By Caitlin Kelleher and Randy Pausch - Presented By
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by Caitlin Kelleher and Randy Pausch
Presented By: Tom Watkins
Tim Shepperson
Tim MutlowAgenda Background Introduction to Alice Demonstration Further Analysis Alternatives Conclusions
Motivation Enrolment in Computer Science courses declining rapidly Significant gender imbalance Introductory steps of programming are seen to be uninspiring Growing interest in many applications of CS
Course Enrolment
Student interest in Computer Science is falling
2000-2005, number of new students in US dropped by
70%
Similar trend in UK
Source: Vegso, J. Drop in CS bachelor's degree production. Computing Research News 18, 2 (Mar. 2006),UCAS Applications for Computer Science
25000
20000
15000 Male
10000 Female
5000
0
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Year of Entry
Source: UCAS Online StatisticsGender Imbalance
84.9% of US Computer Science degrees were awarded
to men
Self-fulfilling prophecy: ‘Programming is not for
women’
Source: Zweben, S. Ph.D. Undergraduate enrollments again drop significantly. Computing Research News 18, 3 (May 2006)Female Applicants
100%
80%
60% Male
40% Female
20%
0%
6
7
8
9
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
9
9
9
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
Source: UCAS Online StatisticsIntroduction to Programming
First exposure to programming is often uninspiring
‘Hello World’
List sorting
Essential basis, but not as fun as a 3D shoot ‘em up (or
a nice story about Alice)Applications of CS Exponentially increasing use of technology Interest in using technology does not always translate to interest in underlying principles Top down approach: programming -> applications vs applications -> programming
Computer Games
Many teenagers have a keen interest in gaming
Statistics on proportion of female gamers range from 8
to 43%
Sources: www.ziffdavis.com/products/print/egm and www.theesa.com/files/2005EssentialFacts. pdfWhat Women Want
Middle school girls surveyed:
Very little interest in programming
Prospect of making animated movies much more
appealing
Paper details attempt to motivate this demographic to
learn basic programming though storytellingMeet Alice
Allows programmers to create 3D worlds intuitively
Programs are animations
Construct programs by dragging/dropping code
Includes most programming concepts
Loops, conditionals, methods, parameters, variables, arrays &
recursion
Freely availableAlice
Storytelling Alice
Improvements over Alice:
High-level animations & multiple scenes
Enable better programs and motivate users to use
programming constructs
Library of 3D characters & scenery
Helps inspire stories
Story based tutorial through “Stencils”
Substantially richer, detailed tutorialsAlice Tutorial
Programming Concepts in Alice
Natural way to introduce Object Oriented
Programming
Characters are objects with attributes & methods
Multiple scenes provide motivation for using
method
Users wanted to work on current scene without
watching whole story
Gestures & actions often require naturally
motivated loops
Waving a hand, flapping wings, bouncing a basketballClassroom
A US education committee identified 5 basic
programming topics:
Variables, data types and representation of data
Managing complexity through top-down and object-
oriented design
Procedures and parameters
Sequences, conditionals and loops
Tools for expressing design
Taken from "Using Storytelling to Motivate Programming"Test Results
Alice was tested on a group of girl scouts
87% of girls used multiple methods
52% of girls used parameterised methods
48% of girls used looping constructs
Girls using Storytelling Alice were more motivated
to program than those using standard Alice
Informal testing shows similar results for boys
Source: Using Storytelling to Motivate ProgrammingWhy Does Storytelling Work?
Naturally motivates the basic concepts of
programming
Opportunity for self expression
Vision of completed story encourages perseverance
Stories relate to real world issues
Share achievements with friends and family
Early programs usually difficult for non-programmers to
appreciate, Stories can be appreciated by everyone
In contrast to most computer games, stories can be
shared with the whole class at onceFuture of Alice
Alice 3 will incorporate storytelling methodology with
professionally modelled characters from The Sims 2
Alice 2.0 Alice 3.0Criticisms of the Paper
Unscientific
Some core ideas based on speculation rather than survey
results
Only tested on a small sample of girl scouts
US-centric
Would benefit from an international perspective
Vague conclusionsCriticisms of Alice Some inappropriate terms: Very restrictive – limited creativity Difficult to combine with a structured curriculum Could Alice build false expectations of real-world programming?
Similar Applications
RAPUNSEL
Very similar concept of programming a story
Aimed at middle school girls
Seems to have a muddled concept of OO:
class raiseLeftArm extends Shirt
Source: http://www.rapunsel.orgRapunsel
Source: http://www.rapunsel.orgSimilar Applications
LEGO Mindstorms
Combines traditional Lego with motors, sensors and a
programmable controller
Included software allows simple programming
constructs such as branching and loops but not Object-
Oriented
Many other options for more advanced programming
Likely to appeal to boys more than girls
Source: http://www.botmag.com/articles/10-31-07_NXT.shtmlMindstorms
Source: http://www.botmag.com/articles/10-31-07_NXT.shtmlConclusion Alice makes programming easier & more accessible Storytelling Alice enabled programming to be introduced as early as 5th grade (ages 10-11) A variety of alternatives exist to foster enthusiasm for programming in children Computer Science is more than just programming!
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