Evaluating the Effectiveness of Flipped Teaching in a Mixed-Ability CS1 Course

Abstract

First year programming-courses attract a diverse crowd of Computer Science (CS) and non-CS students who bring mixed-abilities and different learning needs to the classroom. Teaching the same material to such mix of students poses an interesting challenge to the instructor. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which the flipped teaching enhances students learning in such courses. The evaluation is based on three components: 1) a survey of 25 Likert questions completed by 46 students, 2) class average grade and pass rate, and 3) student ratings of the course. Findings of the survey indicate that the overall student impression on the flipped model is very positive in terms of classroom learning and engagement as well as self-directed learning. We found no significant difference between the opinions of different student populations, specifically good programmers versus weak programmers, and CS students versus non-CS students. Course ratings and grades were compared against older offerings of the same course taught by the same instructor who was using traditional lecturing. Results confirms the survey findings and show improved class grades, pass-rates, and student satisfaction.