University of Dayton Chautauqua Course
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Chautauqua
Course DAY-16
Programming with Alice: A New Strategy for
Introductory Computer Science Courses
JUDITH L. GERSTING, University of Hawaii
at Hilo
June 11-13, 2008 in Dayton, OH --- Apply to the Dayton Center --- To apply for this course now - click here
Alice
(a programming environment developed at Carnegie-Mellon University) supports development of programs for Disney/Pixar-like
animations using 3-D objects in virtual worlds. Working with Alice teaches many of the concepts of
traditional and object-oriented programming, but the drag-and-drop editor
prohibits frustrating syntax errors. Moreover,
the graphical/animation feature of Alice
is very appealing and gives immediate visual feedback. Research suggests that Alice
is a good foundation for beginning computer science majors; students who have
already taken an Alice course, or who take an Alice course concurrently
with CS-1, have a better retention and success rate in their CS-1 courses.
Participants will have many
opportunities for hands-on experience.
For college teachers of: any discipline. Prerequisites:
familiarity with microcomputers running the Windows operating system. Some programming experience helpful but not
required
Costs for 2008
Application fee: $100 [$50 if received by
February 29, 2008]
Course fee: $395 [Due in March 2008]
Optional campus lodging: $55 per person per
night in a single
Dr. Judith Gersting is Chair of the
Computer Science Department at the University
of Hawaii at Hilo. She is the author of several
college-level computer science textbooks and has taught programming using Alice in the UH-Hilo
Narrative Programming class.
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University of Dayton Chautauqua Course