2015-Good-Natural language and programming designing effective environments-ACCEPTED.pdf (2.22 MB)
Natural language and programming: designing effective environments for novices
conference contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 03:07 authored by Judith Good, Kate HowlandKate HowlandGiven the current drive to teach computational concepts to all from an early age, we consider whether traditional programming languages are truly necessary, or whether natural language might be a suitable medium for program generation and comprehension, given its familiarity and ubiquity. We conducted an empirical study on the use of natural language for computation, and found that, although it provides support for understanding computational concepts, it introduces additional difficulties when used for coding. Following a design study with target users, we distilled our findings into a series of design guidelines for novice programming environments that incorporate natural language. These guidelines drove the design of Flip, a bimodal programming language for young people's game creation activities. Two empirical studies examined the extent to which these embodied design guidelines support ease of use and an understanding of computation. The guidelines have potential both for analysing the usability of existing novice programming environments, and for designing new ones.
Funding
Flip: A concurrent bi-modal programming language for computational thinking; G0307; EPSRC-ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL; EP/G006989/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
2015 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC)Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics EngineersExternal DOI
Page range
73-77Event name
Visual Languages and Human Centric ComputingEvent location
Atlanta, Georgia, USAEvent type
conferenceEvent date
18-22 Oct 2015ISBN
978146737456-9Department affiliated with
- Informatics Publications
Notes
Published in: Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC), 2015 IEEE Symposium on; ISBN: 9781467374576.Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-09-27First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-08-09First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-08-09Usage metrics
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