A study by a ITiCSE 2001 working group ("the McCracken Group") established that many students do not know how to program at the conclusion of their introductory courses. A popular explanation for this incapacity is that the students lack the ability to problem-solve. That is, they lack the ability to take a problem description, decompose it into sub-problems and implement them, then assemble the pieces into a complete solution. An alternative explanation is that many students have a fragile grasp of both basic programming principles and the ability to systematically carry out routine programming tasks, such as tracing (or "desk checking") through code. This ITiCSE 2004 working group studied the alternative explanation, by testing students from seven countries, in two ways. First, students were tested on their ability to predict the outcome of executing a short piece of code. Second, students were tested on their ability, when given the desired function of short piece of nearcomplete code, to select the correct completion of the code from a small set of possibilities. Many students were weak at these tasks, especially the latter task, suggesting that such students have a fragile grasp of skills that are a prerequisite for problemsolving.

A Contributing Student Pedagogy (CSP) is a pedagogy that encourages students to contribute to the learning of others and to value the contributions of others. CSP in formal education is anticipatory of learning processes found in industry and research, in which the roles and responsibilities of 'teacher' and 'student' are fluid. Preparing students for this shift is one motivation for use of CSP. Further, CSP approaches are linked to constructivist and community theories of learning, and provide opportunities to engage students more deeply in subject material. In this paper we advance the concept of CSP and relate it to the particular needs of computer science. We present a number of characteristics of this approach, and use case studies from the available literature to illustrate these characteristics in practice. We discuss enabling technologies, provide guidance to instructors who would like to incorporate this approach in their teaching, and suggest some future directions for the study and evaluation of this technique. We conclude with an extensive bibliography of related research and case studies which exhibit elements of CSP.

A study by a ITiCSE 2001 working group ("the McCracken Group") established that many students do not know how to program at the conclusion of their introductory courses. A popular explanation for this incapacity is that the students lack the ability to problem-solve. That is, they lack the ability to take a problem description, decompose it into sub-problems and implement them, then assemble the pieces into a complete solution. An alternative explanation is that many students have a fragile grasp of both basic programming principles and the ability to systematically carry out routine programming tasks, such as tracing (or "desk checking") through code. This ITiCSE 2004 working group studied the alternative explanation, by testing students from seven countries, in two ways. First, students were tested on their ability to predict the outcome of executing a short piece of code. Second, students were tested on their ability, when given the desired function of short piece of nearcomplete code, to select the correct completion of the code from a small set of possibilities. Many students were weak at these tasks, especially the latter task, suggesting that such students have a fragile grasp of skills that are a pre-requisite for problemsolving.124

Current CS1 learning outcomes are relatively general, specifying tasks such as designing, implementing, testing and debugging programs that use some fundamental programming constructs. These outcomes impact what we teach, our expectations, and our assessments. Although prior work has demonstrated the utility of single concept assessments, most assessments used in formal examinations combine numerous heterogeneous concepts, resulting in complex and difficult tasks. As a consequence, teachers may not be able to diagnose the actual difficulties faced by students and students are not provided with accurate feedback about their achievements. Such limitations on the nature and quality of feedback to teachers and students alike may contribute to the perceived difficulty and high dropout rates commonly observed in introductory programming courses.In this paper we review the concepts that CS education researchers have identified as important for novice programming. We survey learning outcomes for introductory programming courses that characterize the expectations of CS1 courses, and analyse assessments designed for CS1 to determine the individual components of syntax and semantics required to complete them. Having recognized the implicit and explicit expectations of novice programming courses, we look at the relationships between components and progression between concepts. Finally, we demonstrate how some complex assessments can be decomposed into atomic elements that can be assessed independently.Pre-print of the paper (accepted manuscript) for the institutional repository and not for redistribution. See terms of the ACM Copyright Transfer Agreement.

Background: Working environments and relationships influence healthcare workers’ satisfaction and intent to stay, as well as service-user outcomes. With staff shortages a global issue, co-creation of effective workplace cultures that are also good places to work is more important than ever. Since our original research in 2011, a growing body of theoretical insights into workplace cultures has shown how complex it can be to develop them. We were curious about what staff felt works or what is needed. Aim: To develop a guiding theory with and for healthcare practitioners on effective workplace cultures in settings that are also good places to work. Methods: A three-phase study was used, based on principles of appreciative inquiry and realist evaluation. A blog generated initial interest, followed by a Twitter chat posing provocative questions. A series of Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) configurations emerged and were presented to a new audience during an international conference. Endorsements and additions enabled further refinement of the initial programme theories, which were again presented for reflections during a second Twitter chat. Subsequent analysis resulted in a realist programme theory ready for further testing in practice. Findings/results: There are four guiding lights for co-creating effective workplace cultures in settings that are also good places to work: collective leadership; living shared values; safe, critical, creative learning environments; and change for good that makes a difference. When each is given adequate attention and all are combined, the ultimate outcomes include: high-performing teams that flourish and provide person- and relationship-centred care that is safe, effective and independent of the agency of specific individuals; and teams that develop effective partnerships within and across boundaries. Conclusions: Based on the voices of international frontline healthcare staff, we propose the retention of staff committed to providing care valued by staff and service users can be achieved by: collective leadership; living shared values; safe, critical, creative learning environments; and change for good as determined by those providing and experiencing care. Implications for practice: Healthcare managers, leaders and commissioners need to recognise and support microsystem culture development that staff and service users experience as good and safe Workplace culture development should be continuous, collaborative, inclusive and participatory, and driven by staff and service-user experiences, not top-down action planning and box ticking Responsive and person-centred leadership enables effective workplace cultures and collective leadership

In this paper, we begin by considering object-oriented programming concepts and typical novice misconceptions as identified in the literature. We then present the results of a close examination of student programs in an objects-first CS1 course, in which we find concrete evidence of students learning these concepts while also displaying some of these misconceptions. This leads to the development of two checklists that educators can use when designing or grading student programs.

This paper presents a case study of the use of a repeated single-criterion card sort with an unusually large, diverse participant group. The study, whose goal was to elicit novice programmers' knowledge of programming concepts, involved over

Fifty six patients were questioned using semi-structured interviews. The number of patients who smoke was found to be disproportionately high (84 per cent) compared to the general UK population (27 per cent). The authors also found a correlation between length of stay on the unit and increase in body mass index. The authors describe measures taken to promote the physical wellbeing of patients in the unit.