Mark Guzdial

Avoiding the Turing Tarpit: Learning Conversational Programming by Starting from Code’s Purpose

2021 · 43 citations

Conversational programmers want to learn about code primarily to communicate with technical co-workers, not to develop software. However, existing instructional materials don’t meet the needs of conversational programmers because they prioritize syntax and semantics over concepts and applications. This mismatch results in feelings of failure and low self-efficacy. To motivate conversational programmers, we propose purpose-first programming, a new approach that focuses on learning a handful of do…

Insights from Social Shaping Theory: The Appropriation of Large Language Models in an Undergraduate Programming Course

2024-08-06 · 26 citations

The capability of large language models (LLMs) to generate, debug, and explain code has sparked the interest of researchers and educators in undergraduate programming, with many anticipating their transformative potential in programming education. However, decisions about why and how to use LLMs in programming education may involve more than just the assessment of an LLM’s technical capabilities. Using the social shaping of technology theory as a guiding framework, our study explores how student…

Engaging Pre-Service Teachers in Front-End Design: Developing Technology for a Social Studies Classroom

2020-10-21 · 17 citations

This research full paper presents front-end design activity with social studies pre-service teachers to inform the design of data visualization technology tools. Data visualizations are powerful tools that social studies teachers use to explore the narratives they want their students to learn. They can serve as evidence for historical arguments and prompts that start students on a path of inquiry. The ability to analyze, interpret, evaluate, and use data and data visualizations - known as data l…

Identifying the Computing Education Needs of Liberal Arts and Sciences Students (Discussion Paper)

2023-11-13 · 8 citations

As a field, computing’s deepest roots lie in liberal arts domains such as philosophy and linguistics. As new technologies rapidly expanded the field, the computer science curricula emerged. The current undergraduate areas of study, including computer science and software engineering, focus on preparing students for careers in the computing industry or academia. The “born digital” students of a modern liberal arts institution need a different, less technology-heavy, form of computing education to…

Putting a Teaspoon of Programming into Other Subjects

Communications of the ACM · 2023-04-21 · 7 citations

Using teaspoon languages to integrate programming across myriad academic disciplines.