Early start in software coaching

Abstract

The demand for software coaching and coaches is increasing. As our programming courses are organized according to the Extreme Apprenticeship method, it is relatively safe and straightforward to allow students to participate as coaches in our CS1 course even as early as their second semester. Safety is ensured by the hierarchical structure of CS1 course personnel that provides enough peer and faculty support for students undertaking the task of coaching. We briefly describe the Extreme Apprenticeship method as well as the organization and the learning objectives in our coaching environment. Results acquired from student coaches (N=46) indicate that the learning experience of coaching is highly valued and deemed especially educational for the coaches without harming the learning results of the coachees.