This study implemented an intervention using a visual programming language (VPL) to improve students' understanding of basic programming concepts. The VPL learning environment may reduce the ...difficulties in programming language learning and is suitable for teaching students who are not computer science majors. Meanwhile, the difference in learning performance of students with different levels of self-efficacy was explored. The basic programming concepts included sequence, condition, and loop. A quasi-experimental design was employed in this study. The participants consisted of 180 students taking general courses at a university in southern Taiwan. Instruments included the Test of Basic Programming Concept and a self-efficacy questionnaire. The results indicated that the VPL teaching improved learners' understanding of basic programming concepts in the experimental group. The effect on basic programming concepts was especially large in students with moderate and low self-efficacy. The implication is that the VPL has extensive potential for programming courses in the general education of universities.
•This study implemented an intervention using the visual programming language.•App Inventor 2 was used to improve students' basic programming concepts.•The design-based learning strategy was used to the better understanding of the effects.•The visual programming language teaching improved learners' concepts.•The effect was especially large in students with moderate and low self-efficacy.
Maker education that incorporates computational thinking streamlines learning and helps familiarize learners with recent advances in science and technology. Computational thinking (CT) is a vital ...core capability that anyone can learn. CT can be learned through programming, in particular, via visual programming languages. The conclusions of most studies were based on quantitative or system-based results, whereas we automatically assessed CT learning progress using the Scratch visual programming language as a CT teaching tool and an integrated learning tracking system. The study shows that Scratch helped teachers to diagnose students’ individual weaknesses and provide timely intervention. Our results demonstrate that learners could complete tasks and solve problems using the core CT steps. After accomplishing numerous tasks, learners became familiar with the core CT concepts. The study also shows that despite increased learning anxiety when solving problems, all learners were confident and interested in learning, and completed each task step by step.
Circuit diagrams and Unified Modeling Language diagrams are just two examples of standard visual languages that help accelerate work by promoting regularity, removing ambiguity and enabling software ...tool support for communication of complex information. Ironically, despite having one of the highest ratios of graphical to textual information, biology still lacks standard graphical notations. The recent deluge of biological knowledge makes addressing this deficit a pressing concern. Toward this goal, we present the Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN), a visual language developed by a community of biochemists, modelers and computer scientists. SBGN consists of three complementary languages: process diagram, entity relationship diagram and activity flow diagram. Together they enable scientists to represent networks of biochemical interactions in a standard, unambiguous way. We believe that SBGN will foster efficient and accurate representation, visualization, storage, exchange and reuse of information on all kinds of biological knowledge, from gene regulation, to metabolism, to cellular signaling.
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•FEM analysis components enrich visual programming functionalities.•One-environment geometry modeling and analysis enhance the design.•Visual programming and genetic algorithm ...establish a practical optimization framework.•Genetic algorithm effectively manages implicitly formulated design constraints.
Arch bridges are essential components of transportation infrastructure. Their attractive geometry is based on a multitude of geometric parameters, which makes them a challenging design task. Therefore, arch bridges’ optimization should be aided by modern computational techniques and algorithms. This study presents an automated optimization process of steel through arch bridges. We merged visual programming, an accessible text programming alternative, with a genetic algorithm to establish an automated framework. We used Dynamo, an open-source civil engineering visual programming language (VPL), to develop a model generation script. Our finite element method (FEM) package enriched the basic VPL functions; it allowed geometry modeling and static strength analysis inside one parametric environment. Linked genetic algorithm replaced the designer in iterative, time-consuming optimization tasks, automating the process. The algorithm adjusted construction’s geometric parameters to provide solutions optimized for the typical objective: minimizing the material consumption while still fulfilling strength requirements. We evaluated the procedure with optimization of selected reference construction. The system dealt with cases of increasing complexity, adjusting cross-section dimensions, static scheme parameters, and material properties. The paper describes practical aspects of implementing and utilizing the visual programming-genetic algorithm solution, which can also be adapted for other structures, additional objectives, and constraints.
