Flipping introductory programming classes using spinoza and agile pedagogy

In this paper we present a new approach to flipping large introductory programming classes that we call the Solve-Then-Debug approach. This is a Computer Supported Agile Teaching methodology in which students solve problems using a web-based IDE we created, Spinoza, and then start reviewing failed attempts by their peers to classify the errors and comment on them. The classification and comment information is then made available as a hint to those students still trying to solve the problem when they encounter a similar error. Spinoza provides a wide variety of visualizations and dashboards that allow the instructor to closely monitor the progress of the students in this activity and to pivot to another phase of the activity at the appropriate time. It also has features that allow the instructor to easily detect and intervene with students who have failed to demonstrate mastery of the skills and concepts covered in that lesson. Spinoza builds on the ideas behind several other recent systems and this paper demonstrates that the Solve-Then-Debug approach can successfully keep all students actively engaged in learning coding skills even when there is a large range of skills in the class.