context-oriented learning, like what informal learners do, is that the resulting knowledge can become context-bound and make it difficult to transfer to or from other similar settings. 2 Thus, there is a great opportunity for computing educators to explore how to foster conceptual knowledge growth in such communities while at the same time recognizing existing practices favoring example-driven learning.

In our work, we sought to balance these two issues by creating collections of annotated scripting examples. Each example project presents a solution to a realistic programming task for graphic designers (that is, using the same tools and language). For example, one project creates a script that manipulates image layers in a Photoshop document. The project outlines multiple versions of the script, moving from an iterative solution to a recursive one as a natural response to unexpected results discovered when the script is used on various images.

A key component of our projects distinguishing them from other materials a user might find on the Web is that each project includes a narrative description of the code’s development, explaining relevant programming concepts (for example, recursion) as they are used in context. This narrative interleaves explanations with progressively more complete example code, and failure drives the narrative forward.

Essentially, each project serves as a case study that learners can review to access example code as well as instruction. Our evaluation of this resource has shown that these explicit connections to conceptual content can in fact lead to measurable learning gains for end-user programmers. 3 We were able to promote learning by briefly articulating details about concepts as they were used in the code while not negatively impacting the overall usability of the examples for those that did not need the explanations.

Roles for educators

Our work over the past several years has further convinced us of the importance of educators and others involved in formal educational or training institutions to actively consider the role informal learning is playing in the computing landscape. We see

We see several
ways to increase
involvement in efforts
to support the vast
population of adults
engaging in informal
computing education.

several ways to increase involvement in efforts to support the vast population of adults engaging in informal computing education.

First, educators can provide access to the curricular resources already being generated for our classes. Informal learners are often concerned with the reliability and credibility of examples, so our respected, well-known institutions have the opportunity to disseminate high-quality information about computing. MIT’s OpenCourseWare initiative ( http://ocw.mit.edu/cours-es/) is an excellent example. However, given the diversity of the professional domains engaged in end-user programming and their respective differences and contextual needs, it is unlikely that providing online materials alone will be adequate.

We should also actively lead the development of non-traditional educational opportunities offering con-text-specific courses or seminars that include conceptual instruction in computing. Rather than developing these in isolation, we must reach out and collaborate with groups of informal learners. Many end-user programming activities make use of scripting or programming affordances within commercial software packages, and most cities have active user groups for such software tools. Building collaborative partnerships with these groups to develop, distribute, and disseminate contextualized computing education has the potential to impact many of these previously underserved adult learners.

There remain many open opportunities in this space for computing education and human-computer interaction researchers alike. Among them:

˲ ˲ We need a better understanding of the information ecologies upon which various end-user programmers rely, so that we can provide useful information in ways that merge with their existing informal learning strategies.

˲ ˲ New programming environments should be designed that recognize the role of Web search and example code (like Blueprint1). Furthermore, they should be evaluated not only for whether they enable users to complete a script, but also for the degree to which they can promote learning of computing concepts.

˲ ˲ We can build on the roles that Web-based forums, online communities, and other forms of social media (for example, Twitter, Facebook) play in knowledge exchange among informal learners.

A final charge for educators pertains to the future generation of young professionals. We must rethink the design of our computer science courses to invite students from other disciplines across campus to gain a solid foundation in computing as it pertains to their fields of study. A fundamental aspect of this should be increased interdisciplinary and collaborative educational offerings with other STEM and non-STEM departments. By broadening our own definitions of computing education both on and off campus we might ensure that the next generation has the computational skills and general knowledge needed to succeed in their professions, whatever those professions might be.

 

References

1. Brandt, J. et al. example-centric programming: Integrating Web search into the development environment. In Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘ 10). aCM, new york, 2010, 513–522; http://doi. acm.org/10.1145/1753326.1753402

2. Bransford, J. et al. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. national academy Press, Washington, D. C., 2000.

3. Dorn, B. a case-based approach for supporting the informal computing education of end-user programmers. Doctoral dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.

4. Dorn, B. and Guzdial, M. Discovering computing: Perspectives of Web designers. In Proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop on Computing Education Research (ICER ‘ 10). aCM, new york, ny, 2010, 23–30; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1839594.1839600

5. Scaffidi, C. et al. estimating the numbers of end users and end user programmers. IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing, 2005, 207–214.

Brian Dorn ( [e-mail]) is an assistant professor of computer science and multimedia Web design and development at the university of Hartford in West Hartford, CT. Copyright held by author.