Title: Begin C++ Discussions at ACCU Spring Conference 2003

More upfront

It was generally felt that mentors do not have a good enough idea of the goals of their students or their reasons for taking part in the project. To address this it was suggested that before accepting students into the project they should be asked to explain their background and interest in learning C++. Establishing the goal of the student could help the mentor to provide direction and help the student to attain the goal. Also, if the goal is achieved before the book is completed, the student would not appear to disappear as both student and mentor would be aware.

Prerequisites

Currently there are no prerequisites for joining the Begin C++ project other than being an ACCU member and owning a copy of Accelerated C++. It was suggested that some relatively simple prerequisites could be introduced. These would be along the lines of installing and learning to use a compiler (simple set-up instructions for major platforms and major compilers would of course be made available) and completing the first couple of Accelerated C++ exercises. This would make sure that the student had the ability to get to grips with a real compiler and would be able to test their exercise answers (the inaccuracies in some exercise submissions have suggested that students haven't tried to compile their solutions). The initial exercise solutions would allow the mentor to gauge the student's natural ability. Some students may need to start at a lower level than that presented by Accelerated C++. Other students may need to be encouraged to work through it quickly and then move on to more advanced topics.

Regular IRC Meetings

It was suggested that groups of students and mentors should get involved in regular (weekly or monthly was suggested) interactive meetings via the internet using something like IRC (Internet Relay Chat [IRC]). The meetings could concentrate on a predetermined C++ topic or give students the opportunity to raise problems they are having and get real-time answers. Mentors would share the responsibility of chairing meetings in rotation reducing the individual commitment. All students and mentors would be free and encouraged to attend as many meetings as they wished.

Anonymous Posting & Mentor Reposting

Many students are afraid to post questions they have to the Begin C++ list in case they are ridiculed by other members of the list. No amount of explaining that this will not happen, as everyone is there to learn, seems to change their mind or increase the overall volume of posting. The posting of questions to the list is very important as this helps other students learn. A couple of suggestions have been made to try and tackle this. One is the ability for anyone to post anonymously. Alternatively a student could first post to their mentor and then the mentor could post the question to the list on the student's behalf.

Monthly Begin C++ Newsletter

It was suggested that a monthly Begin C++ newsletter would help to increase communication within the project. The newsletter would probably be in email form and consist of descriptions of student's experiences and progress as well as some worked exercise examples. New members of the project could also be introduced.

Feedback

It has been suggested that a 'Contract' should be drawn up between students and mentors so that they both know what is expected of them. This contract would include the minimum required communication between the mentor and the student. For example the student might be asked to send an email once a week to their mentor just to let them know they are still alive and still interested in the project. If the email is not received for a few weeks the mentor should contact the student. If no reply is received the student should be assumed to have stopped participating in the project and the mentor seek a new student. This should increase feedback.

Motivation & Reward

It is often difficult to motivate someone, especially from a distance. Hopefully the goals identified during the student and mentor's initial discussions can go a significant way towards providing motivation. However, this is certainly an area that needs more looking into.

It has been suggested that a reward system should be introduced to the Begin C++ project. This has ranged from providing a certificate of completion to the ACCU refunding the cost of Accelerated C++. I think these are both good suggestions, but the refund of the cost of the book hould carry the proviso that the ex-student become a mentor for the next batch of students.

A Sense of Community

Hopefully a sense of community will develop as communication increases on the Begin C++ list. Regular IRC meetings, as mentioned above, should help people learn who each other is.

Structure

I always thought that Accelerated C++ gave the Begin C++ project all the structure it should need. However, this appears not to be the case. This is an area that needs further investigation and discussion.