Computer aided program design experiments: diagrammatic versus textual material

Authors:
Ernest C. Ackermann;William R. Pope
Affiliations:
Department of Computer Science, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, V;Academic Computing, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, VA
Venue:
SIGCSE '89 Proceedings of the twentieth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
Year:
1989

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Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine if using a computer aided diagrammatic approach to design offered advantages to undergraduate students in the several stages of preparing and implementing programs. Results were obtained which favored the use of a computer aided diagrammatic tool. The greatest benefit was realized in the later stages of coding and implementation rather than in the design stage itself. Overall, the diagrammatic classes completed assignments in 27% less time than the classes using a textual approach without any measurable loss of quality. The research was a joint effort of the Naval Surface Warfare Center and Mary Washington College.