Using IF-AT cards to engage students in reading and understanding CS course materials

With the abundance of content materials online, the role of traditional lectures as the main vehicle to deliver course content is being questioned by both teachers and students. Active learning is seen as the solution to increase engagement and learning during class time. In particular, posting multiple choice questions (MCQ) is a popular technique to both capture student attention and revise and fix possible misconceptions.This paper reports on the experience of using IF-AT cards to revise course content in a Computer Science course. This type of quiz differs from other in-class MCQ approaches such as clickers in that students work in groups, and that they must continue to discuss a question until they find the correct answer. The collaborative aspects of IF-AT cards and the development of questions that support peer instruction are explored within a level II course teaching Computer Organization.