Allow students to resubmit their first few assignments for the course so they can master basic concepts and be rewarded for their persistence.

  • To ensure students understand fundamental concepts, have them repeatedly submit their assignments in the beginning of the course until they get them right.
    • Students’ grades on these assignments should be based only on their final submissions.
      • This prevents students from being penalized for misunderstandings that are remedied in subsequent submissions.
  • This strategy helps students learn from their mistakes without the pressure of getting everything right the first time.
  • Students who have learned some of the material prior to your class may have developed bad programming habits. Resubmitting initial assignments will help them mend these habits before they move on to more advanced material.

More about this tip

External Source
"A principled approach to teaching OO first" by David Gries under "2. Pedagogical Principles."