Adjusting to the new normal: perspectives from an introductory programming sequence course

Abstract

Neither comprehension nor learning can take place in an atmosphere of anxiety (Rose Kennedy, American philanthropist). With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic faculties and students faced great challenges and anxiety. Despite so many uncontrollable issues, as educators, we had to gain control over some of them; hence, we aimed to make the learning process as stress-free as possible. In this paper, we share the recent experience of remodeling an intermediate-level programming language course during the global pandemic. The outcomes, by the end of Spring 2020, in terms of achieving course objectives and students' learning experiences, are encouraging. Our goal is to share and accumulate the ideas among the community so that future educators may use the experience as a baseline.