Implementing the jigsaw model in CS1 closed labs

  • Authors:

  • Leen-Kiat Soh

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 11th annual SIGCSE conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

We apply the Jigsaw cooperative learning model to our CS1 closed labs. The Jigsaw cooperative learning model assigns students into main groups in which each group member is responsible for a unique subtask, gathers all students responsible for the same subtask into a same focus group for focused exploration, returns all students to their original main groups for reporting and reshaping, and then each group integrates the solutions for the subtasks from its members. For our study, we used the Jigsaw model in three CS1 closed labs. For each, there were three sections: (1) students worked individually, (2) students worked in groups using Jigsaw, and (3) students worked in groups using a computer-supported Jigsaw environment. The post-test scores of the three sections are compared to study the impact of Jigsaw and the feasibility of using a computer-supported Jigsaw design. Further, we investigate how the three lab topics (debugging, unified modeling language (UML), and recursion) affected impact of Jigsaw model on student performance.