Predictive Modelling for HCI Problems in Novice Program Editors

We extend previous cognitive modelling work to four new programming systems, with results contributing to the development of a new novice programming editor. Results of a previous paper, which quantified differences in certain visual languages, and feedback we had regarding interest in the work, suggested that there may be more systems to which the technique could be applied. This short paper reports on a second series of models, discusses their strengths and weaknesses, and draws comparisons to the first. This matters because we believe “bottlenecks” in interaction design to be an issue in some beginner languages – painfully slow interactions may not always be noticeable at first, but start to become intrusive as the programs grow larger. Conversely, text-based languages are generally less viscous, but often use difficult symbols and terminology, and can be highly error-prone. Based on the models presented here, we propose some simple design choices that appear to make a useful and substantive difference to the editing problems discussed

Exploring how integrating art & animation in teaching text-based programming affects high school students\u27 interest in computer science

As oil is the fuel of the industrial society, software is the fuel of our current information society. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be more demand for computing jobs in the future. By 2024, more than one million computing jobs will be available. Statistics show that there is more demand for computing jobs than there is a supply of qualified graduates from universities. In this experimental study, three groups of high school students were targeted to explore how integrating art, animation, and code sharing into programming affects their interest in pursuing a degree in computer science (CS) after graduation. Moreover, the study also explored the effect of social factors and attitudes of the students toward programming and a CS degree. Pretest-posttest survey questionnaires were used to measure the study variables before and after taking a programming course. A new web-based learning environment was developed and used as a treatment in this study. The developed tool included the use of art, animation, and code sharing to increase students\u27 motivation in learning computer programming. Three groups of students from Ann Arbor public and private schools participated in this study with different coding time. The demographic data were also collected and analyzed in this study. The field of CS is currently dominated by White and Asian males. This study also aimed to encourage and increase the motivation of female and underrepresented racial groups towards CS. The results of this study showed that the use of art, animation, and code sharing increased students\u27 knowledge, enjoyment, and motivation in learning computer programming. It thereby increased their interest in pursuing a degree in CS after graduation