David Weintrop

To block or not to block, that is the question: students' perceptions of blocks-based programming

Blocks-based programming tools are becoming increasingly common in high-school introductory computer science classes. Such contexts are quite different than the younger audience and informal settings where these tools are more often used. This paper reports findings from a study looking at how high school students view blocks-based programming tools, what they identify as contributing to the perceived ease-of-use of such tools, and what they see as the most salient differences between blocks-based and text-based programming. Students report that numerous factors contribute to making blocks-based programming easy, including the natural language description of blocks, the drag-and-drop composition interaction, and the ease of browsing the language. Students also identify drawbacks to blocks-based programming compared to the conventional text-based approach, including a perceived lack of authenticity and being less powerful. These findings, along with the identified differences between blocks-based and text-based programming, contribute to our understanding of the suitability of using such tools in formal high school settings and can be used to inform the design of new, and revision of existing, introductory programming tools.

From Blocks to Text and Back: Programming Patterns in a Dual-Modality Environment

Blocks-based, graphical programming environments are increasingly becoming the way that novices are being introduced to the practice of programming and the field of computer science more broadly. An open question surrounding the use of such tools is how well they prepare learners for using more conventional text-based programming languages. In an effort to address this transition, new programming environments are providing support for both blocks-based and text-based programming. In this paper, we present findings from a study investigating how learners use a dual-modality environment where they can choose to work in either a blocks-based or text-based interface, moving between them as they choose. Our analysis investigates what modality learners choose to work in, and if and why they move from one representation to the other within a single project. We conclude with a discussion of design implications and future directions for this work. This work contributes to our understanding of the affordances of blocks-based programming environments and advances our knowledge on how best to utilize them.

Interactive Assessment Tools for Computational Thinking in High School STEM Classrooms

This paper presents a pair of online, interactive assessments designed to measures students’ computational thinking skills. The assessments are part of a larger project to bring computational thinking into high school STEM classrooms. Each assessment includes interactive tools that highlight the power of computation in the practice of scientific and mathematical inquiry. The computational tools used in our assessments enable students to analyze data with dynamic visualizations and explore concepts with computational models.

All Roads Lead to Computing: Making, Participatory Simulations, and Social Computing as Pathways to Computer Science

Computer science (CS) is becoming an increasingly diverse domain. This paper reports on an initiative designed to introduce underrepresented populations to computing using an eclectic, multifaceted approach. As part of a yearlong computing course, students engage in Maker activities, participatory simulations, and computing projects that foreground the social and collaborative aspects of CS. Collectively, these activities are designed to introduce learners to the growing diversity of what CS looks like in the 21st century. This paper lays out the practical and theoretical motivations for the Computational Thinking for Girls (CT4G) project, specifically highlighting the use of Making through physical and social computing as ways to engage students in CS. A snapshot of one activity from the program is provided—Wearing the Web—in which students use open-hardware programmable badges to explore the underlying structure and technology that enables the Internet. Data from the first year of the CT4G program are presented to show the positive effects that this diverse introduction to CS is having on the students with respect to their attitudes toward CS.

Comparing Block-Based and Text-Based Programming in High School Computer Science Classrooms

The number of students taking high school computer science classes is growing. Increasingly, these students are learning with graphical, block-based programming environments either in place of or prior to traditional text-based programming languages. Despite their growing use in formal settings, relatively little empirical work has been done to understand the impacts of using block-based programming environments in high school classrooms. In this article, we present the results of a 5-week, quasi-experimental study comparing isomorphic block-based and text-based programming environments in an introductory high school programming class. The findings from this study show students in both conditions improved their scores between pre- and postassessments; however, students in the blocks condition showed greater learning gains and a higher level of interest in future computing courses. Students in the text condition viewed their programming experience as more similar to what professional programmers do and as more effective at improving their programming ability. No difference was found between students in the two conditions with respect to confidence or enjoyment. The implications of these findings with respect to pedagogy and design are discussed, along with directions for future work.

