Semra Kilic-Bahi
Colby-Sawyer College New London, New Hampshire
Tell us about yourself
I am an associate professor of Mathematics at Colby-Sawyer College, a private liberal arts college, in New London, NH. I also volunteer to do enrichment sessions and offer summer camps in a local charter school, Academy for Science and Design (ASD), which is serving grades 6 to 12. I got my undergraduate degree from Middle East Technical University in Turkey, M.Sc. degree from University of Saskatchewan in Canada, and Ph.D. from University of New Hampshire.
I particularly enjoy offering interdisciplinary courses that emphasize the applications of mathematics in a variety of settings. I also believe that we should prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st century work force.
During my sabbatical leave three years ago, I explored a variety of online teaching tools and resources related to programming. When I found out about CodeHS, I recognized its potential as an excellent teaching tool.
For the last two years, I have offered a “Secret Communication Summer Camp, SC^2” for middle school students at Academy for Science and Design. This camp was funded by Mathematical Association of America, Dolciani Enrichment grant . I only used CodeHS for two hours on one day of the camp, but the feedback I got from parents and students were extremely positive. So, CodeHS was my choice of teaching tool during “An Hour of Code”
A year ago, before submitting our proposal for a math minor at Colby-Sawyer College, we sent a survey to our undergraduate students to gauge the interest in minoring in mathematics. In that survey, we also asked what additional courses they would like to be included in the design of a math minor. Majority of the students who answered the survey indicated Introduction to Programming class as their top choice. So, I volunteered to design and offer the course. It is the first time in our college’s history, we are offering a programming class.
“CodeHS provides a supportive learning environment while enhancing students’ independent learning skills.”
Tell us about your students
Secret Communication Summer camp had 17 middle school students. In “Introduction to Programming” class at Colby-Sawyer College I have 28 students. The students are majoring in Business Administration (14),Biology (6), Environmental Science(2), Media Studies (2), Political science (1), Philosophy(1), and Undeclared (2). Almost 90% of the class, have no previous programming experience. They are inquisitive and creative group of students who love learning and exploring.
Has CodeHS been an effective teaching tool for you? How so?
Absolutely! CodeHS provides a supportive learning environment while enhancing students’ independent learning skills. The designers of CodeHS certainly have taken the recent research on learning into consideration. The students are actively involved in the learning process. The setting makes it easy to explore “what-if” type of questions. The level of the difficulty gradually increases; therefore the learner is not overwhelmed during the whole process. Since I am not a programmer, it could have been really hard for me to teach this course to such a relatively large group of students without the excellent teaching material and support provided by CodeHS tutors.
What do your students enjoy about learning with CodeHS?
Here are some comments from my students:
“I think the ability to plan one’s own learning is the most enjoyable part. One can plan when to learn and at what pace to go forward.”
“All the challenges are achievable while the level of difficulty grows gradually.”
“I enjoyed being challenged through puzzles and knowing that there is always a correct solution.”
“It is like solving logic puzzles.”
“Easy to learn”
“A good self-learning tool.”
“Since I am not a programmer, it could have been really hard for me to teach this course to such a relatively large group of students without the excellent teaching material and support provided by CodeHS tutors.”
What does a typical day in your classroom look like?
At Colby-Sawyer College, our Introduction to Programming class meets twice a week. The students are given a list of problems they are expected to complete each week and they mostly work independently on these problems during class time. I go around and give individual help if needed. They are excellent students and do their best to keep up with a fast paced course. Our aim is to finish Karel, Basic Java Script, and Animation portion of the CodeHS in 10 weeks and introduce programming with Python for the rest of the semester.
What strategies have you utilized to help students overcome challenges while learning to code?
I try to demonstrate the basic problem solving skills and procedures. It is important to come up with an overall plan to solve a problem and it is also important to decompose the problem into small manageable portions. Another teaching method I use that other teachers might find helpful is, I compile several common mistakes in a particular assignment and share them with the class (of course no name attached to them) We try to figure out what is wrong with the written programs and how we can fix them.
What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened in your class?
In summer camp for middle school students, I ask students to teach any tricks they want to Karel by using the first four commands. I was surprised by the variety of things they came up with, while laughter, excitement sounds filled the room.
Originally published at codehs.com.
