research-article

Linking Language & Thinking with Code: Computing within a Writing-Intensive Introduction to the Liberal Arts

Authors:

Keith J. O'Hara,

Kathleen Burke,

Diana Ruggiero,

Sven AndersonAuthors Info & Claims

ITiCSE '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education

Pages 269 - 274

https://doi.org/10.1145/3059009.3059018

Published: 28 June 2017 Publication History

Abstract

This paper describes the design, implementation and preliminary evaluation of a computing component for a three-week writing-intensive introductory program at a liberal arts college. Specific curricular recommendations are presented that could have a direct, positive impact if adopted in similar courses. A two-pronged approach involving a faculty-led HTML workshop, along with student-led contextualized coding studios, was employed. Computing Unplugged activities were used, including a novel Page Rank Unplugged networking activity. An analysis of attitude surveys shows the program positively changed students attitudes about enjoyment solving CS problems, but potentially reinforced the misconception that CS is just learning programming languages.

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Cited By

Balady STaylor C(2022)Students’ expert-like attitudes in calculus and introductory computer science courses with active-learning pedagogyComputer Science Education10.1080/08993408.2022.212934434:1(37-67)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2022.2129344
Morrison BQuinn BBradley SBuffardi KHarrington BHu HKallia MMcNeill FOla OParker MRosato JWaite JKrogstie BQuille KSchulte CBecker B(2021)Evidence for Teaching Practices that Broaden Participation for Women in ComputingProceedings of the 2021 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3502870.3506568(57-131)Online publication date: 28-Dec-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3502870.3506568
Malmi LSheard JKinnunen PSimon Sinclair JRobins AMoskal AKo AMcCauley RRobins AKo A(2020)Theories and Models of Emotions, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy in the Context of Programming EducationProceedings of the 2020 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research10.1145/3372782.3406279(36-47)Online publication date: 10-Aug-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3372782.3406279
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Linking Language & Thinking with Code: Computing within a Writing-Intensive Introduction to the Liberal Arts
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education

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cover image ACM Conferences

ITiCSE '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education

June 2017

412 pages

ISBN:9781450347044

DOI:10.1145/3059009

Conference Chairs:
Renzo Davoli
University of Bologna, Italy
,
Michael Goldweber
Xavier University, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Guido Rößling
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
,
Irene Polycarpou
University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus

Copyright © 2017 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: 28 June 2017

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ITiCSE '17

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ITiCSE '17: Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education

July 3 - 5, 2017

Bologna, Italy

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ITiCSE '17 Paper Acceptance Rate 56 of 175 submissions, 32%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 552 of 1,613 submissions, 34%

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June 27 - July 2, 2025

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Cited By

Balady STaylor C(2022)Students’ expert-like attitudes in calculus and introductory computer science courses with active-learning pedagogyComputer Science Education10.1080/08993408.2022.212934434:1(37-67)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2022
https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2022.2129344
Morrison BQuinn BBradley SBuffardi KHarrington BHu HKallia MMcNeill FOla OParker MRosato JWaite JKrogstie BQuille KSchulte CBecker B(2021)Evidence for Teaching Practices that Broaden Participation for Women in ComputingProceedings of the 2021 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3502870.3506568(57-131)Online publication date: 28-Dec-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3502870.3506568
Malmi LSheard JKinnunen PSimon Sinclair JRobins AMoskal AKo AMcCauley RRobins AKo A(2020)Theories and Models of Emotions, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy in the Context of Programming EducationProceedings of the 2020 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research10.1145/3372782.3406279(36-47)Online publication date: 10-Aug-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3372782.3406279
Sepúlveda-Díaz CStuardo Rojas ESimmonds JGutierrez FHitschfeld NCasanova CSotomayor CZhang JSherriff MHeckman SCutter PMonge A(2020)Lessons Learned From Introducing Preteens in Parent-Led Homeschooling to Computational ThinkingProceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3328778.3366925(65-71)Online publication date: 26-Feb-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3328778.3366925
Baldwin DHolland-Minkley ABraught G(2019)Report of the SIGCSE committee on computing education in liberal arts collegesACM Inroads10.1145/331402710:2(22-29)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3314027
Tirto DHamme AO'Hara KAnderson SBarnes TGarcia DHawthorne EPérez-Quiñones M(2018)Language, Thinking, CodeProceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3159450.3162296(1078-1078)Online publication date: 21-Feb-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3159450.3162296

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