Scaffolded Live Coding: A Hybrid Pedagogical Approach for Enhanced Teaching of Coding Skills

This Full paper in the Innovative Practice Category describes a novel research study that is based upon an experimental scaffolding of live coding techniques used towards teaching a traditional face to face undergrad computer programming class. It discusses our hybrid pedagogical model, which comprises of a scaffolded collection of our class instructional methods that include fine blend of live coding-based teaching strategies, and traditional lectures. Our combination of live coding styles, as used in this study, consists of the standard live coding technique and our live secure coding demonstrations, which lead to a uniquely blended and integrated live coding approach for teaching coding along with software security concepts. To our knowledge, this is a new research study based upon a hybrid, integrated live coding approach that represents a scaffolding of distinct teaching styles, which combines coding instructions with teaching of secure coding components. We demonstrate an improvised teaching model that enhances the classical live coding pedagogy by adding the live secure coding components, which holistically represent a new variant in a traditional undergrad coding class, for an engaged and enhanced learning experience. Existing literature indicates that there is limited number of prior educational research studies on the usage of a hybrid, non-traditional live secure coding approach blended with the traditional live coding style. Thus, this paper discusses a fresh, nifty teaching strategy that involves new variants of the standard live coding instructional method and forms a hybrid pedagogical model for a more effective and relatable learning of coding skills. We discuss the results of our experimental study in the form of data obtained over a couple of semesters from an upper-level undergrad coding class through learning assessments and collected survey data on learner experiences. We have analyzed the overall gathered learner data to evaluate the performance of our new hybrid model of scaffolded live coding techniques. This paper discusses our overall hybrid pedagogical approach through a scaffolding of traditional and non-traditional live coding styles for teaching coding plus software security topics. It analyzes our obtained learner assessment data plus enhanced student learning experiences, based upon the inclusion of secure code design lessons and code vulnerability hacking plus exploitation demos.

I. Introduction

A great deal of research has been done towards improving the student learning experience within computing education. Traditional lectures have been used for years to introduce students to programming concepts through visuals and explanations. However, the nature of computer science aligns inherently well with hands-on, active approaches to teaching. A common way of achieving this is using the technique of live coding within the classroom.