Course number: CSC130: Data Structures and Algorithms

Computer Science, Active Learning, Think Pair Share

Reflection on Instructional Change:

One practice I implemented is the active class discussions through think pair share. In my class when I cover new concepts, not all students participate in the class discussions. In this activity, I cover the concepts, I present students with some practice questions and ask them to spend some time to think through the questions individually first, then pair with someone to discuss their solutions before we discuss together. I ask students to take a picture of their work and upload it to canvas for grading to get participation points.

This activity encourages students’ participation as all students have the same opportunity to participate. Students expressed interest in those activities apparent in their work, discussion, and participation.

The active learning demos from instructors in their classroom influenced me the most. They gave me ideas to promote student active learning. Even though I have extensive teaching experience in my academic career, it was very helpful to learn new techniques and to enhance some of the existing techniques I use.

The observe and analyze session and feedback I got from colleagues was extremely helpful, one takeaway is on balancing students’ submissions if some miss class. A great idea I got is to allow students to submit up to a certain number of participation activities over the semester, for example students can submit up to 6 total for full credit, so if they were absent in some discussions, they can still participate in other days and get credit.

Evidence of Instructional Change

Evidence of Instructional Change
Administering in-class learning activity to students in CSC130	Sample student work uploaded to Canvas for participation points.	Completion email with badge from ACUE for promoting active learning.

Practice and Reflect on: Students Participation

Course Syllabus CSC130-Fall25.pdf

Faculty Bio

Faculty Bio
	Faculty Bio: My name is Dr. Abeer Abdel Khaleq. I hold a PhD in computer science and information systems from University of Colorado Denver and a Masters degree in foundations of advanced information technology from Imperial College, London. I am passionate about education and the computer science field in particular; apparent in my long academic career spanning over 20 years where I held multiple positions in academia and industry, I like to bridge the gap between theory and practice in computer science. My research focus is on cloud computing, microservices architecture, data analytics, and emergent technology in humanitarian domains such as disaster management and health fields.

Supporting Grants
	This work was supported by: National Science Foundation Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM Zone DUE 1832335 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project Degree with a Purpose P031S210061 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM4Equity P031C210012 *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.