Progressive project assignment

Definition

• Progressive project assignment is an instructional design model or method of designind projects that are challenging and attainable for each student in a class.

Robert Leeper (1989) invented a “design for projects in computer courses that tends to enable all students in the class to achieve their maximum potential. Each project is structured at three progressive levels of difficulty corresponding to three prospective grades A, B, and C. The B-level is an extension of the C-level and the Alevel is an extension of the B-level. Each student starts at the C-level and progresses as far as possible and is scored accordingly” (Leeper, 1989, 88).

Architecture

Each assignment has three parts:

• Each project has a core part that includes all the principles the project intents to convey and each student is expected to complete this part. A correct project gets a 'C' (US grading)

• A second part extens the project and requires a significant effort from students who elect to aim higher than 'C'. Students who correctly finish this 'B' part and the 'C' part will get a 'B'.

• Same principle for a third 'A' part

It is important that projects are progressive. Otherwise, some weaker students may select 'A' and the get stuck and will get an 'F' (failure).

Evaluation

Evaluation example

In computer science the grading system is patterened after Linda Rising (1987):

• Correctness
• Design
• Style
• Documentation
• Efficiency

{{quotation | A project is assigned a score of 0 - 4 points for each of these factors. These scores are totalled (maximum is 20) then multiplied by the level factor that corresponds to the number of steps completed by the student for this project. This result is rounded then converted to a letter grade. For example, suppose a student submits a B-level project and the scores are as follows: Correctness 3 Design 4 Style 4 Documentation 3 Efficiency 4 Total 18

The level factor for project level B is 17/20. Multiplying the total score by this factor 18 x 17/20 = 15.3 (Rounded to 15) Therefore, the final grade falls in the C range.

References

Leeper, R. 1989. Progressive project assignments in computer courses. SIGCSE Bull. 21, 1 (Feb. 1989), 88-92. Abstract / PDF (Access restricted)

Linda Rising, (1987). Teaching documentation and style in Pascal, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.19 n.3, p.8-9, September 1, 1987 Abstract / PDF