EBoard 08: Pair Programming

This class will be recorded! Its use is limited to members of the class. Please do not share with others.

Approximate overview

• Administrative stuff [~10 min]
• About SoLAs [~10 min]
• About MP2 [~10 min]
• Q&A [~10 min]
• Quiz [~10 min]
• Pair programming discussion [~40 min]
  • Some statements
  • Debrief
  • TPS

Administrative stuff

Notes and News

• Evening tutoring will be available 3-5 p.m. Sundays and 8-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays in the tutoring channel on the CS team.
  • If evening tutors + mentor sessions are not enough, we do have individual tutors available.
  • Evening tutors like visitors.
• Mentor session tonight at 7pm. On Teams. In the Class Meetings section.
  • Mentors may look for other times that will help.
• During today’s quiz, you will receive a statement from a student who took the class in the past. I will ask you to read it later in class today.
• Warning! I’ll be calling on you randomly today.
• Makeup quizzes are still forthcoming. Sorry!
• This week, I seem to be having as much trouble gauging how long things will take me as I have gauging how long things will take you.

Artwork

• SAM! Don’t forget to show off the student artwork.

Upcoming activities and other token earning things

When appropriate, I will post details to the Announcements channel.

• Monty Roper writes “If you ever have an idea related to a class that could make use of the Maker space, we are happy to collaborate and cover costs.”
  • So … think about ways to use the Maker space and suggest them. (I may come up with some.)
• Scholars’ Convocation, noon, Thursday, 11 February
• CS Extras, 5pm, Thursday, 11 February, in Events Channel on CS Team. Summer research opportunities in CS.

Upcoming work

I’m not sure if all of these links are correct. Let me know if any are not.

• We have our first SoLA tomorrow.
• Mini-project 2 is ready.
• We will have another short (8 min) quiz today.
  • Topic: Tracing conditionals
  • Today’s quiz will not involve programming, but you may want to check your trace, so have DrRacket open.
  • You can also open appropriate Web pages.
    • Yesterday’s lab (your code, your partner’s code)
    • Reading on mental models
    • Reading on conditionals
    • …

About mastery grading

Please ask questions as I go

• Goal: We grade you on what you can do (or that you show you havve learned), not when.
  • Helps people who take a bit for the idea to click.
  • Helps balance different backgrounds.
• We want to encourage you to learn as you go.
  • Reading responses
  • Quizzes
  • Labs - You learn more from doing than from reading
• We want to assess what you have learned
  • Mini projects: Can you put what you’ve learned into practice in new situations? (Extensible to be things you might really use.)
  • Learning assessments: Small, quiz-like problems that (we hope) reveal your understanding.
• You may need to redo MPs to achieve an E. “The first one is free” (That is, the first redo for each MP is free. The second costs a token.)

About SoLAs

Please ask questions as I go

• Set of small questions (like quizzes).
• If you miss one, you can take it again the next time (different problem, same concept). No charge. No charge for a second redo. Or a third.
• Each LA is designed to take under twenty minutes. You’ll have a sixty-minute timer.
• You can use resources (readings, your lab writeups, the WWW, etc.)
  • Except other people.
  • You should cite.
  • Please do not post your answers.
• I try to write things you can solve.
• At 3pm CST tomorrow I will post all seven LAs (separately) on Gradescope. You have until 3pm CST on Friday to turn them in.
  • They have a timer like the quizzes.
  • Whenever you start a problem, you will have an hour to finish.
  • Each assessment has a separate timer.
• The structures of the problems may vary.
• You can ask questions about the sample problems (a) at tonight’s mentor session, (b) at tonight’s evening tutor session, (c) in class tomorrow.
• Class tomorrow is optional. Sam will answer questions.

About MP2

Please ask questions as I go

Attendance

• Our wonderful mentors will take attendance by looking at the the list of also-wonderful people here.

Q&A

Sam, it appears that you are being cruel and putting stuff on the mini-project that we don’t know yet. We’ll learn it by Friday, right?

Yes.

And we can ask questions at any time?

Yes.

Including over the weekend?

Yes. I have 32 x 7 = 224 LAs to grade. I’ll be living on my computer.

Quiz

Background: Pair programming

• Pair programming is a part of all intro CS classes at Grinnell.
• Also part of many upper-level classes.
• We pair program for a number of reasons.
  • Long-term evidence that people are more successful in pairs.
  • Evidence that people learn better pairs.
  • Meet new people / build a community
  • Understand other cultures
  • Appreciate multiple skill sets
• But it doesn’t always go well

Some statements

Instructions

• Read the statement you received out loud.
• Listen to the statements others are reading.
• Be prepared to discuss those statements
  • And the reading
  • And the relationship between the two

Returning from groups

• No lab writeup (even though there may be one on gradescope)
• Stella will be discussing mentor sessions right after class (not running one; just discussing them)
• Groups who sometimes get under-valued / made to feel less …
  • Anyone who looks “different” from the norm (women, POC, …)
  • Athletes
  • Some people because of their religion
  • Those with hidden disabilities (and not hidden disabilities)
  • And more!
• What can we do to make a better course for each other?
  • Try to be more communicative.
  • Help if you you know more, but do it in a way that is positive.
  • Treat classmates like classmates in class.
  • Be patient with each other; acknowledge that we are coming from different places. It’s okay if you don’t finish the lab (on time).
  • Learn to pronounce names
  • Allow your partner to get involved. Encourage your partner to get involved.
  • If you feel like you are treated badly, talk about it.
  • Keep lines of communication open, especially in a virtual setting. Make sure to ask, make sure to contribute.
  • Realize that you have expectations; discuss them.

About mentor/review sessions

• Are there people who want a mentor session, but want it later, tell Stella and Ben. (Maybe even today.)
• The mentor session will be mostly going over the sample problems from the SoLA.
• The mentor session may be recorded, provided everyone who is there agrees.