Fostering student involvement and collaboration in a non-majors' programming course

The ubiquitous lecture, using a slide show or the traditional blackboard, is, arguably, best used at the end of an introduction to a programming topic, not at the onset. This paper documents a technique which demonstrates that illustrating the programming construct and syntax is best delivered through an example, by showing students actual code samples, actual runs, demonstrations, and tests, before the syntax of the construct is introduced. Moreover, one student from the class is selected to act as the “typist” (rather than the instructor) to enter code into the IDE which is visible to the rest of the class. By introducing the student to a well-structured illustration and having students get first-hand experience on the subject matter, students are more involved in the classroom, participate and play a role towards attaining the lesson's goals. This is supported with empirical data that shows students' inclination toward the idea of partaking in an active, collaborative classroom.