Measuring the Effect of First Encounter with Source Code Entry for Instruction Set Architectures Using Touchscreen Devices: Evaluation of Usability Components

摘要

In this paper we address the possibility of writing program code for instruction set architectures using the touchscreen as the input device. Instruction set architecture is the common name for a collection of resources computer engineers use when developing code at the hardware level. One of the most important subsets among these resources are instructions which programmers use to create algorithms. Students enrolled in computer engineering curricula are trained to develop such solutions, using standard personal computers equipped with keyboard and mouse, thus providing them with a high level usability working environment. As technology progress has enabled the introduction of mobile platforms in the educational process, touchscreen based m-learning becomes a viable tool. To that end, in our previous research we developed a specific keyboard VMK that supports entry of assembly language code, which is based on mnemonic keys, with the aim to achieve a better efficiency of assembly coding. In the present paper we present the outcome of an improved empirical research targeting the comparison of VMK and the standard QWERTY keyboard. The results thus obtained show improved results of key usability attributes of efficiency and subjective satisfaction.