Starting with Algorithmic Structures: A multi-representational, Real-life-activity learning environment for beginners
Maria Kordaki, Gregory Tsonis, John Palianopoulos, Aris Katis · EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology · 2007
This paper presents a multi-representational and real-life-activity based environment, the Starting with Algorithmic Structures (SAS) environment, designed for teaching the concept of algorithm and that of basic algorithmic structures to beginners. For the design of this environment, social and constructivist learning theories have been taken into account. By interacting within SAS, learners have opportunities to express their previous knowledge regarding the concept of algorithm and approach such concept through real-life activities. In addition, learners have the chance to express their algorithmic approaches to these activities using different Multiple Representation Systems (MRS) in a step-by-step learning experiment. In each step, constructive feedback is provided to the students to correct their actions. The MRS used are: natural language, flowchart and pseudocode. Interactive animations of the performance of these real life activities are also provided, inter-linked with the correspondent algorithm and its basic algorithmic structures in pseudo-code, for a better understanding of these structures by the learners. The features of SAS were pilotically evaluated with real students’ whose positive effect on and their learning is also presented.