Toward transforming freely available source code into usable learning materials for end-users

Authors:
Paul Gross;Caitlin Kelleher
Affiliations:
Washington University in St. Louis;Washington University in St. Louis
Venue:
Evaluation and Usability of Programming Languages and Tools
Year:
2010

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Abstract

The availability of example source code on the web presents an array of potential learning resources for any code consumer. However not all code consumers may find these resources usable. With end-user programmers increasingly relying on example code on the web, any difficulty can prevent these code resources from reaching their potential as learning materials for users who may see the greatest benefits: inexperienced end-users. In this paper, we discuss freely available source code's usability for end-users. We focus on one problem area: supporting inexperienced end-users in selecting relevant code sections from examples they find interesting. We discuss a user study to evaluate the adequacy of two tools that can support non-programmers in this code selection task, and highlight design guidelines for future tools. Finally, we identify further challenges in transforming example code into usable learning materials for all end-users.