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Background: Programming is a fundamental skill in computer science and software engineering specifically. Mastering it is a challenge for novices, which is evidenced by numerous errors that students make during programming assignments.…
Computer science's increased recognition as a prominent field of study has attracted students with diverse academic backgrounds. This has significantly increased the already high failure rates in introductory courses. To address this…
The introductory programming course (CS1) at the university level is often perceived as particularly challenging, contributing to high dropout rates among Computer Science students. Identifying when and how students encounter difficulties…
Computer Science (CS) departments often serve large student populations, making timely academic monitoring and personalized feedback difficult. While the recommended counselor-to-student ratio is 250:1, it often exceeds 350:1 in practice,…
The recent, widespread availability of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot may impact introductory programming courses (CS1) both in terms of what should be taught and how to teach it. Indeed, recent research has…
Programming courses can be challenging for first year university students, especially for those without prior coding experience. Students initially struggle with code syntax, but as more advanced topics are introduced across a semester, the…
Feedback is a critical component of the learning process, particularly in computer science education. This study investigates the quality of feedback generated by Large Language Models (LLMs), Small Language Models (SLMs), compared with…
Understanding students' programming misconceptions is critical. Doing so depends on identifying the reasons why students make errors when learning a new programming language. Knowing the misconceptions can help students to improve their…
Generative AI (GenAI) models have broad implications for education in general, impacting the foundations of what we teach and how we assess. This is especially true in computing, where LLMs tuned for coding have demonstrated shockingly good…
A considerable increase in enrollment numbers poses major challenges in course management, such as fragmented information sharing, inefficient meetings, and poor understanding of course activities among a large team of teaching assistants.…
The new capabilities of generative artificial intelligence tools Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, allow users to interact with the system in intuitive ways, such as simple conversations, and receive (mostly) good-quality answers. These…
This study examines whether including more contextual information in data analysis could improve our ability to identify the relation between students' online learning behavior and overall performance in an introductory physics course. We…
Randomized A/B comparisons of alternative pedagogical strategies or other course improvements could provide useful empirical evidence for instructor decision-making. However, traditional experiments do not provide a straightforward pathway…
The Louisiana Department of Education partnered with the Gordon A. Cain Center at LSU to pilot a Computing High School Graduation Pathway. The first course in the pathway, Introduction to Computational Thinking (ICT), is designed to teach…
How students utilize immediate tutoring feedback in programming education depends on various factors. Among them are the feedback quality, but also students' engagement, i.e., their perception, interpretation, and use of feedback. However,…
High-quality computer science (CS) instruction is essential for preparing students to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world. This research brief presents findings from a six-year longitudinal study of CS enrollments in seven…
Programming instructors often conduct collaborative learning activities, such as Peer Instruction (PI), to enhance student motivation, engagement, and learning gains. However, the impact of group discussion and formation mechanisms on…
We evaluate an automatic hint generator for CS1 programming assignments powered by GPT-4, a large language model. This system provides natural language guidance about how students can improve their incorrect solutions to short programming…
This study investigated the essential of meaningful automated feedback for programming assignments. Three different types of feedback were tested, including (a) What's wrong - what test cases were testing and which failed, (b) Gap -…
Computer science (CS) capstone courses offer students a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in software development, practice essential soft skills, and enhance their employability prospects. They are a core component in many…