[Edu-sig] assigning homework

[Timothy Wilson]

Hi everyone,

Here's a question from a wet-behind-the-ears programming teacher. (The backs
of my ears have been dry for a long time in my physics and chemistry
classroom.)

I've had a couple days with my Introduction to Computer Programming students
and they seem to be a generally motivated bunch. It's going to be fun.

I'd like to get some ideas and opinions about homework assignments and
projects. It is obviously difficult to prevent students from looking at one
another's code when working on projects. My inclination is to assume that
they will and try to structure my programming assignments so that group work
is encouraged instead of forbidden. I prefer a cooperative arrangement
anyway.

Any pearls of wisdom from the experienced programming teachers out
there? What's best practice in this area? I'd like to avoid making some
obvious mistakes because of my inexperience in this particular subject.

-Tim

--
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