Java Gone Green: Adaptable Greenfoot Teaching Materials for
Programming Fundamentals
In order to increase participation in Computer Science, we must first increase interest. One way to increase interest is through hands on experiences in fun applications of computing. Our project will focus on creating materials that teach programming fundamentals using Greenfoot. Creating a game can quickly engage students, and Greenfoot will allow for us to bridge graphic and code based development. We will create the shell of a game and teaching materials to teach students how to add functionality to the game by using programming fundamentals. The adaptability of our materials will come from how we develop our lesson plans. We will develop our lessons as modules that can be used for different purposes, e.g. as a one day seminar, a five day academy, or a one week bridge program. We will also create content quizzes which will be used as assessment materials on the effectiveness of how the lessons are taught.
Greenfoot is a “combination between a framework for creating two-dimensional grid assignments in Java and an integrated development environment.” [1] In Greenfoot’s development environment, objects and classes can be represented graphically, and the underlying java code can be accessed and manipulated as well. [1] This allows for a combination of both graphical and code based development.
All participants in this project are members of INcreasing Student Participation in Research Development (INSPIRED), which is a program at Lamar University that is funded by the NSF. This program seeks to retain underrepresented students in the computing field by exposing them to research and outreach at the undergraduate level. Outreach projects include one day middle school and five day high school computing academies whose materials were developed by members of INSPIRED. The academies are also coordinated and hosted by INSPIRED members. Content questionnaires developed to assess the effectiveness of the lessons are given before and after each lesson. [2][3][4] Daniel and Valerie have coordinated and developed materials for the middle school and high school academies and have presented posters in conferences about the materials, [6][7][8]. With this prior experience in material development, we believe it is feasible for us to develop the teaching materials in the proposed amount of time.
These academies use robots to teach participants programming concepts and fundamentals. We plan to implement the five day Greenfoot materials instead of our robotics materials in the academy. By using Greenfoot for game development instead of the robotics materials at the academy, we make computing more accessible for students and teachers because Greenfoot is a free download. If the students enjoy what they learn, they are free to download and work on Greenfoot in their free time.
Impact on the Goal of CREU
Our goal with this project is to increase the number of students, especially underrepresented students, who go into computing fields by increasing their interest in computing. If more students pursue majors in computing related areas, there will be an increased likelihood that they will pursue an advanced degree in computing.
As participants in this project, we will gain essential experience in organization and project management. We will also gain skills in conducting background research and in communicating ideas to individuals and groups. Also, by submitting abstracts and papers to conferences, we will gain experience that will make us competitive in our graduate school applications. All of the experiences and skills that we will gain will make us more successful in meeting our education and career goals.
Role of the CREU project within the Larger Scope of this Research Project
This project will be utilized by the INSPIRED program at Lamar University. The INSPIRED program seeks to broaden participation of women and minorities in the computer science field by conducting outreach towards younger students through its road shows (seminars) and summer computing academies. The program has previously used NXT and IntelliBrain robots in the academies to provoke interest and excitement and impart knowledge in middle and high school students. The assessments gathered from these academies show that students have increased their interest and knowledge. We feel that the assessments from the previous robotics sessions have provided preliminary data which we can use in the development, analysis, and revision of Greenfoot materials. The Greenfoot materials would be originally tested during the spring semester in INSPIRED road shows and outreach activities. The materials developed during this project will then be incorporated into INSPIRED’s 2011 high school academy in place of the robotics sessions.
