On the Effects of Active Learning Environments in Computing Education

This replication study aims at both quantifying the effects of active learning classrooms in introductory programming courses (CS1) and overcoming some design and methodological limits of prior studies on this topic. 156 students enrolled in three different sections of the same CS1 participated in this study. The three sections differed from each other either in terms of learning pedagogies (conventional lecture vs. peer instruction) or physical learning environments (lecture hall vs. active learning classroom). This study did not replicate the findings of prior studies on this topic. Instead, this study found that when learning pedagogies were controlled, learning environments did not have significant influences on student performance. On the other hand, learning pedagogies were found to have significant influences on student performance. When peer instruction is conducted other than conventional lecturing, students tended to have significantly better performance. Such findings highlight the importance of active learning in computing education, and the feasibility of conducting active learning in CS1 despite of physical environment constraints. Additionally, such findings emphasize the necessity of replication studies on the topic of active learning environments, and invite debates on the investment decisions in active learning classrooms.