Teaching experiences using algorithm visualization in 1st year computer science

There has been a great deal of recent activity in integrating algorithm visualization courseware into the first year computer science course (CS1 and CS2). At the University of the District of Columbia, the authors became interested in this area as a means of improving student performance in their first year course. The authors have developed visualization courseware to both add more structure to the lab and to enhance lectures. In the lab, students interact with the module individually. The student may explore the module or may be responding to a written set of directions. Sometimes the lab is used by the instructor to specify a problem. In other cases the module takes students through the steps needed to solve a problem. One result of this effort has been the development and use of a PC-based simulated robot environment to introduce students to programming