A modern approach to supporting program visualization: from a 2D notation to 3D representations using augmented reality
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A modern approach to supporting program visualization: from a 2D notation to 3D representations using augmented reality ´ Garc´ıa1 · Carmen Lacave1 · Ana I. Molina1 · Santiago Schez-Sobrino1 · Mar´ıa A. 1 ´ Redondo1 Carlos Glez-Morcillo · David Vallejo1 · Miguel A. Received: 4 June 2019 / Revised: 30 June 2020 / Accepted: 12 August 2020 / © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The visualization of programs and algorithms has been demonstrated to be essential when learning to program. Nevertheless, existing graphic representations require a high level of abstraction that most beginner programmers cannot understand. Current state-of-the-art approaches provide promising alternatives, but a significant part leaves the advantages of graphic representation in the background. These advantages include abstracting the source code by means of symbols that make them easier to understand without previous training. This work introduces the evolution of a 2-D graphic notation to a 3-D environment, which represents an improvement to a complete platform for collaborative programming learning through problem solving, named COLLECE-2.0. This improvement provides the platform with capabilities to visualize programs through augmented reality by using a new set of graphic representations, which are based on roads and traffic signs in the context of programming learning. These visual models have been evaluated by Computer Science students to know whether the proposed notation is intuitive and useful. The obtained results show that the proposed notation is suitable for representing programming concepts and easy to understand. We also present a series of improvements, integrated as a new subsystem in the aforementioned platform, which allows the automatic construction of 3-D visualizations on an augmented reality environment. These visualizations use the proposed notation and leverage the scalability and architecture of COLLECE-2.0. Keywords Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) · Program visualization · Programming learning · Three-dimensional displays · Augmented reality · Eclipse
Santiago Schez-Sobrino
[email protected] 1
Department of Information Technologies and Systems, University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), Paseo de la Universidad 4, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain
Multimedia Tools and Applications
1 Introduction Programming is a field which is constantly advancing in parallel with current times and society. Learning how to code must be addressed effectively, given the number of jobs that are now and will be emerging in the future. This requires programming skills [14]. According to the employment portal GlassDoor [17], the latest 2018 reports reveal that 9 of the top 25 jobs in the U.S. required programming skills. By 2026, an estimated 58% of jobs in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Information Technology (STEM) will require programming skills [56]. However, only 10% of graduates in these areas do so in computer science [41]. There is, therefore, a need to incre
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