Promoting Meaningful Learning in Computer Science Courses by Leveraging Concreteness Fading

Image used under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

Project Team:

Edith Law, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science

Sangho Suh, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science

(Project timeline: January 2019-December 2020)

This project investigated innovative approaches to enhancing teaching and learning in computer science courses by examining how to use an instructional technique named concreteness fading.
- Concreteness fading has the potential to foster deep learning by helping learners make connections between what they are learning and what they already know.
Applicants are hopeful that this technique will aid both students and instructors who are struggling to learn, and relatabley teach abstract CS concepts respectively.

What is the design process for coding strip? What tools, if any, are needed to support this process?
In what ways can coding strip be used? What are its perceived usefulness?
How can we further ease the authoring of coding strip? What parts of the process can we automate?

Comics make a powerful medium for visualizing programming concepts, languages, and procedures in terms of real-life situations and objects.
- This project found that coding strip is perceived as offering numerous teaching and learning benefits, such as engaging learners and improving comprehension and recall of learned concepts.

Three PhD Seminars were held about the projects conducted for this grant.
- In particular, CS 105 showcased the comics in their learning, and received positive feedback from students.
Findings were presented at the UW Teaching & Learning Conference, and Research Commons.
Works from this grant were presented in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and CS Education.
Research has been featured in ACM TechNews, and UW News.

The project allowed applicants to become more aware of what makes teaching and learning more effective.
Applicants connected with colleagues from Math, and Engineering.
Further research of this topic can be explored in a recent LITE grant completed by the same applicants.