A Monitoring Language for Run Time and Post-Mortem Behavior Analysis and Visualization

UFO is a new implementation of FORMAN, a declarative monitoring language, in which rules are compiled into execution monitors that run on a virtual machine supported by the Alamo monitor architecture.Comment: In M. Ronsse, K. De Bosschere (eds), proceedings of the Fifth International Workshop on Automated Debugging (AADEBUG 2003), September 2003, Ghent. cs.SE/030902

An integrated environment for problem solving and program development

A framework for an integrated problem solving and program development environment that addresses the needs of students learning programming is proposed. Several objectives have been accomplished: defining the tasks required for program development and a literature review to determine the actual difficulties involved in learning those tasks. A comprehensive Study of environments and tools developed to support the learning of problem solving and programming was then performed, covering programming environments, debugging aids, intelligent tutoring systems, and intelligent programming environments. This was followed by a careful analysis and critique of these systems, which uncovered the limitations that have prevented them from accomplishing their goals. Next, an extensive study of problem solving methodologies developed in this century was carried out and a common model for problem solving was produced. The tasks of program development were then integrated with the common model for problem solving. Then, the cognitive activities required for problem solving and program development were identified and also integrated with the common model to form a Dual Common Model for problem Solving and Program Development. This dual common model was then used to define the functional specifications for a problem solving and program development environment which was designed, implemented, tested, and integrated into the curriculum. The development of the new environment for learning problem solving and programming was followed by the planning of a cognitively oriented assessment method and the development of related instruments to evaluate the process and the product of problem solving. A detailed statistical experiment to study the effect of this environment on students\u27 problem solving and program development skills, including system testing by protocol analysis, and performance evaluation of students based on research hypotheses and questions, was also designed, implemented and the result reported

Software visualization in a multiscale environment

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-67).by Fred Basas.M.S

A computer graphics aided lecture presentation system: exploring animated algorithms with direct manipulation.

Lam, Ho Cheong.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-72).Abstract --- p.iiAcknowledgments --- p.iiiContents --- p.ivChapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Prologue --- p.2Chapter 1.2 --- Thesis Contributions --- p.3Chapter 1.3 --- Thesis Outline --- p.4Chapter Chapter 2 --- Lecture Presentation System --- p.5Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.6Chapter 2.2 --- System Overview --- p.8Chapter 2.3 --- Materials Organization --- p.9Chapter 2.4 --- Slide Preparation --- p.12Chapter 2.5 --- Animation Production --- p.14Chapter 2.6 --- Actual Presentation --- p.18Chapter 2.7 --- Conclusion --- p.22Chapter Chapter 3 --- Algorithm Animation Subsystem --- p.23Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.24Chapter 3.2 --- Related Work --- p.25Chapter 3.3 --- Algorithm --- p.28Chapter 3.4 --- Display --- p.32Chapter 3.5 --- Link --- p.39Chapter 3.6 --- Options --- p.44Chapter 3.7 --- Examples --- p.47Chapter 3.8 --- Conclusion --- p.55Chapter Chapter 4 --- Conclusion --- p.56Chapter 4.1 --- Future Directions --- p.57Chapter 4.2 --- Summary --- p.59Chapter 4.3 --- Epilogue --- p.60Appendix A PostScript Optimization --- p.61Appendix B Thesis Publications --- p.69References --- p.7

An investigation into novel software tools for enhancing students' higher cognitive skills in computer programming

Active learning is considered by many academics as an important and effective learning strategy. Students can improve the quality of their work by developing their higher cognitive skills through reflection on their own ideas, and through practice of analytic and evaluative skills. Assessment is a tool for learning, but traditional assessment methods often encourage surface learning, rather than deep learning which is an approach to developing higher cognitive skills. Peer assessment is one of the successful approaches, which can be used to enhance deep learning. It is a method of motivating students, involving students discussing, marking and providing feedback on other students' work. Although it is often used in the context of essays, it has seldom been applied to computer programming courses. The skill of writing good software includes understanding different approaches to the task, and stylistic and related considerations - these can be developed by evaluation of other programmers' solutions. As part of a study investigating the extent that peer assessment can promote deep learning to develop the higher cognitive skills in a programming course, a novel web-based peer assessment tool has been developed. - The process used is novel, since students are engaged not only in marking each other's work, but also in evaluating the quality of marking of their peers. - This system is designed to provide anonymity for the whole process, in order to ensure that the process is fair, and to encourage students to discuss without embarrassment by using an anonymous communication device (ACD) in a variety of roles (script authors, marker, and feedback marker). In this thesis, we describe and compare the learning theory and tools, which are relevant in learning computer programming. Deep learning, which can be described using the six categories of learning in Bloom's taxonomy, is discussed. Other peer assessment software tools are compared and discussed. The design and implementation of a novel web-based peer assessment system (with anonymous communication device) are described, and set in the context of the learning theories. The results of evaluating the tools through several experiments involving large programming classes and an essay writing module are reported. In this thesis, we also propose a new variation of Bloom's taxonomy, which is appropriate to describe the skills required for tasks such as programming. The results indicate that this approach to web-based peer assessment has successfully helped students to develop their higher cognitive skills in learning computer programming, and peer assessment is an accurate assessment method in a programming course.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A program visualisation meta language

The principle motivation of this work is to define an open PV architecture that will enable a variety of visualisation schemes to interoperate and that will encourage the generation of PV systems and research into their efficacy. Ultimately this may lead to more effective pedagogy in the field of computer programming and hence remove a barrier to students entering the profession.Doctorate of Philosoph