Some suggestions for implementing closed laboratories in CS1

Abstract

The ACM Task Force on the Core of Computer Science has recently proposed a computer science teaching paradigm conforming to traditional scientific standards. Such a paradigm implies that an undergraduate curriculum in computing should ideally be composed of an integrated program of lectures and laboratory experiences. There arc two distinct types of computing laboratory experiences -often referred to as open and closed laboratories. In this paper, some general suggestions and guidelines concerning the construction of coupled elosed/open laboratories for the CS1 course arc given. An outline of a coupled elosed/open laboratory designed using the suggested guidelines is presented.