CSC 216/s08/true heroism

Are You Smarter Than a Computer Science Major?

The Problem

This exercise will use the setting of a game show to help teach students multiple concepts by involving them in group-oriented question answering.

The exercise will involve several students participating in answering questions related to different Java-related topics that have been covered previously in class. All students will be encouraged to answer the questions, and the hope is that each individuals knowledge of these selected topics in Java will expand as the questions are answered.

Participants and Props

All students in the class will actively participate in the game and be encouraged to answer the questions. The exercise will use a Powerpoint slideshow to display the topics and questions. To answer the questions, each student will also need pencil and paper to write down their answer.

The Script

1. This game will mimic the TV Game Show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader." One student in the class will be chosen as the "contestant" and be asked to come forward. The rest of the class will be the "computer science majors."

2. The contestant will then choose one of their classmates to be their "helper". After this is completed, the contestant will receive a series of questions which he must answer in order to progress in the game. A total of 10 questions will be asked, two questions out of five selected topics. If time constraints are necessary, only five questions may be asked, allowing the exercise to be completed in a feasible amount of time.

3. The contestant will be allowed to choose which topic he desires to answer from. Once each question is asked, all of the "computer science majors" including the helper will also answer the question. Once the contestant locks in their answer, the computer science majors will show their answers. After this, the real answer will be shown on the powerpoint slide, and everyone will be able to compare the contestants answer with the computer science majors' answer to see if the contestant is smarter than a computer science major.

4. In addition, the contestant will have 3 "cheats" to help him with difficult questions. There are three cheats, each can be used only once, and each involves the selected "helper." The first two cheats are used when the contestant chooses. The first cheat, "copy", will allow the contestant to use the helpers answer as their own (the contestant is NOT allowed to see the helpers answer beforehand). The second cheat, "peek" allows the contestant to see the helpers answer, but they are not required to use it. The third cheat "save" is used automatically. If the contestant answers a question incorrectly, the helpers answer replaces the contestants. If the helper has answered the question correctly, the contestant receives credit and the game continues. Again, these cheats can only be used one time each.

5. If the contestant is correct, he progresses to the next question until all questions have been answered. At each increasing level, the contestant will receive some type of reward based on their performance. If the contestant misses a question and cannot be saved, they lose the game, and will receive the reward corresponding to the questions they have successfully answered. The game ends when either all questions have been answered, or a contestant misses a question.

Provided are links to powerpoint presentations which provide sample questions and show how the game flows. Each presentation has a different set of 10 questions.

PowerPoint Questions 1 Power Point Questions 2

Also provided is a video that demonstrates the format of this exercise. Sample Video