Initial findings on the impact of an alternative approach to Problem Based Learning in Computer Science

A student on a programming module needs to know how to solve problems, design and test programs, learn the syntax of a programming language and possess good communication skills. We had previously identified that the reason why students experience problems with programming is due to their poor problem solving ability. To attempt to alleviate these problems we integrated an alternative PBL approach into the programming module[1]. In this paper we provide an analysis of the impact of our changes based upon qualitative and quantitative data gathered from interviewing and surveying all parties involved in the PBL process, notably lecturers in their capacity as module coordinator and problem creator, tutors in their capacity as facilitators of PBL workshops and students, including mature students, foreign students and repeat students. In addition, qualitative data gathered from the problem refinement process is presented. We believe that this research will be of particular interest to any Institution considering integrating PBL into an existing module. 1