Using undergraduates as teaching assistants in introductory programming courses: an update on the Stanford experience

ABSTRACT

The introductory computer science at Stanford University have a combined annual enrollment of over 1000 students. Teaching introductory programming to a population of this size requires significant instructional support to ensure that students receive the individual attention most beginning programmers need. This paper describes the approach that has evolved at Stanford for the introductory computer science courses, which is based on the extensive use of advanced undergraduates to teach sections of the introductory course. In our experience, using undergraduates as part of the teaching staff has created an effective learning environment for both the students in the classes and the undergraduate section leaders themselves.

REFERENCES

• Austing79: Richard H. Austing , Bruce H. Barnes , Della T. Bonnette , Gerald L. Engel , Gordon Stokes, Curriculum '78: recommendations for the undergraduate program in computer science— a report of the ACM curriculum committee on computer science, Communications of the ACM, v.22 n.3, p.147-166, March 1979 [doi>10.1145/359080.359083]
• Reges88: Stuart Reges , John McGrory , Jeff Smith, The effective use of undergraduates to staff large introductory CS courses, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.20 n.1, p.22-25, Feb. 1988
• Roberts93: Eric S. Roberts, Using C in CS1: evaluating the Stanford experience, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.25 n.1, p.117-121, March 1993

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Curriculum

General Terms:
Human Factors