As discussed in an earlier post, one of the assessible items in CS 222 (Advanced Programming) is something we call achievements. Achievements are designed to encourage student’s independent exploration of relevant course topics they choose from a provided list. Each student must complete a certain quantity of achievements if they expect to receive an A for the course, and reduced quantities for lower grades.
Originally, I set the threshold for an A at four achievements. To be more learner-centered, starting with the fall 2018 semester, the students collectively negotiated the threshold with me. Depending on the semester, it has been four or five achievements for the A level.
The list of available achievements has remained the same and are detailed in my previous post, with the addition of one new option this last year.
Originally, I set the threshold for an A at four achievements. To be more learner-centered, starting with the fall 2018 semester, the students collectively negotiated the threshold with me. Depending on the semester, it has been four or five achievements for the A level.
The list of available achievements has remained the same and are detailed in my previous post, with the addition of one new option this last year.
Learning to Learn: For discovering better ways to study. Visit the BSU Learning Center and talk with someone there about general study habits. Write an essay relating what you find to apply to CS course work.The following table presents statistics from the most recent six semesters I’ve taught the course, along with a couple of summary columns. I find it interesting to look through the table to see what is popular (and what is not). For example, considering all semesters, the Diversity Seeker and Reflective Practitioner achievements have clearly been the most popular. Coming in next are the Crystallizer and Studious achievements. The order is slightly different if we just look at the last year, but it is still the same four achievements. Looking at individual semesters, the Judge, Rereader, and Seeker achievements have also been very popular.
The recently-added Learning to Learn achievement has proven to be quite popular, and I suspect it will creep into the most popular list next year.
Five achievements (Campus Leader, Didact, Filmmaker, Jammer, and Open Source Contributor) have Continued to be the least popular. We have chosen to leave these as options for students with interest or skill in one of those areas. Note that the Third-part Librarian achievement was removed from the available options after the summer 2016 semester.
Lastly, I’ve found the number of achievements students choose to complete interesting. While a great many students do complete the required quantity, the majority do not. As shown in the table, the average for all semesters is just over three completed achievements per student. Due to a one-submission-per-week limitation, and their lack of planning, some students simply run out of time to get all of them submitted. The slight increase for the spring 2019 semester is likely due to the threshold for an A being at five, as compared to four for previous semesters.
I believe the achievement system continues to meet its intended purpose within the course. I do not observe any substantial changes in popularity compared to last year’s report. I will find it interesting to see if the popularity of individual achievements changes during the next year.
Five achievements (Campus Leader, Didact, Filmmaker, Jammer, and Open Source Contributor) have Continued to be the least popular. We have chosen to leave these as options for students with interest or skill in one of those areas. Note that the Third-part Librarian achievement was removed from the available options after the summer 2016 semester.
Lastly, I’ve found the number of achievements students choose to complete interesting. While a great many students do complete the required quantity, the majority do not. As shown in the table, the average for all semesters is just over three completed achievements per student. Due to a one-submission-per-week limitation, and their lack of planning, some students simply run out of time to get all of them submitted. The slight increase for the spring 2019 semester is likely due to the threshold for an A being at five, as compared to four for previous semesters.
I believe the achievement system continues to meet its intended purpose within the course. I do not observe any substantial changes in popularity compared to last year’s report. I will find it interesting to see if the popularity of individual achievements changes during the next year.
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