Parsons Problems

Parsons problems are essentially lines of mixed up code. I like them because students are forced to think about the logic of their program and not get hung up by the syntax. I found this type of problem is useful when I teach a new text based language.

Tools to use:

• You can create a Google slide with code snippets and have students arrange them in the correct order.
• Try the online Runestone Interactive platform to create your own CS lessons or ebooks with embedded Parsons problems and exercises. I have not done this yet but I plan to!
• You can create a repl.it assignment (see example below) with code snippets in the instructions.

Example from a repl.it assignment

Your task is to create a magic 8 ball problem. All the code you need is listed below. Add them to your program in the correct order. Remember, this lines of code are NOT in the right order!

print(answer)

question=input("What is your question?")

import random

fortune = ['yes', 'no', 'absolutely', 'maybe', 'unsure', 'of course', 'without a doubt', 'never']

answer=random.choice(fortune)

print("Welcome to the magic 8 ball")

Resources:

• https://computinged.wordpress.com/tag/parsons-problems/
• http://csteachingtips.org/tip/use-parsons-problems-quizzes-and-tests-assess-student-understanding-code