The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of a Synchronous Online CS1

Abstract

This poster illustrates how we redesigned the CS1 course for Math undergraduates to be held online but reflecting the face-to-face (F2F) experience as much as possible. We describe the course structure and the strategies we implemented to maintain the benefits of a synchronous experience. We present the positive and negative aspects that emerged from the students' opinion analysis. We highlight what worked, what did not, and what can be improved to strengthen the perception of a F2F experience and mitigate the "presence paradox"we found: although students are enthusiastic about the online format, most would still prefer a F2F course.