skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Evaluating the Efficacy of Peer-Created Worked-Example Videos in a Computer Systems Course
Worked examples are an educational tool widely used in introductory computer science classes, primarily for programming and code-tracing concepts. Prior research supports the use of worked examples as a scaffolding mechanism to help students build a solid foundation before tackling problems on their own. Whether breaking down the intricacies of code or explaining abstract theoretical concepts, worked examples offer a structured approach that nurtures a deeper understanding during self-study. This study explores how peer-created worked examples, shown through detailed step-by-step videos, aid student learning in an intermediate-level computer science course, namely computer systems. Our results suggest that worked-example videos are a useful study aid for intermediate computer science courses, such as computer systems. Students who watched the worked-example videos found them to be very helpful, and ranked them as the top study aid for succeeding on quizzes. Additionally, students with access to worked-example videos performed moderately better on quizzes compared to students without worked-example videos. Our results and experiences also suggest that worked-example videos are beneficial to the students who created them as well as their peers who use them.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2141814
PAR ID:
10579301
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of computing sciences in colleges
Volume:
39
Issue:
8
ISSN:
1937-4771
Page Range / eLocation ID:
83-97
Format(s):
Medium: X Other: PDF
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Novice programmers can greatly improve their understanding of challenging programming concepts by studying worked examples that demonstrate the implementation of these concepts. Despite the extensive repositories of effective worked examples created by CS education experts, a key challenge remains: identifying the most relevant worked example for a given programming problem and the specific difficulties a student faces solving the problem. Previous studies have explored similar example recommendation approaches. Our research introduces a novel method by utilizing deep learning code representation models to generate code vectors, capturing both syntactic and semantic similarities among programming examples. Driven by the need to provide relevant and personalized examples to programming students, our approach emphasizes similarity assessment and clustering techniques to identify similar code problems, examples, and challenges. This method aims to deliver more accurate and contextually relevant recommendations based on individual learning needs. Providing tailored support to students in real-time facilitates better problem-solving strategies and enhances students' learning experiences, contributing to the advancement of programming education. 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    Subgoal labels are function-based instructional explanations that describe the problem-solving steps to the learner, highlighting the solution process. There is strong evidence that the use of subgoal labels within worked examples improves student learning in other STEM fields. Initial research shows that using subgoal labels within computer science improves student learning, but this has only been tested using a single programming concept (indefinite loops) with text-based programming languages. The proposers are currently expanding subgoal labels to the main programming concepts taught in an introductory programming course using an imperative programming language. In this BOF we seek to uncover tacit knowledge that programming instructors have in order to develop instructional materials that bridge the gap between students, who are CS novices, and instructors, who are CS experts, to improve learning for students who are under-prepared for or struggle in CS1. We will be seeking feedback on the selection of programming topics to be covered, the defined subgoals for those topics and the worked examples created for instructional purposes. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    Contributing to the literature on aptitude-treatment interactions between worked examples and problem-solving, this paper addresses differential learning from the two approaches when students are positioned as domain experts learning new concepts. Our evaluation is situated in a team project that is part of an advanced software engineering course. In this course, students who possess foundational domain knowledge but are learning new concepts engage alternatively in programming followed by worked example-based reflection. They are either allowed to finish programming or are curtailed after a pre-specified time to participate in a longer worked example-based reflection. We find significant pre- to post-test learning gains in both conditions. Then, we not only find significantly more learning when students participated in longer worked example-based reflections but also a significant performance improvement on a problem-solving transfer task. These findings suggest that domain experts learning new concepts benefit more from worked example-based reflections than from problem-solving. 
    more » « less
  4. Many students rely on examples when learning to program, but they often face barriers when incorporating these examples into their own code and learning the concepts they present. As a step towards designing effective example interfaces that can support student learning, we investigate novices' needs and strategies when using examples to write code. We conducted a study with 12 pairs of high school students working on open-ended game design projects, using a system that allows students to browse examples based on their functionality, and to view and copy the example code. We analyzed interviews, screen recordings, and log data, identifying 5 moments when novices request examples, and 4 strategies that arise when students use examples. We synthesize these findings into principles that can inform the design of future example systems to better support students. 
    more » « less
  5. Students often get stuck when programming independently, and need help to progress. Existing, automated feedback can help students progress, but it is unclear whether it ultimately leads to learning. We present Step Tutor, which helps struggling students during programming by presenting them with relevant, step-by-step examples. The goal of Step Tutor is to help students progress, and engage them in comparison, reflection, and learning. When a student requests help, Step Tutor adaptively selects an example to demonstrate the next meaningful step in the solution. It engages the student in comparing "before" and "after" code snapshots, and their corresponding visual output, and guides them to reflect on the changes. Step Tutor is a novel form of help that combines effective aspects of existing support features, such as hints and Worked Examples, to help students both progress and learn. To understand how students use Step Tutor, we asked nine undergraduate students to complete two programming tasks, with its help, and interviewed them about their experience. We present our qualitative analysis of students' experience, which shows us why and how they seek help from Step Tutor, and Step Tutor's affordances. These initial results suggest that students perceived that Step Tutor accomplished its goals of helping them to progress and learn. 
    more » « less