COSC 122 Computer Fluency

Fall (Winter Term 1) 2010 - University of British Columbia Okanagan

Overview

The fifth offering of COSC 122 was the best yet. The course has continued to evolve with an improved database section (focus only on SQL) and a new lab on creating images. The biggest change in content was a "How it Works" section explaining how popular technologies like Amazon, Facebook, and iPhones work. The logistics also considerably improved with a new room that has two screens and better seating. The evaluations significantly improved, and the key changes were very basic: move the class to 10:30 instead of 9:30 and a better room for presentations. The later time also significantly increased the enrollment. Clickers are essential to improving interactivity and student attendance. Many students take the course for an "easy credit" but leave with understanding the value and relevance of the material.

This course goes beyond Microsoft Office and teaches about computer hardware, some programming, and other topics in a broader instruction to Computer Science. Students did some basic programming in HTML and JavaScript. Many students really liked the HTML. The JavaScript was a little harder as it is exposes some of the difficult issues with programming.

Student performance was significantly better than previous years, especially on the final. The pass rate was 89% and overall GPA of 3.00. Attendance continues to make a big difference. More practice on programming is still needed (or more motivation to complete programming assignments). The course size grew to 98 students essentially hitting the 3-year growth target in one year.

On-line Resources

• Syllabus

Student Performance

Of the 98 registered students who started the course, 92 (94%) received a D or higher and 87 (89%) received a C- or higher. The average GPA was 3.00 or a B. Charts showing the mark breakdown are below. More students stayed engaged and were able to pass the course. The number of over 90% students was significantly higher.

Comments

The instructor rating of 4.88 was the highest ever. The course rating of 4.55 was a major increase from the prior year and the highest ever. The course stayed low in the challenging metric (3.53). I continue to emphasize programming as "creative problem solving". Many students, especially arts majors, appreciate the creativity even though it may be challenging at first.

The labs were very good, and there were some excellent TAs this time. The major issue with the labs are some labs are too easy (Lab 1, Word, PowerPoint), and other labs (programming labs 6-8) are considerably harder and the TAs cannot keep up with the questions.

The course will always be challenging to teach as it is considered an "easy science credit" (and I do not fully dispute that label). However, there is no reason that it cannot be inspirational, fun, and allow students to learn a lot about computers that will be extremely valuable to them. The goal for this course is to grow it considerable so more students have the opportunity to truly understand the technology they use everyday.

Strengths of the Course

• "The material provided for the course was extremely useful for preparation for classes and the exams. The class was very fair but still challenging for a computer newbie :-) The class stayed on track and the labs were very reflective of the current course material. There were many ways to obtain marks in the class (clickers, online quiz, lab, exam) and more than enough learning resources!"
  


• "The way the material was laid out and explained was great, especially for someone who has little or no computer knowledge."
  


• "This course provided me the knowledge about all types of computer knowledge including how to use the computer effectively to computer programming. It was easy to read along and stay on track if you had the book and the clicker questions provide easy marks if you know your stuff."
  


• "Best prof I've had in my 3 years at UBC -> great powerpoints, course materials, & lectures. ; Class participation -> very engaging, clicker questions ; relevant & applicable information"
  

Weakness of the Course

• "Not even a short instructional period at beginning of labs, just set to our own devices (I'm not good with computers, that was stressful). Lab TAs did OK - need to work better together."
  


• "I found when lectures did not precede labs (labs 6,7,8), I struggled to work on the lab. It wasn't until after the lecture that labs became clear. I did not have the flexibility within my schedule to use all the days before lab due dates to complete labs."
  


• "The difficult labs could use more teaching help, such as more than 1 TA somehow. I know this isn't easy however."
  

Most Enjoyable Part of the Course

• "Great class! I took it as a requirement from a list of choices looking to broaden my education and I'm glad I did. :-) Phenomenal prof, good teaching skills, easy to approach, fun class, interactive, the list goes on...! It was extremely useful in terms of usable information for life - Thanks!"
  


• "Learning some materials we didn't necessarily need to know (the asides). Communicating with friends around me."
  


• "This course was awesome. If I had been asked if I was interested in Computer Science before this class I would have said no. But since taking the course I love it, Ramon makes everything so interesting/fun. He takes his time to help you understand. It has been by far my favorite class so far at UBCO."
  


• "Most interesting of all my courses. It is really easy to stay focused + engaged during your lecture. It makes the hour fly by!! Interactive clicker questions and examples really help."
  


• "The day professor Lawrence came to class in a costume (best computer science class ever!)"
  


• "It was interesting for a course out of my major, usually courses I have to take for credits aren't this good."