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A Nifty Inter-Class Peer Learning Model for Enhancing Student-Centered Computing Education, and for Generating Student Interests in Co-Curricular Professional Development

This Work-In-Progress paper in the Innovative Practice Category presents an innovative model of inter-class peer collaboration that enhances student learning in computing education, and addresses student conceptual gaps. It expands the scope of traditional peer learning beyond the usual classroom setting and motivates student creativity leading to interests in co-curricular professional development. This nifty peer learning model connects computing students from an upper level class with students of a lower level class, so that they can aid each other in a mentor-mentee relationship to address conceptual learning gaps. Existing literature on computing educational research show that several peer learning models have been used in a typical classroom setting for reinforcing learning. However, very few peer learning models have been used in an inter-class setting, and none have been driven by student conceptual gaps in order to create an enhanced learning environment. Our model focuses on developing student interests in further co-curricular professional development opportunities in the form of peer mentoring, tutoring and instruction. Currently, student retention is a significant challenge for computing educators, given the demand of the computing disciplines for an all-round solid knowledge base, including grasping of complex technical concepts. Our approach of inter-class peer collaboration strengthens the learning environment of both lower level and upper level computing courses, and provides much needed support to students, whose knowledge base is still underdeveloped and conceptual understanding is undercooked. This unique form of inter-class peer learning provides upper level students with an exclusive opportunity to reinforce their conceptual grasps by mentoring lower level students. It also enables the lower level students to receive peer guidance for addressing their conceptual gaps. Our improvised peer networking model adds a different dimension to the practice of intra-class peer learning and extends peer learning beyond the traditional bounds. It promotes a new kind of service learning project in classes by encouraging peer mentoring that leads to peer connections across classes. It aids student retention by helping lower level student mentees get over their knowledge limitations. Our work-in-progress research case study indicates that this model inspires peer mentors to engage in out-of-box thinking by challenging them to find creative ways for overcoming conceptual shortcomings of mentees. This, in turn, generates student interests in enhanced co-curricular professional development. Additionally, our ongoing experimental study results show that this model can help in producing a sustainable pool of peer mentors, tutors and teaching assistants, who can become resources plus role-models for other students, and for helping student retention. As part of our in-progress experiments, this model has been deployed within our computer programming classes, where CS2 students have been paired with CS1 students based upon conceptual gaps and knowledge shortcomings. As we conduct these teaching experiments, we analyze the performance of our model through data obtained by conducting student surveys. We discuss these initial collected data and cite them as preliminary evidence in the process of evaluating our model in terms of the improved learning, and generated student interests plus engagement in professional development.