Survey of Student Reactions to Learning Visual Basic and COBOL

 

Judy Sheard

Angela Carbone

Selby Markham

 

March 2000

 

Students in the Bachelor of Information Management & Systems study programming in Visual Basic and COBOL in the first year of their course. As these subjects may be taken in any order, they are both taught as introductory programming subjects and no prior knowledge of programming is assumed.

A study of student reactions to learning these two languages was carried out in 1999. Students in the Visual Basic subject (Programming for Business A) were surveyed in May 1999 and students in the COBOL subject (Programming for Business B) were surveyed in October 1999.

 

A copy of the survey forms (as PDF) :

 

A total of 38 Visual Basic students and 42 COBOL students participated in the study.

 

Summary Results

Students surveyed in this study

Programming language

Subject Code

Title

Number of students surveyed

Visual Basic

BUS1060

Programming for Business A

38

COBOL

BUS1042

Programming for Business B

42

 

Student Profiles

For the following results NR is used to indicate any non or invalid responses.

Gender

Gender

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Number

%

Number

%

Female

28

73.7

27

64.3

Male

10

26.3

15

35.7

NR

0

0

0

0

Total

38

100.0

42

100.0

 

Full fee paying or HECS student?

Student type

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Number

%

Number

%

Full fee

19

50.0

24

57.1

HECS

18

47.4

18

42.9

NR

1

2.6

0

0

Total

37

97.4

42

100.0

 

Access to software at home?

Gender

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Number

%

Number

%

Software at home

34

89.5

31

73.8

No software at home

4

10.5

11

26.2

NR

0

0

0

0

Total

38

100.0

42

100.0

 

Previous programming experience?

Gender

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Number

%

Number

%

No previous experience

22

57.9

23

54.8

Experience with one or more languages

16

42.1

19

45.2

NR

0

0

0

0

Total

38

100.0

42

100.0

 

Students’ time commitment for each subject

Students were asked how many hours they spent on their subject, including time spent in class.

 

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Average number of hours per week

5.5

2.4

0

3.5

2.2

0

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

 

Questions about the student’s opinions of the subjects’ content and pace

For each of these questions a 7-point Likert scale was used. NR is used to indicate any non or invalid responses expressed as a percentage of the expected responses. The question numbers shown relate to the questions on the questionnaires.

I have kept up with the work this semester. (Q.8)

(A rating of 1 indicates not all, and a rating of 7 indicates completely)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Kept up with work this semester

5.0

1.3

0

3.7

1.6

0

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

The pace of the subject was… (Q.9)

(A rating of 1 indicates very slow, and a rating of 7 indicates very fast)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

The pace of the subject

4.7

1.1

2.6

5.3

1.0

4.8

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

The amount of content in the subject was … (Q.10)

(A rating of 1 indicates too little, and a rating of 7 indicates too much)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

The amount of content

4.8

1.3

0

5.3

1.0

0

An ANOVA test showed no significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

The degree of difficulty of this subject compared to my other subjects this semester was... (Q.11)

(A rating of 1 indicates more difficult, and a rating of 7 indicates less difficult)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

The degree of difficulty of this subject compared to others

4.3

1.5

0

3.6

1.7

0

An ANOVA test showed no significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

I have enjoyed this subject. (Q.12)

(A rating of 1 indicates not all, and a rating of 7 indicates very much)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Enjoyment of subject

5.4

1.2

0

3.6

1.7

2.4

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

I am confident that I will complete this year of my course. (Q.13)

(A rating of 1 indicates not all, and a rating of 7 indicates very much)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Confident of completing this subject

5.2

1.7

0

5.2

1.7

0

An ANOVA test showed no significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

My satisfaction with this subject. (Q.14)

(A rating of 1 indicates dissatisfied, and a rating of 7 indicates satisfied)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Satisfaction with this subject

5.1

1.1

0

3.8

1.2

2.4

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

My satisfaction with my overall course. (Q.15)

(A rating of 1 indicates dissatisfied, and a rating of 7 indicates satisfied)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Satisfaction with the overall course

5.1

1.3

0

5.0

1.0

0

An ANOVA test showed no significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

I would recommend others to do this course. (Q.16)

(A rating of 1 indicates not at all, and a rating of 7 indicates very much)

Question

Visual Basic

COBOL

 

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Kept up with work this semester

5.1

1.4

0

4.2

1.8

1

An ANOVA test showed a significant difference between these results at p <= 0.05

The following questions asked the students to rate how difficult concepts were in each language

For these questions students were asked to rate how difficult concepts were in their subject. A 7-point Likert scale was used where a rating of 1 indicates a concept was very difficult and a rating of 7 indicates the topic was very easy.

NR is used to indicate any non or invalid responses expressed as a percentage of the expected responses.

 

Visual Basic

COBOL

Topic

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Variables and types

5.3

1.4

0

5.1

1.4

7.1

Selection

5.5

1.1

0

5.3

1.2

7.1

Iteration

4.9

1.3

0

4.8

1.3

7.1

Field editing

N/A

N/A

N/A

4.3

1.2

7.1

Screen handling

N/A

N/A

N/A

4.5

1.3

7.1

Sequential access files

3.7

1.7

0

4.4

1.3

7.1

Arrays

4.6

1.4

0

4.2

1.3

7.1

User defined types

5.0

1.4

2.6

N/A

N/A

N/A

Multiple forms

5.6

1.4

5.3

N/A

N/A

N/A

Text processing

N/A

N/A

N/A

4.1

1.3

7.1

Control break processing

N/A

N/A

N/A

3.9

1.3

7.1

Random access files

3.8

1.9

0

4.2

1.3

9.5

Subroutines and functions

4.3

1.7

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

Subprograms

N/A

N/A

N/A

4.1

1.2

7.1

 

ANOVA tests on these results showed that the only significant difference between the student ratings of difficulties of concepts was with sequential access files.

Importance of resources to learning

For these questions students were asked to rate how useful to their learning resources were in each subject. A 7-point Likert scale was used where a rating of 1 indicates the resource was not useful and a rating of 7 indicates the resource was very useful.

NR is used to indicate any non or invalid responses expressed as a percentage of the expected responses.

 

Visual Basic

COBOL

Resource

Mean

SD

NR
%

Mean

SD

NR
%

Lectures

5.9

1.2

0

4.8

1.6

2.4

Tutorials

5.4

1.5

0

5.1

1.3

2.4

Lecture notes

5.9

1.2

0

5.4

1.4

0

Text book

5.0

1.7

10.5

4.7

1.6

13.5

Tutorial exercises

5.8

1.1

0

5.1

1.3

2.4

Assignment work

5.8

1.3

0

5.5

1.2

0

Class mates

4.9

1.5

2.6

4.7

1.8

2.4

Tutor

5.5

1.6

0

5.5

1.4

0

Web site

5.8

1.2

0

4.7

1.4

4.8

 

ANOVA tests on these results showed that the students in the Visual Basic subject rated the lectures, tutorial exercises and subject Web site significantly more useful than students in the COBOL subject.