Spring 2021


Lecture: TR 9:40-11:00am (virtual)
Instructor: Prof. Franklin, teaching webpage, research webpage
Office Hours Schedule (TBA)

Goals

Welcome! In this instance of CS 33231, we delve into research methods and outcomes that inform how to teach computer science at all grade levels. The specific goals of the course are:
  • Learn general education theory - how students learn, pedagogical approaches, research-based techniques
  • Learn computer science-specific theory
  • Learn computer science educational research methods, focusing on somewhat small-scale research (since courses are available for quantitative analysis methods)
  • Learn how to write a research proposal

Getting Help

Because this course is so small, we will communicate via email. Every subject line should begin with "33231S21" so that everyone knows it is related to this course.

If you have questions about the course, and those questions are in a sense impersonal — that is, they are about course material or course logistics — we ask that you post those questions to everyone, rather than contacting only me. That way, if another student has already solved this problem, they can post before I get to it. In addition, when I respond, everyone gets the response, because you may not be the only one with that question.

If you have a specific question about your project, feel free to email only me.

Class Participation

As a very small class, it is expected that you will attend class every session. Recordings will not be made of the class session except in extentuating circumstances.

Resources

Textbooks: If you are interested in computer science education research beyond this course, I highly recommend this book:
The Cambridge Handbook of Computing Education Research

Grading / Assignments

The videos and associated exercises are in the edX Studio. The java programming assignments will be turned in and graded in Gradescope. The Qiskit assignments will be completed in a Jupyter Notebook and turned in through the edX Studio.

Each student’s final grade will be computed according to the following formula:

  • Class participation 10%
  • Daily Reading Questions 15%
  • Presentation of research paper(s) 5%
  • midterm 15%,
  • intervention materials 15%
  • research proposal 40% (spread throughout the course)
What precisely constitutes an A, B, etc. will be determined by the collective performance of the class. You are guaranteed not to get lower than straight scale (A>=93%, A- (90->93), B+ (87->90), etc.).

Late Policy

Normally, I don't allow any late assignments. However, this is not a normal time. If you have an extended illness or have extra responsibilities at home due to relatives' illness, or other impacts from the pandemic, we can work around it. Late requests must be made prior to the deadline, and they must be accompanied by the full reason and a summary of what you accomplished prior to the deadline. The expectation is that you work the entire week on the assignment, not that you wait until Sunday to begin what is due on Monday.

Regrade requests

Regrade requests for assignments and exam must be submitted within 5 working days (one week) of when you received the grade / feedback.

Academic Honesty

In this course, as in all your courses, you must adhere to college-wide honesty guidelines as set forth at http://college.uchicago.edu/ policies-regulations/academic-integrity-student-conduct. The college's rules have the final say in all cases.
    Do not copy any text from research proposals, papers, etc. beyond a sentence intended to provide a citation-based argument or rationale for your idea. Cite your sources.

Withdraws, Pass/Fail Requests

All requests for Pass/Fail must be received before the final exam. Note that if you take this course P/F, in normal years, you may not use it to satisfy requirements for a computer science major or minor. However, due to the pandemic, computer science majors are allowed to use a limited number of P/F courses towards their degree. You can read the Department's AY 21 Pass/Fail Policy for more information. To pass, you must earn a C- or better in the class. Withdraw requests are now handled by your college advisor, not the instructor nor the major advisor.