IDYLL: A Learning Environment for Novice Programmers

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IDYLL A Learning Environment for Novice
Programmers

• Mark Howson, Janet F. Poliakoff,
• Paul A. Orton,
• Nottingham Trent University

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Overview

• Background
• Problems for novice programmers
• How can we help students?
• What is IDYLL?
• How does IDYLL help?
• Conclusions

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Background Learning to program

• We (as tutors) are not typical
• interested in programming
• experienced
• Many students find it difficult
• Some difficulties are inherent in programming
• Other problems can be reduced

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A very simple C Program

• void main()
• int n
• int i 1
• cout ltlt "Enter number "
• cin gtgt n
• while (i ! n)
• cout ltlt x
• i
• cout ltlt endl

Looks familiar to some of us
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Replacing some symbols

• START
• BEG
• WHOL N.
• WHOL I lt- 1.
• WRIT FRO Enter number .
• READ INT N.
• WHILE I ltgt N
• BEG
• WRIT FRO /x/.
• I lt- I 1.
• END
• WRIT FRO NEWLIN.
• END

• Looks strange
• Still has same structure
• For students C even stranger
• - structure
• unfamiliar too

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Programming is a challenge

• even to experienced programmers
• still more so to novices
• notation is unfamiliar
• syntax is unfamiliar
• logical nature of process makes it hard to do
• whole idea of programming is an unknown concept

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Overview

• Background
• Problems for novice programmers
• How can we help students?
• What is IDYLL?
• How does IDYLL help?
• Conclusions

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Novice programmers 7 Problems

• A Development environment is complicated
• B File management
• C Finding question sheet
• D What they have done already
• E Waiting for Tutors feedback/help
• Feedback is very important
• (problems F G later)

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Importance of Tutors feedback

• Give encouragement, help, etc.
• Develop skill in testing
• Testing is very important part of programming
  (often neglected)
• Problem F Students poor at testing
• dont read the specification carefully
• think the program works after 1 test

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Overview

• Background
• Problems for novice programmers
• How can we help students?
• What is IDYLL?
• How does IDYLL help?
• Conclusions

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How can we help students?

• Keep practical book
• feedback too late
• Demo of a program every 4 weeks
• still miss the other weeks and struggle
• Demo of every program
• feedback is timely
• BUT only possible with very small numbers

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Other ways to help students

• Intensive small group tuition
• Expensive in Tutor time, so
• Problem G NOT PRACTICAL
• Let the computer help!
• Helpful environment
• Monitoring of progress
• Automation of some Tutor tasks

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• Training wheels help for a bike
• IDYLL can be the training wheels for C
• We are developing IDYLL to help students start
  programming

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Overview

• Background
• Problems for novice programmers
• How can we help students?
• What is IDYLL?
• How does IDYLL help?
• Conclusions

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What is IDYLL?

• Integrated Learning Environment for Novice
  Programmers
• Simpler to use than normal IDE
• Monitors progress (via database)
• Gives immediate feedback
• Tests real programming skills
• Overcomes most of problems A - G

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Simpler interface Options Edit window Output
window Watch window
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• Code has been entered
• Now run by pressing Try

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• TRY
• Text has been displayed
• Program waiting for number

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• Number 3 was entered
• Program has finished
• Output produced

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• STEP
• highlights current line
• Values of variables shown in Watch window

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• Program waits for user input
• User has typed 3
• Then OK

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• Value of n has changed in Watch window

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• Other variables changed
• Ready to output

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• IDYLL
• Automate does all the steps, waiting briefly
  at each
• - highlights each line in turn
• - shows the variable values changing
• What about errors?

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• Error in code
• - Variable j not declared
• Message pops up

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• Error in code
• - missing after j

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• Error in code
• - , in the place of in first for loop

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• IDYLL Submit
• IDYLL does the testing
• Can re-submit any number of times

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• Monitoringprogress
• highlights current question
• State of progress plotted
• Click on question

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• FIRST
• QUESTION
• Explains IDYLL

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• FIRST
• QUESTION
• CODE
• (AS GIVEN)
• Nothing to type
• Just read, try and submit

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• THIRD
• QUESTION
• Description
• Summary
• Click for additional information

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• THIRD
• QUESTION
• Clicked for Additional Information
• Summary
• Click for Hints

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• THIRD
• QUESTION
• Summary
• Clicked for Hints

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• IDYLL Questions
• Tutor can input questions
• Test data supplied by Tutor
• IDYLL tests against given data
• IDYLL based on interpreter
• The UnderC Development Project, Steve Donovan,
  2001-2002
• with some modifications

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Overview

• Background
• Problems for novice programmers
• How can we help students?
• What is IDYLL?
• How does IDYLL help?
• Conclusions

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Monitoring and Assessment

• IDYLL monitors students progress
• Students know where they are
• cannot miss out any (or Staff will know)
• can work at their own pace
• Staff see each students progress
• can give timely and appropriate help
• Assessment using progress in IDYLL
• Actual programming skill are tested
• not answering questions

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How IDYLL overcomes 7 problems

• A Complicated environment Now simpler
• B File management Not needed
• C Finding question sheet Not needed
• D What have done already Easily seen
• E Waiting for feedback/help Some done by
  IDYLL
• F Students poor at testing IDYLL tests
  to spec.
• Students learn about idea of testing

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How has IDYLL helped? continued

• G Expensive in Tutor time
• Saves time spent in
• some feedback tasks
• testing student programs
• (very time-consuming to do properly)
• monitoring progress
• Leaves Tutor free for other help
• explanation
• inspiration

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• Eventually training wheels are not needed
• Students move on to full C IDE

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Conclusions

• IDYLL is combined demo test
• can be done any time
• immediate feedback
• overcomes many problems
• concentrates on actual programming skills
• emphasizes importance of testing
• automates many tasks

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IDYLL A Learning Environment for Novice
Programmers

• Mark Howson, Janet F. Poliakoff,
• Paul A. Orton,
• Nottingham Trent University
• email janet.poliakoff_at_ntu.ac.uk