A Visual Programming Language for Novices

Abstract

Bridge Talk is presented a new approach to visual languages for novice programmers. The design of Bridge Talk is based on data about how novices learn to program. Bridge Talk allows novices to program with programming plans - - frame-like objects that capture essential program components like 'keep a running total' and 'iterate down a data structure'. Novices are focused on the interactions between plans, not on the implementation details for a particular plan. Beginning with plans as a basis for a novice programming language, we were forced to develop a programming formalism that can deal with multiple levels of detail, merged plan implementations, and interrelationships between plans. The actual visual presentation for the language is based on six 'design, implement, test with students, and redesign' cycles. (jhd)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 29, 1987
Accession Number
ADA218940

Entities

People

  • Blaise W. Liffick
  • Jeffrey G. Bonar

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Contracts
  • High Level Languages
  • Human Resources
  • Language
  • Learning
  • Natural Languages
  • Programming Languages
  • Psychology
  • Software Development
  • Students
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

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  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Operations Research