Simplifying Programming for Non-technical Students: A Hermeneutic Approach

Area of Science:

• Computer Science Education
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Traditional computational thinking (CT) courses often provide generic programming knowledge.
• This approach may not resonate with non-technical students from diverse academic backgrounds.
• Existing simplification strategies may not adequately address the specific needs of learners outside of computer science majors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel hermeneutic approach for simplifying programming education for non-technical university students.
• To develop a minimalistic programming tool (Medialib) tailored to students' pre-existing digital media understanding.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in making programming concepts relevant to students' specific fields of study.

Main Methods:

• A hermeneutic approach combining the hermeneutic spiral and notional machines.
• Development of Medialib, a minimalistic Python multimedia library for creating visual media and games.
• Empirical case studies at the University of Kyushu and the University of Southern Denmark.
• Comparison of learning tool simplicity using Notional Machines.

Main Results:

• Medialib enables non-technical students to create visual media and games with concise code.
• The hermeneutic approach successfully contextualizes programming problems within students' academic disciplines.
• Case studies indicate positive reception and learning outcomes for students using Medialib.
• Notional Machines analysis suggests Medialib offers a simpler learning experience compared to other tools.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hermeneutic approach, supported by Medialib, effectively simplifies programming for non-technical students.
• Context-specific programming education enhances relevance and engagement for diverse learners.
• This methodology provides a scalable model for introductory computational thinking courses.