Juha Sorva: Visual Program Simulation in Introductory Programming Education
Opponent: Prof. Mordechai Ben-Ari, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Supervisor: Prof. Lauri Malmi, Aalto University, Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
The dissertation “Visual Program Simulation in Introductory Programming Education” formulates a pedagogical technique — visual program simulation — for supporting beginners as they learn foundational concepts and skills of computer programming. In visual program simulation, learners interactively explore the behavior of computer programs. The dissertation work introduces software support for visual program simulation and evaluates it practice. Results from the work can be applied to introductory programming education and to the further development of visual program simulation.
