The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) program in the Computing Sciences Department at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) is a structured cooperative learning environment in which concepts covered during lectures are reinforced during PLTL sessions led by students who have successfully completed the course. The effectiveness and success of PLTL depends on the inclusion of the key elements of cooperative learning: positive interdependence, individual and group accountability, group processing, social skills, and face-to-face promotive interaction.
Peer leaders work with their section's instructor to coordinate activities in the PLTL sessions with topics covered in lecture. The activities designed by the peer leaders are developed to reinforce and support the information covered in lectures. The peer leaders are trained to develop activities that are visual, active, and memorable.
The PLTL program has helped improve retention rates within the CS program since its implementation in Fall 2007. Plans are underway to expand the program into the engineering technology and mechanical engineering programs.
The CS0 effort focuses on adoption of pre-CS, a three-unit course that uses graphics and animation to engage and prepares students who have no prior experience in computing. Students are provided with an opportunity to learn the basics of programming concepts and to develop problem solving and systemic reasoning skills, while becoming familiar with a programming environment.
Such CS0 courses can serve as a recruitment and motivational tool to attract students who are taking a computer science course as one of their science or general studies electives
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0837556. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.