdisciplinary classrooms, this chapter offers a retrospective of student experience, discussing how this pedagogical strategy effectively promotes self-authorship, manifested through the learners’ ability to reflect and base judgments on their knowledge and interdisciplinary understanding, as well as their ability to integrate multiple disciplines to accomplish a task. Free educational technologies were used to scaffold student learning via, for example, place-based learning in virtual worlds, using such features as integrating digital concept maps and three-dimensional virtual worlds. Despite the variability and unpredictability of individual experiences, student perspectives provide evidence for the unique challenges and distinct advantages of team-taught interdisciplinary courses.

Modeling Interdisciplinary Place-Based Learning in Virtual Worlds: Lessons Learned and Suggestions for the Future

This chapter illustrates the conclusions of the previous chapters, synthesizing the best practices and lessons learned from collaborative, interdisciplinary, place-based learning projects, both formal and informal, emphasizing virtual worlds. Cunningham and Lansiquot discuss this pedagogical strategy’s effectiveness in role-playing games, as well as exploring the ways in which a virtual reality can be used to make learning a more immersive experience. Specifically, they discuss how independent games—which are created by designers who, in part, are showcasing the capabilities of the software of choice—can be used to scaffold interdisciplinary virtual place-based learning.

Introduction: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Problem Solving

This introductory chapter traces my story. It focuses on my experiences as a student and faculty member at New York City College of Technology, which is the designated college of technology of the City University of New York. It chronicles the creation of interdisciplinary courses and research experiences that help students tackle complex problems and make connections between their major and general education courses. Practical information at the administrative level, such as governance issues, developing an application process for interdisciplinary course designation, forming an interdisciplinary studies committee, and the responsibilities of such a committee, are discussed. This chapter provides pedagogical strategies for team-teaching, as well as highlights supportive tools such as original case studies written by faculty for interdisciplinary courses.

Introduction: Designing and Implementing Interdisciplinary Programs

Interdisciplinary pedagogy and learning foster the cross-fertilization of ideas from different fields and disciplines, team collaboration across disciplines, the exploration of topics that reside at the boundaries and the edges of multiple disciplines, and the bringing of people together from various fields to explore issues and problems that have wide-ranging social impact. Chronicling the creation of an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Professional and Technical Writing program at New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York, the chapter discusses practical matters of administration, such as choosing and integrating disciplines for a specialization. More conceptually, it examines the development of interdisciplinary programs through a focus on how technology, theory, and practice that connects STEM and non-STEM approaches in these programs.

Making Connections: Writing Stories and Writing Code

Interdisciplinary competence should be an integral part of undergraduate education. The development of interdisciplinary skills expands students’ perspectives and blurs differences between general education and major courses, preparing them to be better problem-solvers in an increasingly complex and connected world. This chapter describes the design, development, and teaching of an interdisciplinary course linking creative writing and computational thinking for non-computer majors. In this interdisciplinary course, students develop original stories which they then implement as a video game prototype using computer programming. Via interdisciplinary connections between writing stories and writing computer code, even non-computer majors acquire computational thinking concepts and skills.

Software design principles for video research in the learning sciences and CSCL: two studies use the perspectivity framework & Orion™

Collaborative analysis of digital data has become an important factor for research in the learning sciences and the computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) communities. The purpose of this investigation was to deduce design principles to inform future video research software as well as social network development. To uncover these design principles, a meta-analysis was conducted of two dissertational studies that applied the Perspectivity Framework and the video analysis tool, Orion™. The first was a qualitatively-informed quantitative study; the second applied balanced mixed methodology--also referred to as quisitive research. The 7 design principles found include: stakeholder involvement; elastic coding; collections as selections and vice versa; applied authenticity; unfolding interpretations; layered critique; and revision tracking.