Dynamic program visualizations: an experience report

Authors:
James Cross;Dean Hendrix;Larry Barowski;David Umphress
Affiliations:
Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA;Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA;Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA;Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Venue:
Proceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education
Year:
2014

Citing 7
Cited 0

The Jeliot 2000 program animation system

Computers & Education
Taxonomy of effortless creation of algorithm visualizations

Proceedings of the first international workshop on Computing education research
Effective methods for learning: a study in visualization

Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
Merging interactive visualizations with hypertextbooks and course management

ITiCSE-WGR '06 Working group reports on ITiCSE on Innovation and technology in computer science education
Algorithm visualization: a report on the state of the field

Proceedings of the 38th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
Supporting the rapid development of pedagogically effective algorithm visualizations

Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges - Papers of the Fourteenth Annual CCSC Midwestern Conference and Papers of the Sixteenth Annual CCSC Rocky Mountain Conference
Robust Generation of Dynamic Data Structure Visualizations with Multiple Interaction Approaches

ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE) - Special Issue on the 5th Program Visualization Workshop (PVW’08)

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

In this paper, we describe our experiences using dynamic program visualizations in our Java-based CS1 and CS2 courses during the spring semester 2013. The visualizations were constructed by both faculty and students using the new viewer canvas in jGRASP. A public beta version was downloaded and installed in our computer labs and on student and faculty machines. Program visualizations were used in the classroom as well as in lab activities and programming projects. Since the viewers had already been evaluated in controlled experiments, our focus was on ease of use of the viewer canvas by the students and the utility of the program visualizations in helping students understand their programs. Direct observations in the lab and individual meetings with students to discuss their work indicated that students could indeed build dynamic visualizations that, in conjunction with the debugger, helped them understand and correct bugs in their programs much more effectively than using the debugger alone.