What to Teach First, Hardware or Software? Improving Success in Introductory Programming Courses

Richard Whalen; Joshua L. Hertz

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: COED Programming Education 2: Instructional Approaches
Tagged Division: Computers in Education Division (COED)
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44620
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44620
Download Count: 148

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Paper Authors

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Richard Whalen Northeastern University

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Dr. Richard Whalen is a Teaching Professor at Northeastern University in Boston, MA and is Director of First-year Engineering. The mission of the First-year Engineering team is to provide a reliable, wide-ranging, and constructive educational experience that endorses the student-centered and professionally-oriented mission of the University. He also teaches specialty courses in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern and has published and presented papers on approaches and techniques in engineering education.

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biography

Joshua L. Hertz Northeastern University orcid.org/0000-0003-0650-5141

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Dr. Hertz earned a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University in 1999 and then a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. Following this, he worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow. He joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware as an Assistant Professor in September 2008, leading a lab that researched the effects of composition and nanostructure on ionic conduction and surface exchange in ceramic materials. In 2014, he moved to Northeastern University to focus on teaching and developing curriculum in the First Year Engineering program.

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Abstract

This complete evidence-based practice paper presents an analysis and lessons learned in introductory engineering courses with content that includes problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and C++ at a medium-sized private urban university. These courses specifically incorporate the integration of hands-on, project-based design projects with computer programming. The goal of the project work is to provide an authentic experience and give students the opportunity to develop process-driven problem-solving skills. A large focus here is given to developing algorithmic thinking skills and traditionally the introduction of computer programming has been used to help facilitate meeting this objective. In addition, with the ubiquitous use of microcontrollers and platforms such as Arduino, faculty now can integrate hands-on experiences with hardware to facilitate student learning and motivation.

This study looks at a pre- and post-programming survey to infer best practices on two different approaches in teaching programming and algorithmic thinking with hardware applications. In the first approach, students are first taught algorithmic thinking and programming in C++ in a traditional sense, without an introduction to hardware applications. Once they have gained facility in the programming language, they then apply this knowledge to hardware applications. In the second approach, students are introduced to programming and algorithmic thinking via the hardware applications; the material is introduced concurrently instead of sequentially.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the differences of the two approaches and present the student learning outcomes from each. Initial course surveys indicated that 67% of the students are coming into the course with little or no programming experience and 85% are coming in with little or no hardware experience. The lead research question the paper aims to answer is whether one approach is better than the other regarding student learning, student preference, and course satisfaction. The paper will also describe in detail the applications used in the various projects and analyze the above forms of assessment to qualify and quantify the approaches. Additional takeaways include how both the students and instructors are affected by each approach and the lessons learned along the way to make both successful.

Citation
Format

Whalen, R., & Hertz, J. L. (2023, June), What to Teach First, Hardware or Software? Improving Success in Introductory Programming Courses Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44620

TY - CPAPER
AB - This complete evidence-based practice paper presents an analysis and lessons learned in introductory engineering courses with content that includes problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and C++ at a medium-sized private urban university. These courses specifically incorporate the integration of hands-on, project-based design projects with computer programming. The goal of the project work is to provide an authentic experience and give students the opportunity to develop process-driven problem-solving skills. A large focus here is given to developing algorithmic thinking skills and traditionally the introduction of computer programming has been used to help facilitate meeting this objective. In addition, with the ubiquitous use of microcontrollers and platforms such as Arduino, faculty now can integrate hands-on experiences with hardware to facilitate student learning and motivation.

This study looks at a pre- and post-programming survey to infer best practices on two different approaches in teaching programming and algorithmic thinking with hardware applications. In the first approach, students are first taught algorithmic thinking and programming in C++ in a traditional sense, without an introduction to hardware applications. Once they have gained facility in the programming language, they then apply this knowledge to hardware applications. In the second approach, students are introduced to programming and algorithmic thinking via the hardware applications; the material is introduced concurrently instead of sequentially.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the differences of the two approaches and present the student learning outcomes from each. Initial course surveys indicated that 67% of the students are coming into the course with little or no programming experience and 85% are coming in with little or no hardware experience. The lead research question the paper aims to answer is whether one approach is better than the other regarding student learning, student preference, and course satisfaction. The paper will also describe in detail the applications used in the various projects and analyze the above forms of assessment to qualify and quantify the approaches. Additional takeaways include how both the students and instructors are affected by each approach and the lessons learned along the way to make both successful.
AU - Richard Whalen
AU - Joshua L. Hertz
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - What to Teach First, Hardware or Software? Improving Success in Introductory Programming Courses
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44620
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44620
ER -