Introductory Programming Meets The Martial Arts

1
Introductory Programming Meets The Martial Arts

• Stephan Jamieson
• University of Durham

2
Introductory Programming 2000/2001

• Part 1 Core Skills and Knowledge
• Dr Maria Fox
• 11 Weeks
• Part 2 Java APIs, GUIs, IDEs (and many other
  TLAs)
• Professor Keith Bennett
• 11 Weeks

3
Organising Principles

• Teaching does not simply helping students acquire
  concepts of the syllabus.
• Aim to encourage independent self directed
  learning and thus high quality learning.

4
Course Structure
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Practical
Practical
Practical
Week n
Week n1
Week n2
5
Feedback for 2000/2001

• If you fall behind it is very difficult to catch
  up
• I cant believe you expect us to know so little
  after a years teaching
• What I understand least is how much Im required
  to know and should be able to do

6
Benchtest Mark Distribution for 00/01
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Practical Completion for 00/01
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Changes for 2001/2002

• Applyed ideas from training for martial arts
• Adjustments made to content and rate of delivery.
• Scrapped benchtests in favour of gradings based
  on belts.

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Feedback for 2000/2001

• If you fall behind it is very difficult to catch
  up
• I cant believe you expect us to know so little
  after a years teaching
• What I understand least is how much Im required
  to know and should be able to do

10
Java Belts

• Red - ungraded
• White - variables, statement sequences,
  procedural abstraction
• Yellow - choice and iteration
• Orange - Problem solving with simple data
  collections (arrays)
• Green - Type definition, parameterised
  procedural abstractions
• Blue - Problem solving with type definitions
• Brown - Modular design with interfaces
• Black - Demonstrate ability to solve a complex
  search problem

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Evaluation

• With respect to
• Better quality learning
• Encouraging self-directed independent learning
• Running costs

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Evaluation quality of learning
Practical Completion 01/02
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Evaluation quality of learning
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Evaluation quality of learning
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Evaluation quality of learning

• Collections results
• Average Std Dev Min Max
• 00/01
• IP 53.54 14.45 23 90
• PDS 55.44 17.2 17 97
• 01/02
• IP 56.26 15.87 30 90
• PDS 60.43 14.27 20 90

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Evaluation encouraging self-directed,
independent learning
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Evaluation running costs
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Conclusions

• Some evidence that course was more effective.
• However grading system largely viewed as a burden
• Believe problem that not well integrated into the
  existing practical class system.

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The next iteration

• Provide pools of material for each grade level
  for formative experiences, self-assessment and
  summative assessment
• Provide better cross indexing between lecture
  content and grading levels
• Bound the periods for which formal assessments
  will be provided for each level