Assessment Tool
Lecture 9: Iteration (tool to give prior to lecture)
Content Tested: Looping construct
Lecture Content:
-
Loops
-
Iteration
-
While/For loop syntax
-
Nested Loops
Goals:
-
Improve problem solving skills
-
Learn concepts and theories of this subject
Assessment Technique: Two Column Task Organizer
Purpose:
To engage students in a problem solving activity in which they discover
the need for iteration to solve a problem. Hopefully, they will figure
out the motivation for using loops on their own.
Activity:
Given the following task, describe concepts that you know that will
help you complete the task. In the second column, describe concepts
that you will need to solve the problem. The items in the second
column may be concepts we have not yet covered in lecture.
Task: Write a C function to print a box of stars with dimensions
width
by height. If width or height is
less than 1, do not print any stars. For example, a call to PrintBox(5,3)
would result in the following printout:
*****
*****
*****
Remember, you do not need to write the syntax of the function.
You are to complete the chart below.
| What you know |
What you need to find out |
|
|
Possible Solution:
| What you know |
What you need to find out |
| C syntax for a writing a function |
Need to find out how to print width number of stars |
| Printing a single star |
Need to find out how to print height number of rows of stars |
| Conditional to check if width or height is less than
1 |
Need some sort of counter to know how many stars have been printed |
| Writing a function that has two parameters |
Need a looping construct to keep track of a counter |
Possible Uses of Activity:
-
Let the students work on completing the table in a small group or as a
class. Students compare lists to see if they discovered the same
information.
-
After students learn about looping constructs, go back and have them write
the function for PrintBox in C.