Design and pedagogy of the introductory programming course

By Prof. Abhiram G. Ranade | IIT Bombay

Learners enrolled: 1459

College level computer programming is difficult to teach. Failure rates in programming courses are high worldwide, and in India it is noted that students are not able to write simple programs despite completing degrees in computer science.

This course will consider the following questions.

• How do you design the syllabus for an introductory programming course?

• How do you teach it so that it captures the attention of students?

• How do you design examinations, and programming assignments which are fair and encourage students to learn in the desired manner?

We will sketch out a course design, and strategies for teaching the course. It will use the C++ languages, but most ideas will be independent of the language.

Important For Certification/Credit Transfer:

Weekly Assignments and Discussion Forum can be accessed ONLY by enrolling here

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Note: Content is Free!

All content including discussion forum and assignments, is free

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Teachers in Computer Science and related departments
PREREQUISITES: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or experience in teaching computer programming
INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Industries that offer training to their employees

Summary

Course Status :	Completed
Course Type :	Elective
Duration :	4 weeks
Category :	Computer Science and Engineering
Credit Points :	1
Level :	Postgraduate
Start Date :	24 Feb 2020
End Date :	20 Mar 2020
Enrollment Ends :	24 Feb 2020
Exam Date :	26 Apr 2020 IST

Note: This exam date is subjected to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: The introductory programming course: approaches, experience, and challenges.

Week 2: Our approach. Premises and basic ideas. Importance of manual computation and translating from

manual computation to programs. Learning outcomes. Choice of language.

Week 3: Pedagogical strategies. The first lecture: convey the spirit of the course and grab student attention.

Use of graphics and "repeat" statement. Teaching strategies for specific topics.

Week 4: Program design. Correctness and reasoning about programs. The continuum from problem solving to

algorithm design. Design of assignments and examinations.

Books and references

Nil

Instructor bio

Prof. Abhiram G. Ranade

IIT Bombay

Prof. Abhiram G. Ranade is a professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay. He obtained a B. Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1981. In 1988 he obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Yale University, USA. He was an Assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, USA during 1988-94. Since 1995 he has been a faculty member in IIT Bombay. His research interests are Algorithms, Combinatorial Optimization, Scheduling in Transportation Systems, and Programming Education. He has won Excellence in Teaching Awards of IIT Bombay in 2006-7 and 2010-11.

Course certificate

• The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
• The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
• Date and Time of Exams: 26th April 2020, Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
• Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
• The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
• Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE:
• Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 3 assignments out of the total 4 assignments given in the course.
• Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100
• Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75.
• If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.
• Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Bombay. It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.
• Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

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