Abstract
A team-debugging approach to teaching introductory COBOL programming is described. Team debugging activities consist of the formation of different three-person teams for each assigned program to read and critique team members' program listings. These activities require no additional resources or drastic changes in teaching style.The effectiveness of this approach was empirically assessed with a sample of 215 undergraduate Business Administration students. An experimental group participated in the team debugging activities while a control group did not. COBOL proficiency was measured by a final examination testing (1) knowledge of language rules, (2) the ability to read a program listing, and (3) the ability to write a program, Analysis of multiple covariance was used to statistically adjust test scores for age and conditional reasoning ability. The experimental group achieved higher mean scores for all three variables. For the program writing variable, the difference was statistically significant (F = 9.50, p < .05).The findings provide empirical support for incorporating team debugging activities into the programming learning process to more effectively develop student proficiency in writing COBOL programs.
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(auto-classified)The cost-effectiveness of team debugging in teaching cobol programming
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The cost-effectiveness of team debugging in teaching cobol programming
SIGCSE '78: Papers of the SIGCSE/CSA technical symposium on Computer science educationA team-debugging approach to teaching introductory COBOL programming is described. Team debugging activities consist of the formation of different three-person teams for each assigned program to read and critique team members' program listings. These ...






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