Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Gillman, David
Area of Concentration
Computer Science
Abstract
Teaching a first course in computer science is a hard problem. Students come in with varying levels of prior knowledge and a teacher must compensate by choosing which audience to teach to. I proposed a programming language, PurpFroge, which was based off of the assumption that all incoming students were familiar with English and thus a programming language also based off of English would be an easier transition. However, the results of my experiment were inconclusive due to a lack of a control group and other reasons. During the course of the experiment, I conceptualized a new course model which relies on student interaction, commitment, and specialization. The goal of the course would be to establish a common vocabulary, so that in subsequent courses the students have a similar level of prior knowledge and experience taking responsibility for their own learning.
Recommended Citation
Cohen, Sarah, "You Will Be Wrong a Lot, and That’s OK: An Introduction to Computational Thinking and Other Life Skills" (2018). Theses & ETDs. 5496.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5496