New approach to teaching an introductory computer science course

In this work, we present a new teaching approach that we have implemented in our introductory computer science programming course. The methodology consists of team teaching, a hybrid delivery system, recorded lecture retrieval capability, readiness assessment activities, objective assessment of student progress, and cooperative learning through team work. The team teaching approach consists of two faculty members being present and actively involved in lecture delivery and classroom activities, which take place in a computer laboratory setting. The hybrid delivery system consists of using Centra, a real-time communication, collaboration and learning software environment, for lecture delivery, recording, and active student participation. The recorded lectures are available to students for downloading and viewing at any time using any computer. The readiness assessment activities are incorporated to enhance student preparation for classroom lectures and are assigned on a weekly basis. The goal of the objective assessment part is to provide individual feedback to each student regarding mastery of ongoing course objectives through collective evaluations of quizzes and homework submissions. This process is repeated on a monthly basis during the semester. Cooperative learning is accomplished by forming student teams who work together on homework assignments and classroom activities. Details of this work, including its advantages, disadvantages, and student feedback, will be included in the paper.