This article introduces QScratch, a novel educational tool designed to introduce fundamental quantum concepts and principles. It is an extension of the high-level block-based visual programming language Scratch, devel...
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This article introduces QScratch, a novel educational tool designed to introduce fundamental quantum concepts and principles. It is an extension of the high-level block-based visual programming language Scratch, developed by the MIT Media Lab. The quantum concepts taught are presented in a simple and illustrative, yet rigorous way. The selection of topics and their adaptation for this project has been made taking into account the huge complexity of the subject, developing specific intuitive blocks to model the quantum behaviours of superposition, entanglement and measurement. A pilot study carried out with a group of 68 students has demonstrated the validity of the software developed as a tool for introducing complex quantum physics concepts. Thus, the proposed tool complements the original Scratch tool, advancing in the construction of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) tools that facilitate the introduction of quantum concepts to everyone.
Recent advancements have led to the emergence of a few block-based programming environments that are accessible to individuals with visual impairments, featuring both touchscreen-based and keyboard-based modalities. H...
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Recent advancements have led to the emergence of a few block-based programming environments that are accessible to individuals with visual impairments, featuring both touchscreen-based and keyboard-based modalities. However, there remains a shortage of empirical evidence concerning the usability of these systems, particularly the keyboard-based versions. This paper details the design and evaluation of Accessible blockly, a block-based programming library that supports keyboard inputs and screen reader output as alternative interaction modalities. We also present empirical data showing that persons who are blind can effectively navigate, comprehend, create, and edit block-based code using only a keyboard and screen reader within reasonable time constraints. Accessible blockly was developed iteratively, guided by two empirical studies. In the first empirical study, the initial prototype of Accessible blockly was evaluated for block-based code navigation and comprehension in a study involving twelve blind programmers. Insights from the first study were used to refine the keyboard and screen reader interactions. A subsequent study with eleven blind programmers tested the enhanced version, focusing on the usability of the keyboard and screen reader for code creation and editing tasks. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to design and develop accessible block-based programming environments by introducing a functional prototype of an accessible block-based programming library that uses the keyboard and the screen reader for interaction, and by offering foundational empirical data that can serve to establish guidelines and design considerations for building accessible block-based programming environments.
Research on geometric transformations suggests that early learners possess intuitive understandings grounded in motion metaphors, transitioning to mappings. The processes through which students transition between thes...
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Research on geometric transformations suggests that early learners possess intuitive understandings grounded in motion metaphors, transitioning to mappings. The processes through which students transition between these two conceptions are not fully understood. We propose that Vygotskian hybridizing (related to Vygotsky's articulation of everyday and scientific concepts) may provide a lens for thinking about the relationship between these conceptions. Design features of block-based programming environments provide affordances to support hybridizing by providing a co-action space for learning. We conducted a comparative case study of four grade seven and eight students working in a Scratch task (Code the Quilts) and a game (Transformations Quest) to construct understandings of geometric transformations. Our findings suggest: (1) students hybridized their personal experience of motion and mathematical knowledge of mapping to build geometric transformations understandings and (2) the co-action space in which students worked promoted distributed interactions between students, block-based environments, and tasks to support hybridizing.
In the dynamic educational context of Malaysia, this study examines the impact of integrating Unplugged Activities (UA) with block-based programming (BBP) on improving the computational thinking (CT) skills of seconda...
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In the dynamic educational context of Malaysia, this study examines the impact of integrating Unplugged Activities (UA) with block-based programming (BBP) on improving the computational thinking (CT) skills of secondary students in full boarding schools in Northern Peninsular Malaysia. Using a quasi-experimental design and mixed-methods analysis, the research evaluates the impact of these teaching methods on students' CT skills and attitudes toward programming. This research compares the results between a group that uses only BBP and another that combines both UA and BBP. The results indicate that CT skills improved in both groups, while students in the UA + BBP group showed more significant gains in confidence and a more positive attitude toward programming. These results provide valuable insights into pedagogical strategies within digital education and highlight the benefits of an integrated approach that combines tactile learning experiences with digital technologies. By combining hands-on activities with technology-based instruction, this approach not only deepens students' understanding of CT concepts but also positively changes their perception and engagement with programming.
block-based programming has been used as an introductory gateway to programming thanks to its simpler, visual approach for composing code. This work re-imagines this style of coding through the mobile-first framework ...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9798400706004
block-based programming has been used as an introductory gateway to programming thanks to its simpler, visual approach for composing code. This work re-imagines this style of coding through the mobile-first framework Dartblock, which is intended to be integrated in a quiz application. It targets an older audience aiming to more quickly transition to the conventional programming language Java, by adopting a syntax visualization and interaction design inspired by integrated development environments. Dartblock focuses on teaching debugging through its included runtime which allows the execution of faulty code with descriptive exception throwing, as well as supporting automatic evaluation of programs given a sample solution to serve as feedback. To suit the smaller screen of mobile devices, the library relies on calculator-like visual editors for each primitive data type to facilitate the composition of complex boolean and numeric expressions without the need for textual input. Finally, we present preliminary student impressions of Dartblock from an initial use case study in a university class and provide organizational recommendations for introducing new frameworks to students.
