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COMP_SCI 396, 496: Pedagogical Design in CS


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Prerequisites

By Permission of Instructor - please apply using https://forms.gle/1YspD6MYHxvuUHTE6

Description

How do people learn? It’s a question we spend a surprisingly little amount of time interrogating given how much time we all spend learning. While we may be expert learners – how do these skills translate to creating learning experiences for others? Does the expertise we gain as learners assist and/or hinder our ability to design learning experiences for others?

In this course, we’ll learn, practice, and put into action the skills necessary to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate instructional materials in computer science. We’ll explore theories of learning and pedagogy as well as in situ research from the learning sciences and computer science education to develop our own understanding of a powerful learning experience. The end goal of the course will be the design of your own learning experience for some computer science topic of your choosing. While these learning experiences will differ greatly based on student interest, all projects will engage in the design and implementation of 1. Synchronous activities (“in-class”); 2. Asynchronous activities (“Out-of-class”); 3. Assessment (e.g. auto graded activities); and 4. An Evaluation plan to assess the outcomes of the learning experience.

The course will be seminar style meaning students will need to prepare for class by either reading assigned articles, trying out various educational software, or perhaps reflecting on your own learning experiences. In-class time will be mostly spent on activities and discussions putting work from the readings / pre-class activities into practice. This means attendance is a crucial part of the course, with in-class activities being just as important as out-of-class work.

Note: 496 enrollments will have additional project requirements as compared to 396 enrollments.

REFERENCE TEXTBOOKS: N/A
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: N/A

COURSE COORDINATORS: Prof. Connor Bain
COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
Prof. Bain