Alternative pacing in an introductory java sequence
Keith J. Whittington, Dianne P. Bills · 2004
In academic year 2002-3, the Information Technology (IT) Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) implemented an alternative programming sequence with the goal of helping students who initially struggle with programming concepts to succeed. The original IT freshman programming sequence consisted of three (3) courses, Programming for IT 1 (IT-1), Programming for IT 2 (IT-2), and Programming for IT 3 (IT-3). Since the second course in this sequence, IT-2, had traditionally been a "gatekeeper" for students, the IT Department created a decelerated two-course sequence, IT-2A and IT-2B, as an alternative option. In its first year of implementation, this option significantly increased student retention through the introductory programming sequence, improved overall student performance, and enhanced student satisfaction. These results were described in a paper presented at the 2003 CITC4 conference entitled "Implementation of Alternative Pacing in an Introductory Programming Sequence" and published by ACM Press (Whittington, Bills, and Hill, 2003).