Teaching Java with the BlueJ Environment

BlueJ is a visual programming environment designed to teach objectoriented programming, using Java as the implementation language. BlueJ allows students to concentrate on solving programming problems without becoming distracted by the mechanics of compiling and executing Java programs. This paper reports on the first use of BlueJ to teach Java to an introductory programming class, in a computing degree in 1999. Several mechanisms were put in place to help students with any problems they encountered. Surveys and interviews were used to collect data on student backgrounds, perceptions and attitudes towards BlueJ. In spite of some problems encountered with installing and running the software, students who participated in the study generally found that BlueJ was helpful in