Trends in introductory programming courses in Australian universities: languages, environments and pedagogy

This paper reports the results of a study of 44 introductory programming courses in 28 Australian universities, conducted in the latter months of 2010. Results of this study are compared with two censuses previously conducted during 2001 and 2003, to identify trends in student numbers, programming language and environment/tool use and the reasons for choice of these, paradigms taught, instructor experience, text used and time spent on problem solving strategies in lectures and tutorials. Measures of mental effort experienced during the solution of novice programming problems were also examined.

[1]  F. Paas,et al.  Cognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory , 2003 .

[2]  Greg Anderson,et al.  Connecting with Computer Science , 2005 .

[3]  Mark Guzdial,et al.  A multi-national, multi-institutional study of assessment of programming skills of first-year CS students , 2001, ITiCSE-WGR '01.

[4]  Karen Anewalt,et al.  A snapshot of current practices in teaching the introductory programming sequence , 2011, SIGCSE.

[5]  John Sweller,et al.  Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning , 1988, Cogn. Sci..

[6]  Caitlin Kelleher,et al.  Lowering the barriers to programming: A taxonomy of programming environments and languages for novice programmers , 2005, CSUR.

[7]  F. Paas,et al.  Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design , 1998 .

[8]  Fred G. W. C. Paas,et al.  The Efficiency of Instructional Conditions: An Approach to Combine Mental Effort and Performance Measures , 1992 .

[9]  Kim B. Bruce.  Controversy on how to teach CS 1: a discussion on the SIGCSE-members mailing list , 2004, SGCS.

[10]  Mark Toleman,et al.  Introductory programming: what's happening today and will there be any students to teach tomorrow? , 2004 .

[11]  J. Sweller,et al.  Effects of schema acquisition and rule automation on mathematical problem-solving transfer. , 1987 .

[12]  Randy F. Pausch,et al.  Teaching objects-first in introductory computer science , 2003, SIGCSE.

[13]  H. Simon,et al.  Perception in chess , 1973 .

[14]  Carlo Ghezzi,et al.  Programming language concepts , 1982 .

[15]  Mark Toleman,et al.  Language trends in introductory programming courses , 2002 .