CCSE Reading Group: SIGCSE Journal Club - Toward an Ungraded CS0

Published: 25 January 2021

Reading and discussion of "Toward an Ungraded CS0" by Malan

DATE: 1st February 2021
TIME: 13:00-14:00
LOCATION: Quintin’s Zoom Room
DESCRIPTION:

This paper forms a follow on to Sarah Honeychurch’s paper last week, in that it acknowledges that students may have different concerns and motivations for studying the same course - and addresses this issue by allowing the students to choose the grading scheme that more closely matches their views - either letter grades (like our 22 point scale) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (like another of our Code of Assessment scales).  The course at Glasgow that most closely matches Harvard’s CS-50 course is our CS-1CT course.  Questions that you might consider as you read the paper (depending on your experience of Glasgow CS courses)…

  1. Do you think this would be a good option for CS-1CT?  Why, or why not?  What about CS-1P and/or CS-1PX?
    • 1PX is a second semester follow-on course for those who took 1CT in first semester - if they want to continue.
    • 1P is a level 1 course for those with programming experience already (taken instead of 1CT and 1PX.
  2. Do you know of other courses in GU where you think it would be appropriate?
  3. Do you think it’s ok to allow someone to go on to Honours on the basis of an SAT grade in a Level 1 course?
  4. Do you think the high level of commitment by SAT/UNS students to the CS50 course in the paper was due to particulars of that course?  Do you think it would apply to any programming course?  Or do you think the same result might occur in any course that changed to SAT/UNS?

First published: 25 January 2021