Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science

Major

Computer Science

Date of Defense

8-7-2023

Graduate Advisor

Badri Adhikari

Committee

Sharlee Climer

Mark Hauschild

Abstract

Currently, there exist several factors in programming education that deter novice programmers. Computer science students are often significantly penalized for programs that do not compile, reflecting how current teaching standards are focused on the product of the student’s efforts, rather than the independent pieces of code that would otherwise execute properly. Novice programmers struggle with interpreting error messages that identify where and why a program failed, but are written with the assumption that the author already has mastered the fundamental concepts that they are trying to implement. In the classroom, educators may show presentations with pre-written code or perform live coding demonstrations, but neglect to use metacognitive strategies that allow learners to better develop their coding process. This study explored the impact of a website that captures and visualizes the student coding process in addressing these issues. Three experiments were conducted, including a live coding demonstration and the implementation of the site for assignment completion in four different courses, including three programming courses and a communications course. Fourteen students were given questionnaires on the live coding demonstration, while four professors and five students were interviewed about the website's impact in the classroom. The findings of this work suggest that the use of tools modeling students’ programming processes may be met with resistance, but can be beneficial in addressing difficulties in promoting and assessing student learning. This work demonstrates a need for more research into the application and improvement of process-oriented technology in programming education.

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