 3D graphics environment  Focuses on Object Oriented Programming  Provides immediate feedback through program visualizations  Contains a drag-and-drop editor, preventing most syntax errors

 Tools that use visualization to make program code easier to ◦ write ◦ read ◦ understand ◦ debug

 Uses colors and indentation

 Allows students to learn computer programming more easily ◦ No syntax errors ◦ Drag-and-Drop editor for creating programs ◦ Programs are 3D movies or games  Alice is highly motivating for students  Provided free (open source) by Carnegie Mellon  Runs on

 Makes objects something students can see and relate to



 Education and psychology research shows evidence of three basic learning styles. ◦ visual ◦ auditory ◦ kinesthetic  For most of us, one style is generally dominant. ◦ Some researchers believe that visual is likely the dominant style for the largest % of the population.

 Frustrating syntax and errors % (, ) ; ◦ Arithmetic operators i.e. % == ◦ Statement separators i.e. ;, ( ) { } ◦ Specialized vocabulary i.e. this  Abstract concepts  Hidden data  Boring  Lack of creativity

 Teach fundamental programming concepts to beginning programmers.  Improve retention of first-year computing majors and attract more students to computing and computing-related majors.

Problem Solution  Frustrating syntax  Abstract concepts  Hidden data  Boring Drag & Drop interface 3D Graphics & Animation ◦ Program visualization

 Begin with a story  Appeal ◦ Storytelling  particularly young women & minority students ◦ Interactive computer games  particularly young men ◦ Visual, not threatening  builds students’ confidence  Can be interdisciplinary

 ◦ syllabi/calendars ◦ lectures ◦ labs ◦ assignments ◦ sample worlds (programs) ◦ sample exams ◦ sample projects

Alice += Java For Alice 3

 More than 1 million downloads per year  19% of US universities are teaching with Alice ◦ There are roughly 3,700 U.S. colleges  3,000 High Schools teachers are using Alice ◦ Approximately 32,000 high schools in the US

 3.5 million page views  528,000 unique visitors  158,000 IP addresses performed 440,540 downloads of the system

Source: Prentice Hall sales figures

Organizing Structure for the Computer Science Standards

 K-12  undergraduate K , first year college / university

K university Sequence Simple control structures Relational operations Problem Solving Objects Methods Functions Logic Storyboards Online Safety Problem Solving Abstraction Data Variables Control Structures Communication and Ethics 2D vs. 3D 3D models Problem Solving Classes Objects Methods (Procedural and Functional) Algorithms Scope Encapsulation Inheritance Polymorphism

K university Looking Glass Scratch Logo Notepad Paint Internet browsers others… Alice 2 Storytelling Alice Scratch Gimp HTML others … Alice 3 3D modeling (Blender) others … Alice 3  Java Greenfoot BlueJ Python Others…