A programming language for learning environments
Janice Glasgow, Michael A. Jenkins, Laurie Jane Hendren · Computational Intelligence · 1986
Most of the recent research on programming languages for education has been centered around the language Logo. In this paper we introduce another candidate language for learning environments, Nial, the nested interactive array language. Nial is a general‐purpose programming language based on a formal theory of mathematics called array theory. This paper introduces Nial as a language for learning programming and developing and using computer‐aided instruction tools. A comparison with Logo is provided to evaluate these two languages in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as programming environments for novice programmers. We also demonstrate that a programming environment can be both simple to leam at the novice level and extendible to a powerful and sophisticated language.