A Personalized System of Instruction for Teaching Java

Abstract

This chapter addresses the challenge of how to structure a learning environment to teach object-oriented computer programming to students who may need an introductory course in that discipline but who may lack the experiences to use symbol manipulations with confidence. In contrast to computer science students, information systems students sometimes exhibit these latter attributes, but they would nonetheless benefit professionally from acquiring rudimentary programming language knowledge and skill. To accomplish that objective, the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), originally developed by Keller (1968), is described here to foster equivalent competence among students in an initial Java‰ coding assignment in an introductory programming course. The intent of integrating a Java tutoring system into the PSI framework as the first laboratory exercise is to ensure that all students in the class have at least this background experience in common prior to the introduction of advanced features of interface implementation that are taught during the remainder of the semester. Self-report and performance data are presented to support the use of this pedagogical approach in the classroom.