Student-Built Algorithm Visualizations for Assessment: Flexible Generation, Feedback and Grading

摘要

Students' understanding of algorithms and data structures can be assessed with the help of construction tasks where students have to build their own visualizations. It has been claimed that active construction of visualizations results in better learning outcomes than passive viewing or merely changing the input of a visualized algorithm. This paper presents a system for the generation, execution, and evaluation of construction tasks. Its key feature is the flexibility in all three stages, ranging from fully automated to fully manual generation and evaluation as well as several different types of automatic feedback during the execution phase. Besides its use in daily teaching, the system can serve as a test bed for evaluations regarding the effectiveness of visualizations in the learning process.