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Teaching Java™: Managing Instructional Tactics to Optimize Student Learning

Henry H. Emurian

Information Systems Department

College of Engineering and Information Technology

UMBC

1000 Hilltop CircleBaltimore, Maryland 21250

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What I Do@UMBC

• Among other things, I teach Java to Information Systems (IS) majors.

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1. import javax.swing.JApplet;2. import javax.swing.JLabel;3. import java.awt.Color;4. public class MyProgram extends JApplet {5. JLabel myLabel;6. public void init() {7. myLabel=new JLabel(“This is my first program.”);8. getContentPane().setBackground(Color.YELLOW);9. getContentPane().add(myLabel);10. }11. }

•Near transfer (understand and recite)

•Far transfer (meaningful learning solve novel problems)

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Why won’t they respond?• In comparison to Computer Science (CS) students, Information

Systems (IS) students exhibit a low rate of computer programming.

CS ISCS IS

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Challenges

• Students in Information Systems (IS) do not like to write computer programs.

• IS students have minimal coursework in computer programming and programming languages.

• IS students need a fundamental mastery of programming principles, especially related to the object- oriented paradigm.

• IS students are often demoralized by taking courses with computer science majors taught by computer science faculty.

• How can we best help IS students achieve the objective?

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Model

Power Function

Practice Trials

Erro

rs

• Principles to promote retention and transfer:–

Repeated practice with different instructional modalities (Halpern & Hakel, 2003)

–

Socially supported interactions (Fox & Hackerman, 2003)

True Gain

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Design-Based Research Methodology

• Observe students in context– Repeated observations in one classroom with

one group of students and one instructor• Improve the instructional design over

successive replications – Systematic replication (Sidman, 1960)

• Emphasizes movement of all students to a common learning outcome (True Gain)– Contrasts with between-group studies

concerned with effect size differences

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Procedure• Fall 2007 (2.5 hr Class)

– Class 1• Pre-Tutor Questionnaires• Programmed Instruction

Tutor• Post-Tutor Questionnaires

– Homework• Prepare for Interteaching

– Class 2• Lecture• Interteaching

– Questionnaires– Class 3

• Quiz– Includes Rule Test

Questions from the Questionnaires

• Spring 2008 (2.5 hr Class)– Class 1

• Pre-Tutor Questionnaires• Programmed Instruction

Tutor• Post-Tutor Questionnaires

– Homework•• Brief Rule TutorBrief Rule Tutor• Prepare for Interteaching

– Class 2• Lecture• Interteaching

– Questionnaires (Brief Tutor)– Class 3

• Quiz– Includes Rule Test

Questions from the Class 1 Questionnaires

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Software Self-Efficacy Ratings: 23 ItemsQuestion 4How confident are you that you can use the following symbol now to write a Java program? JAppletNot at all confident. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Totally confident.Enter a number here:

Question 5How confident are you that you can use the following symbol now to write a Java program? JLabelNot at all confident. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Totally confident.Enter a number here:

Question 6How confident are you that you can use the following symbol now to write a Java program? MyProgramNot at all confident. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Totally confident.Enter a number here:

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12 Rule Questions3. Which of the following lines most likely would be used to add a

JCheckBox object to a content pane?

a. getContentPane.Add(myJCheckBox);b. container.Add(JCheckBox.Object);c. add(container.JCheckBox);d. getContentPane().add(myBox);e. Add(myJCheckBox);

Enter a letter here:

How confident are you that you selected the correct answer?Not at all confident. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Totally

confident.Enter a number here:

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7. Which one of the below lines declares mySlider as a potential instance of the JSlider class?

a. JSlider mySlider;b. JSlider myJSLider;c. mySlider JSlider;d. myJSlider JSlider;e. JSlider mySlider.

8. Given the following line in a program, public class MyJLabel extends JLabel, which one of the below would be the name of the file that contains this program for compilation?

a. MyJlabel.javab. MyJLabel.javac. MyJLabel.javaxd. myJLabel.javae. JLabel.java

Brief Rule Tutor

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What Instructional Modalities Make Sense?

