This CISE special project provides support for a workshop for 60 faculty members using the Alice software for introductory and experienced programming instruction. This workshop is a continuation of the prior 3 successful Alice workshops held in the summer of 2005 in the southeastern part of the United States. This workshop includes interactive and active learning style lab sessions modeling instructional use of Alice as well as a focus on pedagogical issues related to teaching with Alice.
Intellectual Merit: This project extends the use of the Alice environment to a broad educational and research community. It includes not only instructional experiences but also the development of a significant set of resources and curricular materials that are of value to the computing community. The project extends and leverages the significant funding the PIs have received to develop and disseminate Alice which is now in use by over 100 institutions and countless researchers.
Broader Impact: This project extends the Alice community to a new geographical area, the west coast. The Alice environment with its 3D animation approach is a fundamental paradigm shift of methodology for teaching problem solving and programming. The Alice workshop is essential for faculty adopting this approach. Alice has also shown potential to broaden participation in computing through its human-centered, interactive approach and thus promote diversity and the inclusion of underrepresented groups in computing.
