Assessing Workload Perception in Introductory Computer Science Projects using NASA-TLX

Introductory computer science courses are characterized by difficulty, which may contribute to the low success rate, diversity, and retention in these key courses. Difficulty in programming projects was found to result in negative self-efficacy perception among students, in addition to affecting underrepresented students disproportionately. In this paper, we focus on perceived workload in introductory computer science projects and report on the use of NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) as a subjective measure of student workload. Through two experiments involving six CS1 and CS2 courses, we demonstrate how NASA-TLX can be used to gain insights on the contributors and components of workload in programming projects. We show how when combined with race/ethnicity and gender data, NASA-TLX is useful in understanding the experience of underrepresented students. Our results suggest that perceived workload is only partially influenced by actual workload as measured in lines of code, function, and class count. Moreover, we found that the time spent on programming projects in comparison to other courses is a predictor of perceived workload. Finally, we discuss how educators can use NASA-TLX to identify at-risk students and make difficult projects more accessible without sacrificing quality.