Examining the Role of Using Multiple Modalities for Teaching Large CS2 Classes

Today we are at a crossroads at teaching Computer Science. Delving deeper into the reasoning of why CS is gaining popularity as a subject of study across many disciplines, it is becoming apparent that some of the theory and practical applications of CS serve as a lynchpin across many disciplines, from which many fields of study can draw. The increasingly digital nature of our world requires that all learners understand the foundational ideas of computing and feel empowered to meaningfully participate in computational spaces [10]. As a consequence, foundational courses in CS must be taught not only to students of Computer Science or Data Science but to interested students from all other fields of study. The last decade has seen a proliferation of research exploring new teaching techniques for computing [5]. This paper explores whether introducing multiple teaching modalities in lecture and lab in the CS2 course is reported by students to be beneficial to their learning.