An Exploration into Adaptive Teaching of Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Seeking to understand students' differences, including their different levels of prior knowledge and potential barriers to learning, is an essential part of teaching. Adapting teaching in a responsive way, including by providing targeted support to students who are struggling, is likely to increase student success. In this study, we apply digital courseware in the teaching of the undergraduate discrete mathematics course. Digital courseware has improved the analytics available to faculty and increased personalized responses to students on designated topics. We developed a tool to collect data from digital courseware and allow instructors and TAs to visualize the performance of students from pre-class exercises, in-class quizzes, weekly assignments, collaborative projects, and exams. Based on the data, instructors and the TAs could divide students into groups and adjust classroom lectures and recitation sessions to better address each student groups' areas of deficiency.