| Type of Document |
Dissertation |
| Author |
Lane, H. Chad
|
| Author's Email Address |
lane@ict.usc.edu |
| URN |
etd-12082004-151424 |
| Title |
Natural Language Tutoring and the Novice Programmer |
| Degree |
Doctor of Philosophy |
| Program |
Computer Science |
| School |
School of Arts and Sciences |
| Advisory Committee |
| Advisor Name |
Title |
| Kurt VanLehn |
Committee Chair |
| Diane Litman |
Committee Member |
| Janyce Wiebe |
Committee Member |
| Marian Petre |
Committee Member |
| Peter Brusilovsky |
Committee Member |
|
| Keywords |
- intelligent tutoring systems
- computer science education
- dialogue systems
- artificial intelligence
- novice programmers
- programming instruction
|
| Date of Defense |
2004-09-08 |
| Availability |
unrestricted |
Abstract
For beginning programmers, inadequate problem solving and planning skills are among the most salient of their weaknesses. Novices, by definition, lack much of the tacit knowledge that underlies effective programming. This dissertation examines the efficacy of natural language tutoring (NLT) to foster acquisition of this tacit knowledge. Coached Program Planning (CPP) is proposed as a solution to the problem of teaching the tacit knowledge of programming. The general aim is to cultivate the development of such knowledge by eliciting and scaffolding the problem solving and planning activities that novices are known to underestimate or bypass altogether. ProPL (pro-PELL), a dialogue-based intelligent tutoring system based on CPP, is also described. In an evaluation, the primary findings were that students who received tutoring from ProPL seemed to exhibit an improved ability compose plans and displayed behaviors suggestive of thinking at greater levels of abstraction than students in a read-only control group. The major finding is that NLT appears to be effective in teaching program composition skills.
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| Files |
| Filename |
Size |
Approximate Download Time
(Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
|
| 28.8 Modem |
56K Modem |
ISDN (64 Kb) |
ISDN (128 Kb) |
Higher-speed Access |
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lane04-diss.pdf |
2.35 Mb |
00:10:53 |
00:05:35 |
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