Algorithms and initial programming: Different public, different teaching-learning?

Abstract

How to teach the first steps in programming is an old question: How to teach? What to teach? Who learns best? What is the right age to start? Women are just as capable as men? All these issues concern IT teachers. We can have much experience teaching algorithms and initial programming but we have no certainties; we need have the best clues to improve performance. The study of this paper compares two completely different groups: one consisting of college students a 1st cycle degree in computer science and another group of unemployed adults. The surveys were completed at the beginning and at the end of an introductory module to programming concepts, using top-down and algorithms. The first survey (initial) focuses on taste, dexterity, use and computer prior knowledge, the second (final) on the ease/difficulty with algorithmic reasoning, as well as its self-assessment for some taught knowledge during the module (such as read/write variables), use of cycles and if-then-else. The focus is to teach each person differently according to their characteristics. That would be excellent. This study characterizes the students so that they learn best.