António José Mendes

A simulation tool to help learning of object oriented programming basics

In this paper we present the OOP-Anim learning environment. It was developed to help our students to learn the basic concepts of object oriented programming and to develop their programming capabilities using this paradigm. To achieve those goals students must practice intensively the development and debugging of programs. We believe this environment can help, since it uses animation to facilitate program understanding and error detection/correction. This debugging process has a lot of educational potential, as students can learn when correcting their own mistakes. When they reach a working solution, their experience and confidence normally improves, facilitating further learning. In the paper we describe the environment main features, some possible uses and the educational advantages associated with that utilization.

Integrating New Technologies and Existing Tools to Promote Programming Learning

In recent years, many tools have been proposed to reduce programming learning difficulties felt by many students. Our group has contributed to this effort through the development of several tools, such as VIP, SICAS, OOP-Anim, SICAS-COL and H-SICAS. Even though we had some positive results, the utilization of these tools doesn’t seem to significantly reduce weaker student’s difficulties. These students need stronger support to motivate them to get engaged in learning activities, inside and outside classroom. Nowadays, many technologies are available to create contexts that may help to accomplish this goal. We consider that a promising path goes through the integration of solutions. In this paper we analyze the features, strengths and weaknesses of the tools developed by our group. Based on these considerations we present a new environment, integrating different types of pedagogical approaches, resources, tools and technologies for programming learning support. With this environment, currently under development, it will be possible to review contents and lessons, based on video and screen captures. The support for collaborative tasks is another key point to improve and stimulate different models of teamwork. The platform will also allow the creation of various alternative models (learning objects) for the same subject, enabling personalized learning paths adapted to each student knowledge level, needs and preferential learning styles. The learning sequences will work as a study organizer, following a suitable taxonomy, according to student’s cognitive skills. Although the main goal of this environment is to support students with more difficulties, it will provide a set of resources supporting the learning of more advanced topics. Software engineering techniques and representations, object orientation and event programming are features that will be available in order to promote the learning progress of students.

A review of games designed to improve introductory computer programming competencies

Learning computer programming is not simple for many students. They have to develop several complex skills to be able to understand programs and, more important, to create programs that solve problems. This means it is important that students have a high motivation level, so that they engage in that work and do not get frustrated with the natural errors they will make in this process. Digital games are often used in educational contexts to attract and retain students. In literature and on the web, we can find many games related strategies that aim to support learning in introductory computer programming courses. One of these strategies is the using games approach: asking students to play games that include problems that must be solved in order to progress. This paper presents a list of 40 games classified by type and highlights the skills and topics supported by them. We hope this work helps teachers to choose games as part of their teaching strategies, as alternative or complementary exercises to their students.

A tool to help students to develop programming skills

Computer programming learning is difficult and requires hard work from students. They need to do many exercises and create many programs to improve their programming competences. In this paper we present ProGuide, a dialogue based tool to support weaker students to create basic programs. In ProGuide students are motivated and guided through a dialogue, where the tool puts questions to help students reach the problem solution.

A strategy to improve student's motivation levels in programming courses

In this paper we present and discuss a pedagogical strategy to promote programming learning. It was conceived to help students maximize their learning through the conscious assessment of their self-efficacy level, while they develop a suitable programming study behavior. We present and discuss the results of a two years experience conducted in the context of a Programming course at the University of Coimbra. In those experiences we used several instruments to assess different aspects, like motivation, self-efficacy and satisfaction with course activities and demonstrate an alternative model to make introductory programming courses more productive and attractive, increase motivation for learning and decrease dropout levels among students.

Using a computer-based interactive system for the development of basic algorithmic and programming skills

Student failure and commonly expressed difficulties in programming disciplines suggest that traditional approaches are not the most appropriate for many students. In this paper we present SICAS, a learning tool designed to help students in the development of basic algorithmic and programming skills. With SICAS students can design, simulate, test and compare algorithms for proposed problems. We also report some evaluation findings, current changes and future extensions of the tool.

OOP-Anim, a system to support learning of basic object oriented programming concepts

This paper presents OOP-Anim, a system to support learning of basic object oriented programming (OOP) concepts. For several reasons, programming is a difficult subject for many students, even in computer science courses. This happens independently of languages and paradigms used. Our system uses program animation to help students overcome some of the difficulties they usually feel to master OOP concepts and associated program dynamic.

Mathematics and programming: some studies

Learning how to develop a program is known to be a difficult task to many novice students. This is a problem to which, neither the traditional teaching methods nor the more sophisticated methods based on computational tools already proposed have been able to meet. According to the related literature and our own experience as teachers, there seems to be a set of causes responsible for this problem. It is our opinion the most important cause is the lack of good generic problem solving skills, especially those related to mathematical methods and models for solving problems. The current undergoing work focuses on this assumption and this paper reports specific experiences carried out during the years of 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, directed to explore possible relations between deficient mathematical problem solving competences and the lack of programming abilities shown by a group of students who failed their initial programming course.

H-SICAS, a handheld algorithm animation and simulation tool to support initial programming learning

Mobile devices, like PDAs and smart phones, are small, cheap and light machines capable of being used anytime anywhere. These and other characteristics make them very attractive from an educational point of view. As they have become more and more common and widespread, a crescent interest in developing software applications for them has raised too. Indeed, at present, we find quite easily many applications for them in various areas, including education. However, this is not yet the case for the area of programming learning. Programming learning can be quite difficult for the novice learner and during the years several approaches and tools have been proposed. Some were developed for desktop environments while others for Web-based environments. With the emergence of mobile devices it seems that the next step will include them. This led us to the development of H-SICAS, a handheld algorithm animation and simulation tool. This tool can be used to support initial stages of programming learning, using a procedural approach, and is based on SICAS, a desktop tool developed to achieve similar objectives that has been used with our students with some success. However, this involved several adaptations to be accomplished.

Aprendizagem de programação de computadores: dificuldades e ferramentas de suporte

Sao varias as razoes que tornam a aprendizagem de programacao um processo dificil, ao qual as abordagens de ensino tradicionais nao tem conseguido responder eficazmente. Muitas solucoes tecnologicas tem sido desenvolvidas, porem o problema subsiste. Para alem de diversas razoes apontadas por muitos autores como estando na origem deste problema, destacamos a elevada dificuldade apresentada pelos alunos para resolver problemas genericos. Esta dificuldade e acentuada quando os problemas sao mais orientados a programacao, traduzindo-se na incapacidade de concepcao de algoritmos. Encontra-se em desenvolvimento uma nova proposta que se centra essencialmente no desenvolvimento de competencias de resolucao de problemas, genericos numa fase de conhecimento inicial e orientados a programacao em fases cognitivas mais avancadas. Este novo ambiente assenta em duas estruturas basilares, os estilos de aprendizagem preferenciais de cada aluno e o seu nivel cognitivo. Relativamente a este ultimo aspecto incorpora tambem mecanismos para treinar as funcoes cognitivas em defice.