Web teaching and learning programming environment based on plan method and constructs

Abstract

Plan integrations and misconception of programming language constructs have been two major errors of novice programmers. A good design model can have a great impact on the effectiveness of these systems. A plan is an abstraction that visually provides a solution to a problem or to a subproblem representing a problem from its macro level down to its micro level. Any important concept is a plan and it is up to the educator and level of learner to decide a particular plan. A plan can be visually represented by a dot, a geometric shape or an image. The Web Visual Learning System (WVLS) divides the process of learning and its enforcement into three selectable phases known as plan observation, plan integration, and plan creation. WVLS initially provides a library of sample problems (plans) working with all three phases. A learner can observe the process of solving a problem, become involved in a partial solution, or solve the problem entirely from beginning to end. A mixture of learning strategies and techniques is incorporated in WVLS to satisfy a wide range of learners. WVLS will identify and report the cause of problems to the learner. A systematic approach to analysing a solution based on plan relationships indicates whether a plan is missing, misplaced, malformed, or has a misconception.