The Learning and Productivity Benefits to Student Programmers from Real-World Development Environments

Existing research and practice in software development environments shows no clear consensus on the most appropriate development tools to use; these may range from simple text editors through teaching-oriented examples to full commercial integrated development environments (IDEs). This study addresses this gap by examining student perceptions of two development environments at opposite ends of the complexity spectrum. The results, gathered over several years using students at a range of experience levels, suggest that complex commercial IDEs are appropriate for programming education, even for entry-level students. Indeed, they offer a range of features that may improve the understanding and productivity of students. However, given the greater simplicity of simple text editors and potential for students to become overly dependent upon the support mechanisms provided by IDEs, teaching IDEs in combination with simple text editors appears to offer an ideal combination to maximize learning opportunities and student employability.