Unlimited trace tutor: Learning code tracing with automatically generated programs

Abstract

Previous research showed that creating specific types of tracing tables helps students learn code tracing, a fundamental skill in computer programming. This paper introduces Unlimited Trace Tutor, the first version of a code tracing tutoring system that can automatically generate tracing problems and create such tracing tables. We conducted a pilot experiment with volunteer students from an introductory level Computer Science course. We found that our software effectively helps student learn tracing for loops, while loops, and if statements. In this paper we describe the system's architecture, our algorithms for generating code and tracing tables, and the promising results of our pilot experiment.