How can you teach Computer Science more interactively?

How can you teach Computer Science more interactively?

As instructors, we’ve all been there. That moment when you’re standing in front of a class: you’ve asked a question, and you get blank stares. Or worse: no eye contact, and everyone is either looking at the ceiling, the floor, or sneaking a glance at their phones. As Jamie Warren of Blue Ridge Community College puts it,  “When you would ask them in class, it’s crickets - I could not get a response.”

Today I want to share with you how Wooclap can be useful in a community college Computer Science class, and how our tool helps you to:

• Level the playing field with a very diverse set of students 
• Increase participation and engagement in your course
• Quickly get an answer from every single student when you ask a question

From Silence to Conversation: How Wooclap Transformed a Computer Science Class

This past June 2024, Daniel Capriolo-Morris , Account Executive at Wooclap, hosted Sarah Parlier, Director of Teaching and Learning from Blue Ridge Community College, for a webinar entitled “Fostering Interactive Learning” (check out the replay here).

Sarah provided a plethora of interesting insights on how her institution puts Wooclap to good use, but the one example that piqued my curiosity was for a course called Computer Information Systems. She explained that “we have a little bit of a problem in this course, even in our face-to-face sections, with getting students talking”. She said that using Wooclap for this course helped to “get the conversation going,” and that for one instructor in particular, it was exceedingly beneficial in engaging students. “Wooclap was a real conversation starter here,” said Sarah. 

Hearing this, and remembering my own very dry Computer Science course in college, I knew I had to talk to the instructor in question to better understand how on earth Wooclap could specifically help him teach Computer Science. Sarah put me in touch with Jamie Warren, an instructional designer at the college who also teaches the occasional course. 

Jamie explained to me that this course in particular had been through a whole renovation process at Blue Ridge, and that big change was needed. “Sarah is a big source of inspiration,” he said, adding that she is always ready to wipe the slate clean and start anew when it comes to course construction. 

This course in particular brings together a diverse student population: a mix of full-time community college students, a handful of accelerated high school students, English language learners, as well as part-time career transitioners, such as one student who was a farmer. “He would get up at 4am to work the fields, come to class, and then go back to work. He didn’t want to waste any time.” Having students from such mixed backgrounds made Wooclap an even more valuable tool, since it helped to level the playing field. 

When Jamie first introduced the idea of using Wooclap to the class, he said their reaction was something like “You want me to do what now? You want me to use my cell phone?” Jamie says that students are so used to putting their phones away during class, that the mere invitation to use them for educational purposes “was an achievement unlocked right there.”

His previous experiences trying to get these students to interact were much different. As mentioned earlier on, he explained that “when you would ask them in class, it’s crickets - I could not get a response.” After launching his first Wooclap event, Jamie experienced the ‘a-ha’ moment: “It kind of shocked me - they’re actually responding!”

For Jaime, the digital tool actually generated a discussion in class - they were really eager to participate in the Wooclap. The discussion that was initiated via the platform even brimmed over to in-person discussions amongst the students in class, helping them stay more engaged with the course content throughout his sessions. 

Incorporating interactive tools like Wooclap into Computer Science courses not only engages students but also fosters an inclusive and dynamic learning environment, transforming passive observers into active participants. Give it a try today!