"Hour of code": Can it change students' attitudes toward programming?

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the im-pact of the Hour of Code on students' attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two universities was se-lected to participate. Participants completed an Hour of Code tutorial as part of an undergraduate course. An electronic questionnaire was implemented in a pre-survey and post-survey format to gauge the change in student attitudes toward programming and their programming ability. The findings indicated the positive impact of the Hour of Code tutorial on students' attitude toward programming. However, the students' programming skills did not significantly change. The au-thors suggest that a deeper alignment of marketing, teaching, and content would help sustain the type of initiative exemplified by the Hour of Code.