New challenges in teaching introductory programming courses: a case study

The Department of Educational Sciences and the Department of Electronic & Telecommunications at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) have been working together with the Department of Computer & Information Sciences at the University of Strathclyde (UK), with the aim of improving the teaching quality of introductory programming courses and, indirectly, the academic success of their students. Over the past two years, data has been collected through interviews and questionnaires, to better understand the organization of the different courses and approaches to teaching. The present paper discusses how the organization of introductory programming courses in each institution reflects the teaching philosophy of the members of staff and also how course organization and teaching strategy relate to the students' attitudes to learning and their motivation for course involvement.