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Design and Evaluation of a Web-Based Programming Tool to Improve the Introductory Computer Science Experience

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dc.contributor.authorTilden, Daniel Stevenen
dc.contributor.committeechairEdwards, Stephen H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberMcCrickard, D. Scotten
dc.contributor.committeememberHarrison, Steven R.en
dc.contributor.departmentComputer Scienceen
dc.date.accessioned2013-06-06T08:00:21Zen
dc.date.available2013-06-06T08:00:21Zen
dc.date.issued2013-06-05en
dc.description.abstractIntroductory computer science courses can be notoriously difficult for students, especially those outside of the major. There are many reasons for this, but the programming software itself may play a significant role.  To address this issue, we have developed Pythy, a web-based programming environment that allows students to write, execute, and test programming assignments from within the familiar interface of a web browser.  In this work, we discuss various aspects of Pythy in detail, including the rationale behind its design, the system architecture on which it is built, and the various functions offered by the software.  Next, we discuss an evaluation of Pythy\'s effectiveness during a programming course for non CS-majors offered at Virginia Tech, comparing it to a different software solution used in another programming course.  Results suggest that Pythy was successful in several target areas, including making it easier to get started with programming and providing feedback about program behavior.  Access log data from Pythy itself reveals details about how students used the system.  Finally, we conclude with a summary of key contributions and suggest some potential future directions for the system.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:1052en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/23149en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectcomputer science educationen
dc.subjectprogramming toolen
dc.subjectweb applicationen
dc.subjectpythonen
dc.titleDesign and Evaluation of a Web-Based Programming Tool to Improve the Introductory Computer Science Experienceen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineComputer Science and Applicationsen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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