Teaching Text-based Programming in a Blocks-based World (Abstract Only)

This poster presents an environment and set of pedagogical strategies designed to explore how best to use blocks-based programming tools to prepare learners for future, text-based programming languages. Starting with the snap! programming environment, we added the capability to view the JavaScript equivalent of any blocks-based script authored inside the environment. Additionally, when students define behaviors for new blocks, they do so in JavaScript. This makes it possible to compose blocks-based scripts alongside text-based JavaScript programs and have the two run side-by-side. This environment was used during the first 5-weeks of an introductory programming class at the high school level as part of a quasi-experimental study investigating the relationship between programming modality and emerging student understanding. Teachers of the course used the blocks/text hybrid features in various ways to support learners developing an understanding of programming concepts and laying the foundation for future text-based instruction. These strategies included having students compose programs with graphical blocks then view the equivalent JavaScript, prompting class discussion on similarities and differences between the two modalities; having students write pseudocode for their blocks-based programs before comparing the pseudocode to the JavaScript; and finally, having students implement their algorithm directly in JavaScript, using blocks as a resource to reference proper syntax.

Know your enemy: learning from in-game opponents

In this paper we present a novel approach to the design of game-based learning environments in which the content to be taught is embodied by the opponents the learners compete against as they play. By providing the player with the resources to make sense of the concepts exemplified by their opponents, as well as the tools needed to incorporate the concepts into their own gameplay strategy, players are challenged to learn from their opponents in order to advance in the game. This paper introduces RoboBuilder, a blocks-based, program-to-play game that uses this design strategy to introduce programming novices to core computer science concepts. Along with more fully developing this design principle, we provide evidence from a preliminary study conducted with RoboBuilder of players learning from their opponents to create winning strategies that use the concepts designed into the opponents they are facing.

Between a Block and a Typeface: Designing and Evaluating Hybrid Programming Environments

The last ten years have seen a proliferation of introductory programming environments designed for learners across the K-12 spectrum. These environments include visual block-based tools, text-based languages designed for novices, and, increasingly, hybrid environments that blend features of block-based and text-based programming. This paper presents results from a quasi-experimental study investigating the affordances of a hybrid block/text programming environment relative to comparable block-based and textual versions in an introductory high school computer science class. The analysis reveals the hybrid environment demonstrates characteristics of both ancestors while outperforming the block-based and text-based versions in certain dimensions. This paper contributes to our understanding of the design of introductory programming environments and the design challenge of creating and evaluating novel representations for learning.

Blocks, text, and the space between: The role of representations in novice programming environments

The pilot study gave us the opportunity to test out a number of components of the study design, including our attitudinal and content assessments and our curricular materials, interview protocols, and data collection strategies. While the pilot study yielded numerous useful insights, the choice of environment (Snap!) and the lack of a full text-based condition limited our ability to answer our stated research questions. In the next iteration of the study we will be using a customized version of Pencil Code (Fig. 1), which will give us isomorphic blocks, text, and hybrid interfaces. Our expectation is that the second iteration of the study will provide that data necessary to answer the questions at the heart of this dissertation; namely the relationship between programming modality and understanding in introductory high school programing classrooms, and insight into the design of introductory programming tools that can provide guidance on the creation of the next generation of computer science learning environments. In doing so, we hope to contribute to the development of tools and curricula that will prepare todays students for the computational futures that await them.

Comparing Text-based, Blocks-based, and Hybrid Blocks/Text Programming Tools

This dissertation investigates the comparative affordances and drawbacks of blocks-based, text-based, and hybrid blocks/text introductory programming tools. Blocks-based programming environments are growing in popularity and are increasingly being used in formal introductory programming contexts. To date, much of the work evaluating such tools has focused on their effectiveness in out-of-school contexts and emphasized engagement and attitudinal measures over content mastery. Given their growing presence in classrooms, it is important to understand the benefits and limitations of the use of the blocks-based programming approach in formal learning contexts relative to text-based or hybrid blocks/text alternatives. This dissertation will carry out a quasi-experimental study in high school computer science classrooms to answer questions related to the impact of blocks-based, text-based, and hybrid blocks/text introductory tools, assess the suitability of such tools for preparing students for future computer science learning opportunities, and explore the design space between blocks-based and text-based programming. The goal of this work is to better understand the tools we are using to introduce todays learners to computer science and lay the foundation for creating the tools of tomorrow.