Teaching object-orientation with the Object Visualization and Annotation Language (OVAL)
Mirko Raner · 2000
Object-oriented techniques and technologies are omnipresent in all branches of modern software development and systems design. Still today there is an enormous demand for training in the area of object-oriented analysis, design and programming.Several languages and notations have been developed for the visual presentation of object-oriented ideas and designs (eg, the Booch method [1], OMT [3] or the emerging standard UML [4]). Such languages or notations are an excellent means of communication and documentation amongst experts. However, for novice trainings they are not very suitable. Instead, they raise additional difficulties: not only a large number of new ideas and a new way of thinking has to be learned, but also a highly non-intuitive graphic notation to present these ideas.The newly developed Object Visualization and Annotation Language (OVAL) is a simple illustrative notation which aims at OO novices. It visualizes the key ideas of object-orientation in a very intuitive way and was especially designed to assist in the process of teaching the way of object-oriented thinking.