Best Practices in Undergraduate Computer

Science Education

Chris WilcoxColorado State University

5/21/2015

Pedagogic Practices The automated grading of student programs conserves

scarce resources and gives real time feedback to students. Partial adoption of inverted classroom via peer instruction

has increased student engagement and interest. Assignment of an online tutorial to supplement labs and

lectures has improved student programming skills. Continued integration of media computation makes

programming assignments more relevant and fun. All of the above are accompanied by frequent programming

quizzes in the lab to ensure that skills are developed.

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Automated Grading (Workflow)

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Workflow with Automated Grading

Workflow with Manual Grading

FinalFeedback

PreliminaryFeedback

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Automated Grading (Interface)

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Peer Instruction

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Online Tutorial

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Media Computation

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Organizational Practices The use of undergraduates in addition to graduate

students as teaching assistants. The staffing of a help desk and provision of additional

online help via a bulletin board such as Piazza. The development of a consistent web interface and tools

for all courses in the department. The staffing of automated tools to reduce rote teaching

tasks and allow more time with students. Extra Credit: the hiring of teaching faculty with better

pay, secure employment, and advancement potential. Extra Credit: the staffing of outreach programs,

attendance at SIGCSE, starting an ACM-W chapter, etc.

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Challenges Opinion: Teaching requires someone in the organization

with full-time responsibility for undergraduate education! Otherwise processes are fragile, results are not

repeatable, continual improvement is not possible. Rotation of faculty through high-enrollment courses leads

to a lack of consistency in lower-level courses. Curriculum goes out of date, teaching materials are

mismanaged, new teaching practices are ignored. Resources are insufficient in many areas: curriculum

development, instructor training, tool development, etc.

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Participation by females and minorities is very low, and non-majors are often ignored

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Female Participation