First-Year Computer Science Students Perception of Lectures in Relation to Type of High-School Education

During the first year of computer science studies, students frequently experience difficulties, which can have multiple reasons. We have observed a tendency that students with computer science education at high-school seemed to be more confident and successful in their studies than students with a regular high-school education. As we experienced differences in particular during lectures, we were interested in both groups' perception during lectures that nudges students' way towards success or failure in order to identify possible pitfalls for students without computer science pre-education. To this end, we set up a mixed-methods research consisting of a pre- and post-term questionnaire as well as interviews and group discussions. We asked students about their experiences with teaching and during the first-year at our university. First results indicate that there are no significant differences in both student groups regarding the perception of teaching and teaching methods. However, students with no computer science high-school education are more likely to struggle with introductory coding classes, in particular at the beginning of their first term.