Observations on Transitioning to Teaching Computer Science Online

TL;DR

This paper shares experiences and observations from transitioning an undergraduate theoretical computer science course to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting challenges and engagement strategies.

Contribution

It provides practical insights and ideas for effectively teaching theoretical computer science courses online, based on real-world experience during the pandemic.

Findings

Online teaching requires breaking traditional habits.

Engagement strategies are crucial for student participation.

Transition challenges include adapting content and interaction methods.

Abstract

The hit of the COVID-19 pandemic has hugely affected higher education in the world, and as a result, most of the physical classes have been (partially) replaced by online teaching platforms. This transition is challenging even for experienced software engineering instructors, as they were pushed to break their habits and tricks developed over the years. This paper is an experience report in teaching an undergraduate course (revolving theoretical computer science topics) for the first time in an online format, and some observations and ideas of how to engage students during online lectures.