Improving Compilers Education through Symbol Tables Animations

J. Urquiza-Fuentes, F. Manso, J.Á. Velázquez-Iturbide, M. Rubio-Sánchez. 16th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) 2011, Pages 203-207
Abstract. This paper presents the evaluation of an educational tool focused on the visualization of the symbol table in the context of a compiler course. In a first evaluation we used simulation exercises and tested basic concepts of symbol tables. We detected efficiency improvements, students who used the tool completed the exercises with the same grading and significantly faster than the students who did not use the tool. In addition students' opinion was positive. In a second evaluation we used more active tasks, and tested students' skills on writing parser specifications regarding symbol table management. We have detected significant improvements. Students who used the tool outperformed those who did not use the tool in a 22%.

Syntax Trees Visualization in Language Processing Courses

F.J. Almeida-Martínez, J. Urquiza-Fuentes. Ninth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT) 2009, Pages 597-601

Abstract. This paper describes the educational tool VAST. We designed VAST to be used in compiler and language processing courses. The current version allows generating and visualizing syntax trees and their construction process. The main advantages of VAST follow: it is designed to be as independent from the parser generator as possible, it allows students to visualize the behaviour of parsers they develop, and it has an interface designed to easily handle huge syntax trees. We describe different ways of using VAST in educational settings as well as a usability evaluation.

A Survey of Successful Evaluations of Program Visualization and Algorithm Animation Systems

J. Urquiza-Fuentes, J.Á. Velázquez-Iturbide. Trans. Comput. Educ. 9(2), June 2009, Pages 1-21

Abstract. This article reviews successful educational experiences in using program and algorithm visualizations (PAVs). First, we survey a total of 18 PAV systems that were subject to 33 evaluations. We found that half of the systems have only been tested for usability, and those were shallow inspections. The rest were evaluated with respect to their educational effectiveness. Script-based systems seem to be well suited for the viewing, responding, and changing engagement levels, while compiler-based systems do well for the construction and presenting engagement levels. Finally, we analyze additional PAV features of successful evaluations and hypothesize that they are relevant.

Visualization of Syntax Trees for Language Processing Courses

F.J. Almeida-Martínez, J. Urquiza-Fuentes, J.Á. Velázquez-Iturbide. Journal of Universal Computer Science 15(7), 2009, Pages 1546-1561 

Abstract. This article describes the educational tool VAST. We designed VAST to be used in compiler and language processing courses. The current version allows generat- ing and visualizing syntax trees and their construction process. The main advantages of VAST follow: it is designed to be as independent from the parser generator as possible, it allows students to visualize the behavior of parsers they develop, and it has an inter- face designed to easily handle huge syntax trees. Finally, we describe two satisfactory preliminary evaluations from the usability and educational points of view.

Improving a Zoom+Pan Interface with Overview+Detail or Focus+Context Features: A Comparative Evaluation

J. Urquiza-Fuentes, C.A. Lázaro-Carrascosa and J.Á. Velázquez-Iturbide. In Engineering the User Interface From Research to Practice, 2008, Pages 221-238

Abstract. We present an evaluation of adding Focus+Context vs. Overview+Deatil features to a Zoom+Pan interface. The framework of the evaluation is an interface to deal with large sets of items with specific structural properties (sequential order, heterogeneous sizes), and behavior requirements (flexible interaction, maximizing screen space, minimizing changes in screen). The evaluation involved 43 participants. We studied the effect of three factors (namely, experience with the tasks, size of the sets, and tasks performed with the same set) on effectiveness, efficiency and user's satisfaction. The results show that experienced users of the interface enhanced with the Focus+Context features obtained the best results on effectiveness and efficiency. Furthermore, a satisfaction questionnaire showed that users felt more comfortable with the Focus+Context approach.