research-article

Supporting Active Learning by Introducing an Interactive Teaching Tool in a Data Structures and Algorithms Course

Authors:

Tommy Färnqvist,

Fredrik Heintz,

Patrick Lambrix,

Chunyan WangAuthors Info & Claims

SIGCSE '16: Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education

Pages 663 - 668

https://doi.org/10.1145/2839509.2844653

Published: 17 February 2016 Publication History

Abstract

Traditionally, theoretical foundations in data structures and algorithms (DSA) courses have been covered through lectures followed by tutorials, where students practise their understanding on pen-and-paper tasks. In this paper, we present findings from a pilot study on using the interactive e-book OpenDSA as the main material in a DSA course. The goal was to redesign an already existing course by building on active learning and continuous examination through the use of OpenDSA. In addition to presenting the study setting, we describe findings from four data sources: final exam, OpenDSA log data, pre and post questionnaires as well as an observation study. The results indicate that students performed better on the exam than during previous years. Students preferred OpenDSA over traditional textbooks and worked actively with the material, although a large proportion of them put off the work until the due date approaches.

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Cited By

Bezáková IStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)Mathematical Underpinnings of Algorithms via In-class ActivitiesProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3641554.3701968(116-122)Online publication date: 12-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641554.3701968
Spurlock SDuvall S(2021)AlgoScrumJournal of Computing Sciences in Colleges10.5555/3447307.344730936:5(24-33)Online publication date: 12-Jan-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3447307.3447309
El Mawas NHooshyar DYang Y(2021)Effects of Adaptive Educational Games on Adults’ Computational ThinkingComputer Supported Education10.1007/978-3-030-86439-2_9(162-176)Online publication date: 9-Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86439-2_9
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Supporting Active Learning by Introducing an Interactive Teaching Tool in a Data Structures and Algorithms Course
1. Applied computing
  1. Education
    1. Computer-assisted instruction
2. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
        Computer science education

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cover image ACM Conferences

SIGCSE '16: Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education

February 2016

768 pages

ISBN:9781450336857

DOI:10.1145/2839509

General Chairs:
Carl Alphonce
University at Buffalo
,
Jodi Tims
Baldwin Wallace University
,
Program Chairs:
Michael Caspersen
Aarhus University
,
Stephen Edwards
Virginia Tech University

Copyright © 2016 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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SIGCSE: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 17 February 2016

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SIGCSE '16: The 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education

March 2 - 5, 2016

Tennessee, Memphis, USA

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SIGCSE '16 Paper Acceptance Rate 105 of 297 submissions, 35%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 1,787 of 5,146 submissions, 35%

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Cited By

Bezáková IStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)Mathematical Underpinnings of Algorithms via In-class ActivitiesProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3641554.3701968(116-122)Online publication date: 12-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641554.3701968
Spurlock SDuvall S(2021)AlgoScrumJournal of Computing Sciences in Colleges10.5555/3447307.344730936:5(24-33)Online publication date: 12-Jan-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/3447307.3447309
El Mawas NHooshyar DYang Y(2021)Effects of Adaptive Educational Games on Adults’ Computational ThinkingComputer Supported Education10.1007/978-3-030-86439-2_9(162-176)Online publication date: 9-Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86439-2_9
Narman HBerry CCanfield ACarpenter LGiese JLoftus NSchrader I(2020)Augmented Reality for Teaching Data Structures in Computer Science2020 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)10.1109/GHTC46280.2020.9342932(1-7)Online publication date: 29-Oct-2020
https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC46280.2020.9342932
Silva DAguiar RDvconlo DSilla C(2020)Recent Studies About Teaching Algorithms (CS1) and Data Structures (CS2) for Computer Science Students2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE43999.2019.9028702(1-8)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/FIE43999.2019.9028702
Cao LGrabchak MZhang MYang BCooper SLuxton-Reilly A(2019)Interactive Preparatory Work in a Flipped Programming CourseProceedings of the ACM Conference on Global Computing Education10.1145/3300115.3309520(229-235)Online publication date: 9-May-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3300115.3309520
Sanders KBoustedt JEckerdal AMcCartney RZander CTenenberg JChinn DSheard JMalmi LTenenberg JMalmi L(2017)Folk PedagogyProceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research10.1145/3105726.3106192(145-154)Online publication date: 14-Aug-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3105726.3106192

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