Constructive and collaborative learning of algorithms

  • Authors:

  • Teresa Hübscher-Younger;N. Hari Narayanan

  • Affiliations:

  • Auburn University, Auburn, AL;Auburn University, Auburn, AL

  • Venue:
  • SIGCSE '03 Proceedings of the 34th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

This research began by investigating the literature on student learning from algorithm animations and conducting experimental studies of an algorithm visualization system. The results led us to develop CAROUSEL (Collaborative Algorithm Representations Of Undergraduates for Self-Enhanced Learning), using which students created expository representations of algorithms, shared their representations with others, evaluated each other's representations and discussed them. The system and the activities of representation creation, sharing, evaluation and discussion that it supports were then studied in three experiments, which are summarized. They show a significant positive relationship between these constructive and collaborative activities and algorithm learning, which suggests that this is a beneficial pedagogical approach for introductory courses on algorithms.