Special Projects 2012
← 2011 | Special Projects | 2013 →
Since 2003 SIGCSE has awarded a limited number of Special Projects Grants each year. These grants help SIGCSE members investigate and introduce new ideas in the learning and teaching of computing. Projects must provide some clear benefit to the wider disciplinary community in the form of new knowledge, developing or sharing of a resource, or good practice in learning, teaching, or assessment.
Here is a list of the awards given in 2012.
Keystrokes: A System for Capturing Textual Development in Video-Based Learning
Chris Johnson <johnch@uwec.edu>
Award: $5,000
Award date: November 2012
Description: With the rise of video-based learning, instructors who use live-coding to teach face a challenge: source code in videos is hard to read and locked up in pixels. We propose Keystrokes, a software suite for capturing and playing back "text movies," whose contents students may freely interact with and repurpose.
Enhancing an Interactive Textbook with Community Moderated Exercises
Brad Miller <millbr02@luther.edu>
David Ranum
Award: $4,000
Award date: November 2012
Description: Runestone Interactive is a project focusing on providing tools and content for the purpose of creating interactive computer science courseware. This new project will add an enhancement that allows community moderated programming exercises. Students will be able to submit, vote, rank, and critique solutions to problems that are part of the interactive text.
Computing Attitudes Survey (CAS) Validation Project
Allison Elliot Tew <aetew@u.washington.edu>
Brian Dorn <bdorn@hartford.edu>
Award: $5,000
Award date: November 2012
Description: The goal of the CAS Validation Project is to develop a valid instrument for measuring the development of expert-like attitudes about CS for university students. Building upon success in validating the instrument locally, we will conduct a large-scale empirical study and interviews so the instrument can be made widely available.
Pythy--a Cloud-Based IDE for Novice Python Programmers
Anthony Allevato <allevato@vt.edu>
Stephen Edwards <edwards@cs.vt.edu>
Award: $3,360
Award date: May 2012
Description: Pythy is a web-based programming environment for Python that eliminates software-related barriers to entry for novice programmers, such as installing an IDE or the Python runtime. Using only a web browser, within seconds students can begin writing code, watch it run, and access support materials and tutorials.
A Computer Security Card Game: A Vehicle for Computer Security Outreach and Education
Tamara Denning <tdenning@cs.washington.edu>
Award: $5,000
Award date: May 2012
Description: We are developing an educational computer security card game, designed for cooperative learning amongst 3 to 6 players. The game is designed to raise awareness and improve understanding of key issues in computer security. Players play hackers (in the traditional, ethical sense) and learn about computer security while completing Missions.
CloudCoder: Using Crowdsourced Programming Exercises to Improve Student Learning in CS1
David Hovemeyer <dhovemey@ycp.edu>
Jaime Spacco <jspacco@knox.edu>
Award: $4,000
Award date: May 2012
Description: Short programming exercises are useful for assessment and skills reinforcement in introductory CS courses. However, developing good exercises is difficult. By adding exercise sharing features to the open source CloudCoder system, we will make it easier for instructors to share, assess, and improve exercises, benefiting the overall CS education community.
Supporting a Research Community Around Web-Scale Data Gathering
Ian Utting <I.A.Utting@kent.ac.uk>
Michael Kölling
Award: $5,000
Award date: May 2012
Description: Support for the creation of a large-scale repository of data about the behaviour of beginning programmers using the BlueJ Java IDE, and providing access to the data for CS Education Researchers world-wide. Construction and support of a community around the data.