Peer Instruction in Computer Science: Focusing Classes on the Students
Location: San Diego, CA
Dates: July 21st-23th
Hosts: Leo Porter, Skidmore College; Cynthia Bailey Lee, Stanford University; and Beth Simon, UC San Diego
Do you find your students inattentive during lecture? Ever wonder what all the students are thinking, not just those few who ask questions? Do you want to see more of your students succeed and stay in the major? Peer Instruction may be your answer! Peer Instruction is a student-centric pedagogy which uses targeted conceptual questions (often with clickers) to identify student understanding. This allows the instructor to focus the class around core concepts and around material on which students struggle. Relative to lecture, research has shown it to improved student scores on final exams, dramatically reduce failure rates, and contribute to improve retention of CS majors.Moreover, students across a wide variety of institutions overwhelmingly value Peer Instruction and wish more faculty would use it in their classes. In this workshop, participants will attend actual Peer Instruction classes ongoing at UC San Diego, learn about the research supporting Peer Instruction and Peer instruction Best Practices, gain hands-on experience running Peer Instruction questions, and will work with experienced Peer Instruction instructors on adopting/developing Peer Instruction materials for their classes.
To register, please apply here by filling in your contact information (please note that SPACE IS LIMITED and applicants will be accepted first-come, first-serve):
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DD5TXPX After applying, we will respond to you shortly.
Additional Details
Schedule Overview: A small, optional social event will be on Sunday evening (July 20th). Workshop starts 8:30am Monday, July 21st and ends by 12:30pm on Wednesday, July 23rd.
Workshop Location: University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA.
Hotel Information: Residence Inn La Jolla at a group rate of $189 per night. To get this rate, mention “C2GEN Peer Instruction” when calling (800) 331-3131 or by booking online. Rooms are limited and reservations are only guaranteed through June 30th. The Residence Inn features complimentary wifi service and is within walking distance of campus, so you can avoid having to pay for a rental car (and parking fees on campus). However, feel free to book with other hotels in the La Jolla/San Diego area so long as you have transportation to/from UCSD campus.
Airport Information: The nearest major airport is San Diego International Airport (SAN). Transportation to/from the airport and the hotel is less expensive through the Cloud 9 shuttle (~$15), however a group may be cheaper if taking a cab (~$45).
Driving Directions: The workshop will be held in the Computer Science and Engineering building at the University of California, San Diego, Room 1202. The CSE building is located here. Visitor parking is available in lots P510 and the Gilman Parking Structure. You can park in “V”, “B”, and “S” spaces so long as you purchase, and display on your dashboard, a visitor permit from an automated machine located at the entrance of P510 and in multiple places in Gilman Parking Structure. Parking rates vary, but are between $8 and $16 for a full day.
Costs: The workshop is free for participants as the workshop itself is sponsored by the NSF funded C2GEN project. Participants (or their institutions) will need to cover travel and lodging expenses.