Algorithm Animations for Teaching and Learning the Main Ideas of Basic Sortings

Algorithms are hard to understand for novice computer science students because they dynamically modify values of elements of abstract data structures. Animations can help to understand algorithms, since they connect abstract concepts to real life objects and situations. In the past 30-35 years, ther...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Informatics in education Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 121 - 140
Main Authors: VÉGH, LADISLAV, Stoffová, Veronika
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Vilnius Vilniaus Universiteto Leidykla 01.01.2017
Vilnius University Press
Institute of Mathematics and Informatics
Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Vilnius University
Subjects:
Algorithms
Animation
College Freshmen
College students
Computer science
Computer Science Education
Educational Technology
Electronic Learning
Experiments
Foreign Countries
ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Interaction
interactive algorithm animations
Learning
Machine learning
Mathematics
Multimedia
multimedia learning
Pretests Posttests
Questionnaires
School education
Teaching
teaching algorithms
Teaching Methods
Visual Stimuli
Visualization
Slovakia
interactive algorithm animations
multimedia learning
teaching algorithms
ISSN:1648-5831, 2335-8971
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Algorithms are hard to understand for novice computer science students because they dynamically modify values of elements of abstract data structures. Animations can help to understand algorithms, since they connect abstract concepts to real life objects and situations. In the past 30-35 years, there have been conducted many experiments in the field of usage of animations and visualizations in education, but they showed mixed results. In this paper, we review past research within the field and summarize recommendations regarding the graphic design and interactivity of the animations. In the second part of the paper, we present our interactive card sorting animations with conceptual views. The goal of these animations is to help students understand the main ideas and differences between basic sorting algorithms. In a pedagogical experiment related to these animations, 92 first-year computer science students of J. Selye University in Komarno (Slovakia) were asked to fill in a pre-test, experiment with the interactive animations, and fill in a post-test. The results showed that animations helped students to understand essential aspects of sorting algorithms. However, the participants were not able to understand the sorting algorithms in detail, so other types of animations are needed to teach algorithms in-depth.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:1648-5831
2335-8971
DOI:10.15388/infedu.2017.07