Aprendizagem inicial de programação de computadores em engenharia: uma prática pedagógica com aprendizagem ativa utilizando o curso acelerado da code.org

Computer programming is an area in which fresh students have many difficulties, mainly because it is a demanding area in terms of cognitive process and most of the fresh students have little or no notion of Computer Science. In the Introductory Programming course in a Brazilian university, the procedural programming paradigm is used with the C ++ programming language. Several learning difficulties were observed, such as problems with language syntax, poor problem-solving abilities and poor logic reasoning. Within this context, Code.org's Accelerated Course was used as a pedagogical practice in Introductory Programming course, in order to facilitate the initial learning of programming of Engineering students. The Code.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating the access to Computer Science in schools. Although it is recommended for youngest students (e.g. elementary schools), the Code.org's Accelerated Course includes basic programming concepts that can be actively developed by any student in a short period of time. This paper aims to describe the pedagogical practice carried out in an Introductory Programming course in a Brazilian university. The Code.org's Accelerated Course was integrated in the learning outcomes, content, materials and activities carried out in the classroom. The results of a qualitative research point out that the active learning approach used facilitate the learning process in terms of initial programming and motivates students and makes them more confident about what they are learning.