Programming Osmosis: Knowledge Transfer from Imperative to Visual Programming Environments

Computer science educators continue to develop new ways to support the teaching of introductory programming. Among some of the most popular new tools are Visual Programming Languages (VPL), which provide graphical interfaces for code construction and program display. In this paper we explore the use of Alice, a sophisticated VPL for building 3D animated scenes. When used in conjunction with a traditional programming language, we found minimal transfer from the imperative context to the visual environment. We also found that students struggled to make the connection between work in Alice, and “real programming”. We suggest caution when using curricular materials which, while technologically appealing, may not be pedagogically appropriate.