This fall, the Whiting School of Engineering is offering a new kind of course for undergraduates interested in learning fundamental programming concepts and techniques in real time.
Flipping the model of the traditional classroom, the new course—Gateway Computing—requires students to listen to online recorded lectures in advance of class. In-class time is then used exclusively for project work, quizzes, and hands-on exercises. Intended for all engineering majors, the course’s primary goal is to unify introductory programming classes.
Sections of the fall course will be taught by Mohammad Ali Darvish, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science; Joanne Selinski, an associate teaching professor of computer science, and Ivan Sekyonda, a lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“We use class time for active learning,” says Darvish. “This is primarily a programming class and the best way to learn how to program is by programming.”
Darvish joined the department as a lecturer in August, coming to Johns Hopkins from Jacksonville University, where he served as an assistant professor. He earned a doctorate in computer science from Iowa State University and his master’s in software engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Darvish’s research interests include software engineering and testing and computer science education.
Ultimately, Darvish hopes that students taking Gateway Computing will benefit from this new and exciting approach to teaching and learning.
“I am interested in novel pedagogical approaches and active learning strategies, especially as applied in computer science education. I explore these novel techniques and ideas in my classes with the primary goal of providing an enhanced learning experience for all students,” says Darvish.