A web-based programming environment for introductory programming courses in higher education

摘要

Choosing the right programming environment has a great in.uence on the e.ciency of the educational, learning and problem solving processes. While there are many good examples for such environments for the younger genera- tion, which involve block-based programming, gamified learning, appropriate language of the tasks and user interface design, introductory programming courses in higher education rarely take into account the role of the program- ming environment. In this article we have analyzed a typical problem solving process in an introductory programming course with a special focus on the programming environment. We have found that many distracting factors may make the learning process di.cult. Based on our investigation we introduce a web-based programming en- vironment which takes into account the special needs of newcomers to the programming land. This environment tries to exclude the distracting factors and support the problem solving process in a right way. Beside our method- ological considerations, the technical background of supporting traditional programming languages, such as C++, in the web browser is also presented. Finally we make methodological recommendations how this tool can be a part of the teaching and learning process through di.erent types of tasks and learning organizing methods.