2018/08/03 by Ludwik Trammer, Trammer, Ludwik, Nunez, Jamie
Computer Science · Psychology · #Computers and Society (cs.CY) #Educational Games and Gamification #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Software Engineering (cs.SE) #Teaching and Learning Programming
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1808.01100
openalex publication_date 2018/08/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this paper, we present Code Shrew, a new software platform accompanied by an interactive programming course. Its aim is to teach the fundamentals of computer programming by enabling users to create their own drawings and animations. The programming language has a straightforward syntax based on Python, with additions that enable easy drawing and animating using object-oriented code. The editor reacts seamlessly and instantly, providing an engaging and interactive environment for experimenting and testing ideas. The programming course consists of lessons that cover essential programming principles, as well as challenges to test users' skills as they progress through the course. Both the lessons and challenges take advantage of the editor's instant feedback, allowing for a focus on learning-by-doing. We describe the software and the content, the motivation behind them, and their connection to constructionism.