Feedback on Program Development Process for CS1 Students

Charis Charitsis, Chris Piech, John C. Mitchell

Abstract: In introductory CS programming courses, student learning is often assessed on the basis of the submitted code. However, the final artifact fails to capture the problem-solving journey. Active learning occurs when a student stumbles upon conceptual unclarities, design dilemmas, algorithmic challenges. How can we shine light on hidden programming aspects to help teachers provide insightful feedback to learners? We developed a tool to analyze programs snapshots from the entire development process, visualize their evolution over time, filter syntax errors, and detect complex code. The tool is equipped with an editor to explore different ideas and execute the program on the fly, especially in one-on-one feedback sessions with the learner. We are eager to share our work with researchers and educators in other institutions and look forward to their feedback and ideas for improvement.