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Work-In-Progress: Hands-on Activities to Improve Student Engagement and Learning in an Introductory Programming Course

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Conference

15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Publication Date

July 28, 2024

Start Date

July 28, 2024

End Date

July 30, 2024

Page Count

5

DOI

10.18260/1-2--48647

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/48647

Download Count

30

Paper Authors

biography

Carter Hulcher West Virginia University

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Dr. Hulcher is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. He has been in his current role at WVU since 2020. Dr. Hulcher holds degrees in Civil Engineering, as well as Mathematics.

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Todd R Hamrick West Virginia University

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Dr. Todd Hamrick, Ph.D. is aTeaching Professor in the Fundamentals of Engineering Program at West Virginia University Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, a position he has held since 2011.

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Lizzie Santiago West Virginia University

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Lizzie Y. Santiago, Ph.D., is a Teaching Professor for the Fundamentals of Engineering Program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and has postdoctoral training in Neural Tissue Engineering.

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Michael Keith Brewster West Virginia University

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Abstract

Computer programming has become an in-demand skill, even for those positions that are not directly involved in Computer Science. In general, students enter introductory programming courses from a variety of backgrounds and programming experience levels. Their backgrounds and prior experiences can influence how they perceive programming activities in the classroom. This paper summarizes the preliminary results of a mixed-method approach in which a survey is administered to students enrolled in an introductory engineering programming course at a public, 4-year university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Prior to these activities being developed, the course was taught with students completing programming work with no hands-on component. The pre- and post- surveys collected students’ opinions on questions related to confidence, interest, knowledge, and understanding of programming concepts and applications before and after experiencing three different hands-on activities in the programming course. These hands-on activities also require students to program in a new language. This research aims to investigate the following questions: (1) how do hands-on activities influence students’ interest in computer programming, (2) do hands-on activities influence students’ understanding of specifically targeted programming concepts, (3) how does a students’ prior knowledge and demographic influence their understanding, interest, and confidence in programming before and after experiencing hands-on applications of programming, and (4) does a students’ interest, confidence, and understanding in translating code into a different programming language change after experiencing these hands-on programming activities? All hands-on activities have been developed and include a home security system, an object sorter based on color, and an obstacle avoiding robot. Information is currently being collected and will continue in future semesters. These hands-on activities could be used by institutions to improve student engagement and learning in computer programming courses.

Hulcher, C., & Hamrick, T. R., & Santiago, L., & Brewster, M. K. (2024, July), Work-In-Progress: Hands-on Activities to Improve Student Engagement and Learning in an Introductory Programming Course Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--48647

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