Scaffolded Block-based Instructional Tool for Linear Data Structures: A Constructivist Design to Ease Data Structures' Understanding

Daniel Felipe Almanza-Cortés, Manuel Felipe Del Toro-Salazar, Ricardo Andrés Urrego-Arias, Pedro Guillermo Feijóo-García, Fernando De la Rosa-Rosero
2019 International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)  
Data Structures courses commonly introduce topics involving high levels of abstraction and complexity, requiring significant effort from instructors and apprentices to achieve positive outcomes from the teaching-learning process. Despite the multiple studies that have occurred within the Computer Science Education (CSE) community to understand the experiences novice programmers may have when learning how to program, there is still a lack of exploration and research on understanding these
more » ... nces in scenarios different from first-year Computer Science (CS) courses. Looking further from CS introductory courses, this paper presents the results of a pilot study that evaluated the interaction of a group of CS Colombian students with DStBlocks, which is a scaffolded block-based instructional technology, designed and developed to ease linear data structures understanding. The findings and results of this pilot study are favorable, corresponding to tests centered on user experience and learning impact.
doi:10.3991/ijet.v14i10.10051 fatcat:sxzzf5wcg5ccvd3kh7wnhiqljy