Development, implementation and integration of hybrid teaching/learning scenarios

The corona pandemic has triggered a digitization push at universities, requiring new approaches and solutions to be tested and implemented in otherwise purely face-to-face university settings. This project aims to further develop these approaches and embed them in teaching. The additional digital teaching content is intended to deepen the classroom content and address different levels of prior knowledge among students. In this subproject, the learning and deepening of the programming language C is to be expanded through hybrid teaching/learning methods and to be anchored in teaching.

Digital learning platform for learning a programming language

Students learning a programming language are confronted with a number of hurdles. The learning needs are heterogeneous, among other things, due to different previous knowledge and approaches of the students, which are predetermined from school. The basic challenge is that a secure mastery of the syntax of a programming language is a prerequisite for concentrating on semantics and algorithms. The project therefore aims to adapt the teaching and learning offer of the course "Programming in C" with the help of a digital learning platform for practicing the syntax. The scope of the learning platform extends to all courses in the field of programming in C. It can thus be used in all STEM subjects at Bergische Universität as well as at other university locations.

It will be implemented by means of a framework for interpreter-based programming language learning:
Tasks and content (e.g. videos, web pages) will be made available via a web frontend, with the task type and difficulty based on the student's learning level. In the backend, the numerous interpreters/compilers/debuggers available as open resources can be integrated via API. In this project, the C-interpreter VELOCITI, which was developed at the chair of automation technology/computer science, will be used and adapted to the tasks of the learning platform. Depending on their learning level, students will receive suggestions for additional tasks or further explanations. Survey and voting options allow the lecturer to ask specific questions and determine whether there is a need for further support. The motivation is additionally increased by elements of gamification. In the presence elements of the hybrid course "Introduction to Programming", free space is created to deal in depth with learning objectives that go beyond learning the syntax, in particular the development of algorithmic solution strategies and their implementation in a program.

The project is supported by the Foundation Innovation in University Teaching: Link