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Programmed Instruction

1. A set of structured interactions between a learner and a tutor.

2. Occasions disciplined study behavior that is focused on the individual learner.

3. Manages the moment-by-moment interactions between a learner and a tutor: learn units.

4. A step-wise progression from elementary facts to the achievement of meaningful learning.

Java Tutor

http://nasa1.ifsm.umbc.edu/learnJava/tutorLinks/SwingTutorLinksV2.html

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Java Tutor: Item Learning

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A “Rule”

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Lecture

1. Lecture– Repeat the tutor

material while students write the code

2. Run the applet on the web

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Interteaching

1. A mutually probing, mutually informing conversation between two people (Boyce & Hineline, 2002)

2. The questions on a topic to be addressed by the participants during a dialogue are prepared in advance by the teacher, and the students come prepared to interteach

3. Has the objective of insuring, by the participants as a team, that each member of the dyad can answer the questions with understanding

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http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emurian/learnJava/swing/tutor/v2/rules/Tutor.html

Preparation for Interteaching: Brief Rule Tutorial

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http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emurian/learnJava/swing/tutor/v2/explanations/Explanations.html

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emurian/learnJava/swing/tutor/v2/rules/explanations/

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Interteachers in Action

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Spring 2008

12 M (Mean age = 22.3, range = 18 – 27.

4 F (Mean age = 20, range = 19 – 21.

Fall 2007

15 M (Mean age = 23.5, range = 20 – 30.

2 F (Mean age = 21.5, range = 21 – 22.

A Mann Whitney U test was marginally significant for reported Java programming experience between the two classes (Z = -1.933, p = 0.053).

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Interteaching Evaluation

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Multiple-Choice Test Errors: Tutor Quiz

n = 16n = 17Items: r = 0.551, p = 0.022

Rows: r = 0.039, p = 0.881

Items: r = 0.837, p = 0.000

Rows: r = 0.649, p = 0.007

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Correct Rule Test Answers: Individuals

Correct Rule Test Answers: Fall 2007

0123456789

101112

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Students

Tota

l

Pre-Tutor Post-Tutor Interteaching Quiz

Correct Rule Test Answers: Spring 2008

0123456789

101112

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

StudentsTo

tal

Pre-Tutor Post-Tutor Interteaching Quiz

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Rule Test Errors

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History Counts…

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History Counts…

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History Counts…

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Software Self-Efficacy & Tutor Items Errors

Fall 2007: R2 = 0.0025

Spring 2008: R2 = 0.4047

05

1015202530354045505560

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Pre-Tutor Software Self-Efficacy

Tuto

r Ite

ms

Erro

rs

Fall 2007 Spring 2008Linear (Fall 2007) Linear (Spring 2008)

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History Counts…

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History Counts…

p = 0.685 p = 0.021

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How History Counts…

p = 0.022 p = 0.000

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History Counts…

p = 0.055 p = 0.002

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Self-Reports of Confidence in Answers

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r = 0.98, n = 8, p = .000

r = 0.87, n = 9, p = .002 Pre-Tutor, Post-Tutor, Interteaching, Quiz

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Challenges with Programmed Instruction

• It is labor intensive to develop.– We have proposed to develop a generic shell.

• There are conceptual issues regarding the size of a learn unit.– The opportunity for repetition, until a multiple-

choice item is answered correctly, can lead to careless reading.

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Challenges with Interteaching

• A rare student will show an aversion to collaborative learning.

• Pairs of students need different amounts of time.

• It is difficult to assess the “quality” of a collaboration objectively.

• “Understanding” is more than an intraverbal performance.

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Challenges with Lecture

• I have to know what I’m talking about.

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Conclusions

1. Programmed instruction is an effective tool in technology education.

• It meets the needs of the individual learner.• The instructional design can promote meaningful learning and self-

confidence.• The tutoring system is well-received by novitiate learners.

2. Interteaching may add value, but there are issues of retention and transfer.

3. The competency attained sets the occasion for advanced learning with enthusiasm.

4. Students like the tutor and the interteaching, and so do I. 5. I also like to use lectures with hands-on learning and classroom

collaboration among students.

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Thank you!

Questions?

The tutor, the source code, and all instructional material are freely

available on the web.