On the Usefulness of Animated Structograms in Teaching Algorithms and Programming

Abstract

This document describes an online tool, which supports different synchronized views onto the same algorithm in parallel, e.g. structograms (Nassi–Shneiderman diagrams), Java code and the state of used variables. It can also animate the program and data flow. This is essential for self-controlled learning especially for novice programmers. Students can focus on the view they prefer and explore the relationship to the other views at their own speed, e.g. by stepping through the program and visualize the current state of the variables as well as the console output. The tool gives the possibility to modify the structure as well as the texts in the structograms. It supports exports into different file formats, i.e. for the creation of teaching material or solutions for exercises. The HTML5 implementation allows easy access to the tool on different platforms as well as its integration into web-based learning environments.