Abstract:The superior performance of students with prior exposure to programming is evident to faculty in introductory
CS courses. In this talk we quantify the difference between students with and without programming backgrounds. Our
research is based on an initial CS1 course that we divided into a section with students having previous programming
experience (P) and two sections for students without (NP). Both sections of CS1 were taught with the same curriculum
and assessments. We find that the advantages of prior experience are substantial, with P students outscoring NP students
by more than 6% on exams and 10% on programming quizzes. However, the performance gap between P and NP students
narrows considerably by the end of the following CS2 course. Analyzing results by gender, our data shows that 22% of
NP students in CS1 are female versus only 12% of P students. However, the female students with prior exposure outperform
their male peers in all areas. Another finding of our research is the confirmation of a significant difference in confidence between
female and male students.

Bio: Chris worked in the software industry for more than 25 years at companies including Hewlett-Packard, 3dfx, and
nVidia Corporation before returning to school at CSU in 2006. After finishing his doctorate in 2012 he moved into a teaching
position at CSU, where he primarily taught freshman and sophomore level courses in Java programming and data structures.
His current research interests are in Computer Science education, with an emphasis on automated grading and female
participation. In addition to teaching college students, he has done various outreach activities including a Girls Who Code club
for middle and high school girls.

Abstract:The superior performance of students with prior exposure to programming is evident to faculty in introductory
CS courses. In this talk we quantify the difference between students with and without programming backgrounds. Our
research is based on an initial CS1 course that we divided into a section with students having previous programming
experience (P) and two sections for students without (NP). Both sections of CS1 were taught with the same curriculum
and assessments. We find that the advantages of prior experience are substantial, with P students outscoring NP students
by more than 6% on exams and 10% on programming quizzes. However, the performance gap between P and NP students
narrows considerably by the end of the following CS2 course. Analyzing results by gender, our data shows that 22% of
NP students in CS1 are female versus only 12% of P students. However, the female students with prior exposure outperform
their male peers in all areas. Another finding of our research is the confirmation of a significant difference in confidence between
female and male students.

Bio: Chris worked in the software industry for more than 25 years at companies including Hewlett-Packard, 3dfx, and
nVidia Corporation before returning to school at CSU in 2006. After finishing his doctorate in 2012 he moved into a teaching
position at CSU, where he primarily taught freshman and sophomore level courses in Java programming and data structures.
His current research interests are in Computer Science education, with an emphasis on automated grading and female
participation. In addition to teaching college students, he has done various outreach activities including a Girls Who Code club
for middle and high school girls.