Abstract
Data Structures courses commonly introduce topics involving high levels of abstraction and complexity, requiring significant effort from instructors and apprentices to achieve positive outcomes from the teaching-learning process. Despite the multiple studies that have occurred within the Computer Science Education (CSE) community to understand the experiences novice programmers may have when learning how to program, there is still a lack of exploration and research on understanding these experiences in scenarios different from first-year Computer Science (CS) courses. Looking further from CS introductory courses, this paper presents the results of a pilot study that evaluated the interaction of a group of CS Colombian students with DStBlocks, which is a scaffolded block-based instructional technology, designed and developed to ease linear data structures understanding. The findings and results of this pilot study are favorable, corresponding to tests centered on user experience and learning impact.
Highlights
The Computer Science Education (CS ED) community exposes interest on how students learn how to program
Our findings and results are presented by test, regarding the lenses used on usability and learning outcome
Considering the perceptions gathered in the second phase of the experimental method, and the learning outcomes that came with the interaction of the students with the instructional tool
Summary
The Computer Science Education (CS ED) community exposes interest on how students learn how to program. With CS3 as a blue sea to explore, and looking to find how we may enhance learning processes for this course, we designed and conducted this study to analyze how algorithmic visualization and the use of interactive block-based languages could ease linear-data-structures learning. The latter, designing and evaluating a new scaffolded tool: DStBlocks, which allows learners to explore interactively the algorithmics corresponding to the design and development of linear data structures using a blockbased language, avoiding the need to face syntax problems of a particular programming language. The final part of this article presents the study’s conclusions and a proposed future research related to this project
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
