Colors for programming: A system to support the learning of programming
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publisher
University of Cork
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Public Management
School
School of Business
RAS ID
451
Abstract
Learning introductory software development is a difficult task and students often perceive programming subjects as requiring significantly more work than others. This paper describes a learning model for programming that has its basis in cognitive load theory. This theory suggests that there are three types of cognitive load that learners experience: intrinsic which is determined by the mental demands of the domain of knowledge; extraneous which is generated by the instructional format used in the teaching and learning process; and germane which can be utilised by learners to engage in conscious processing. The learning model is used as a basis, together with a particular instructional design framework, for the development of “COLORS (Cognitive Load Reduction System) for Programming”. COLORS is described together with a software tool, CORT (Code Restructuring Tool), that has been developed by the author to support various aspects of COLORS.
Access Rights
Free_to_read
Comments
Garner, S. K. (2002). Colors for programming: a system to support the learning of programming. Proceedings of IS2002: Informing Science and IT Education Conference. Cork, Ireland. University of Cork. Available here