With the majority of computing devices now featuring multiple computing cores, modern programmers need to be able to write programs that utilize these cores in parallel to extract the requisite levels of performance. ...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9781467383677
With the majority of computing devices now featuring multiple computing cores, modern programmers need to be able to write programs that utilize these cores in parallel to extract the requisite levels of performance. Despite the need for such explicit parallel computing, few programmers are properly groomed in the mindset and the practices of parallel computing. block-based programming languages, such as Scratch and Snapl, have proven to be a highly effective means of teaching fundamental programming concepts to a wide student audience. Nevertheless, the rich feature-set of mainstream block-based programming environments lack abstractions for explicit parallel programming, thus missing the opportunity to introduce this increasingly important programming concept at a time when the students' minds are most receptive. This paper reports on the results of an NSF-sponsored project for adding and integrating explicit programming abstractions, including producer-consumer, master-worker, and MapReduce, to block-based languages. We describe our reference implementation of adding the producer-consumer abstraction to Snap! and an educational project that utilizes this abstraction. This project clearly demonstrate the key features of parallel processing, without unduly burdening the programmer with the low-level details that this programming model typically entails. Our initial results show great potential in introducing the key concepts of parallel computing via block-based programming.
University students enroling in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related studies such as computer science continue to decline, even though worldwide educational policy reports warn about the nee...
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University students enroling in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related studies such as computer science continue to decline, even though worldwide educational policy reports warn about the need for this type of professionals in the immediate future. Promoting computer science studies among preuniversity students seems the most direct solution to reverse this issue. In this context, we present theSucre4Kidsproject whose main objectives are to engage young people into computational thinking and programming concepts using tangible elements and social interaction. We apply theSucre4Kidsapproach to introductory courses of computational thinking and programming concepts to high-school students. The main results of the 3-year intervention in the classroom with 256 high-school students reached suggest that tangible elements and social interaction in groups are determining factors in increasing students' motivation to learn to code and to raise their interest in STEM disciplines.
Modern industrial robots can work alongside human workers and coordinate with other robots. This means they can perform complex tasks, but doing so requires complex programming. Therefore, robots are typically program...
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Modern industrial robots can work alongside human workers and coordinate with other robots. This means they can perform complex tasks, but doing so requires complex programming. Therefore, robots are typically programmed by experts, but there are not enough to meet the growing demand for robots. To reduce the need for experts, researchers have tried to make robot programming accessible to factory workers without programming experience. However, none of that previous work supports coordinating multiple robot arms that work on the same task. In this paper we present four block-based programming language designs that enable end-users to program two-armed robots. We analyze the benefits and trade-offs of each design on expressiveness and user cognition, and evaluate the designs based on a survey of 273 professional participants of whom 110 had no previous programming experience. We further present an interactive experiment based on a prototype implementation of the design we deem best. This experiment confirmed that novices can successfully use our prototype to complete realistic robotics tasks. This work contributes to making coordinated programming of robots accessible to end-users. It further explores how visual programming elements can make traditionally challenging programming tasks more beginner-friendly.
Theories on learning show that formative feedback that is immediate, specific, corrective, and positive is essential to improve novice students' motivation and learning. However, most prior work on programming fee...
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Theories on learning show that formative feedback that is immediate, specific, corrective, and positive is essential to improve novice students' motivation and learning. However, most prior work on programming feedback focuses on highlighting student's mistakes, or detecting failed test cases after they submit a solution. In this article, we present our adaptive immediate feedback (AIF) system, which uses a hybrid data-driven feedback generation algorithm to provide students with information on their progress, code correctness, and potential errors, as well as encouragement in the middle of programming. We also present an empirical controlled study using the AIF system across several programming tasks in a CS0 classroom. Our results show that the AIF system improved students' performance, and the proportion of students who fully completed the programming assignments, indicating increased persistence. Our results suggest that the AIF system has potential to scalably support students by giving them real-time formative feedback and the encouragement they need to complete assignments.
Novice programmers often struggle on assignments, and timely help, such as a hint on what to do next, can help students continue to progress and learn, rather than giving up. However, in large programming classrooms, ...
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Novice programmers often struggle on assignments, and timely help, such as a hint on what to do next, can help students continue to progress and learn, rather than giving up. However, in large programming classrooms, it is hard for instructors to provide such real-time support for every student. Researchers have, therefore, put tremendous effort into developing algorithms to generate automated data-driven hints to help students at scale. Despite this, few controlled studies have directly evaluated the impact of such hints on students' performance and learning. It is also unclear what specific design features make hints more or less effective. In this article, we present iSnap, a block-based programming environment that provides novices with data-driven next-step hints in real time. This article describes our improvements to iSnap over four years, including its "enhanced" next-step hints with three design features: textual explanations, self-explanation prompts, and an adaptive hint display. Moreover, we conducted a controlled study in an authentic classroom setting over several weeks to evaluate the impact of iSnap's enhanced hints on students' performance and learning. We found students who received the enhanced hints perform better on in-class assignments and have higher programming efficiency in homework assignments than those who did not receive hints, but that hints did not significantly impact students' learning. We also discuss the challenges of classroom studies and the implications of enhanced hints compared to prior evaluations in laboratory settings, which is essential to validate the efficacy of next-step hints' impact in a real classroom experience.
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