Unix Literacy for First-Year Computer Science Students

ABSTRACT

Many students entering computer science courses today do not have prior experience using a command line interface. Yet, our computing environment is Linux-based, and our instructors expect students to quickly learn to perform tasks like managing files, editing source code, and compiling and running programs from the command line.

This paper describes our effort to close the gap between students' abilities and instructors' expectations. We describe a six-hour non-credit course that runs on a single day before classes begin in the fall term. The course provides hands-on instruction on the use of the Linux command line, which students complete at their own pace. The course also provides instruction on soft skills and resources that will help students be successful in our undergraduate computer science courses. Feedback received from students who took the course was largely positive, with many students praising the value of learning the technical content in a hands-on manner.

References

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• Applied computing

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Computing education

      • Computing education programs