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Information Types and Cognitive Principles in Program Comprehension: Towards Adaptable Support for Novice Visual Programmers

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Book cover Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS 1998)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1452))

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Abstract

The authors describe work on the GRiP (Graphical Representations in Programming) Project1, which aims to build a support environment for novices learning to program using a visual programming language (VPL). The design of the environment is based on a series of experiments which investigate issues of visual programming language paradigm, and the ways in which novices extract information from a representation in order to make sense of a program. This paper focuses particularly on the multivariate nature of program comprehension, the difficulties associated with attempting to teach skills of this kind, and suggests a solution in the form of a modular support system.

Funded by EPSRC grants GR/L36987 and GR/L37045 and carried out in collaboration with Jon Oberlander and Richard Cox

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Communication Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW, Scotland UK

    Judith Good

  2. Computer Based Learning Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, England UK

    Paul Brna

Authors
  1. Judith Good
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  2. Paul Brna
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Air Force Research Laboratory, 1880 Carswell Avenue, Lackland, AFB, TX, 78236-5507, USA

    Barry P. Goettl  & Valerie J. Shute  & 

  2. Mei Technology Corporation, 8930 Fourwinds Drive, #450, San Antonio, TX, 78239, USA

    Henry M. Halff

  3. Computer Science Department, St. Mary’s University, 1 Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX, 78228-8524, USA

    Carol L. Redfield

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Good, J., Brna, P. (1998). Information Types and Cognitive Principles in Program Comprehension: Towards Adaptable Support for Novice Visual Programmers. In: Goettl, B.P., Halff, H.M., Redfield, C.L., Shute, V.J. (eds) Intelligent Tutoring Systems. ITS 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1452. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-68716-5_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-68716-5_37

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-64770-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68716-0

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