The standards development, technological advancement, and lifestyle evolution lead to different scenario in the construction sector, such as the users adapting to the buildings, the buildings ...adapting to the users, the demolition of the buildings or parts of them, which increase the waste production and resources depletion. On this background, there is a need to conceptualize the buildings flexibility aspects into sustainability-led design. This paper proposes a novel approach to evaluate the flexibility level of buildings by introducing six selective criteria, which are implemented in a BIM environment by coupling Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Visual Programming Language (VPL) tools. The results show that it is possible to automatically calculate the flexibility of buildings during the design process phases. Therefore, the real-time iteration potential of the method provides information for the decision-making process as a means of guiding designers towards more flexible and sustainable design choices.
•Metrics to calculate the flexibility level of buildings.•Multi-criteria decision approach to identify the weight of flexibility criteria.•Use of BIM-based approach to implement the flexibility metrics.•Use of Visual Programming Language tool to automatically perform the calculation.•Flexibility metrics as a decision-making tool to reach more sustainable solutions.
The main stages of development of a pipe network calculation application at the coding level in C# language are presented. Databases are implemented by Microsoft SQL Server. Visual Studio was used as ...an integrated development environment for code writing, as well as a rich set of control elements written using .NET Framework. The necessary solutions for the task was developed after complementing the functionality of these code control elements.
Due to the diversity of products and small batch sizes, production lines are often faced with reconfiguration or even line changes. Applying digital twin technology to production lines is one of the ...most promising approaches. However, factory personnel are not all aware and familiar with digital twin technology, and they have difficulty adapting or implementing digital twin scenarios. To more easily construct or reconfigure production line digital twin scenarios, this paper proposes a graphics-based, modular, and user-oriented digital twin software framework for production lines. The framework divides the digital twin implementation process into five functional modules: twin model construction, model operation, connection and interaction, control logic, visualization assistance and interaction, which are graphically encapsulated. The modular format helps standardize the construction and operation of the digital twin production line, and improves the flexibility and versatility of the framework. Meanwhile, multiple functional libraries are encapsulated to simplify the construction steps and processes based on graphical user interface. Combining visual programming to implement control logic in a low-code visual programming manner, reducing the difficulty of getting started. And various UI elements are used to enhance human–computer interaction. A digital twin platform was developed based on the proposed framework, and experiments were conducted with a hardware production line as an example. The experimental results show that it is feasible to construct digital twin production lines conveniently and reduce the complexity of the constructing process based on this platform, thus the feasibility of the framework is verified.
•To better realize digital twins, a theoretical model for modular digital twin with a two-layer structure is proposed.•A graphics-based, modular digital twin software framework is proposed for the rapid construction of production lines.•The models, interfaces, and programs in the framework are encapsulated into reusable modules for direct use.•The digital twin can be built intuitively through graphical interfaces, which can be oriented to non-technical users.
Several authors and studies highlight the benefits of the integration of Computer Science into K-12 education. Applications such as Scratch have been demonstrated to be effective in educational ...environments. The aim of this study is to assess the use of a Visual Programming Language using Scratch in classroom practice, analyzing the outcomes and attitudes of 107 primary school students from 5th to 6th grade in five different schools in Spain. The intervention takes place in two academic years analyzing the practice of integrating coding and visual blocks programming in sciences and arts. The “Computational concepts and computational practices” dimension details a quasi-experimental approach, which showed significant improvement regarding learning programming concepts, logic, and computational practices with an active approach. The “Learning processes and coding in primary education” dimension analyzes the practice of the experimental group through questionnaires and structured observation. In this pedagogical design, students interact and create their own content related to curricular areas with several advantages, such as motivation, fun, commitment, and enthusiasm, showing improvements related to computational thinking and computational practices. Understanding of computational concepts through an active approach, Project Based Learning, usefulness, motivation, and commitment underline the importance and effectiveness of implementing a Visual Programming Language from active methodologies in primary education. Due to the aforementioned benefits and positive results obtained in this research, it is recommended to implement a Visual Programming Language in educational settings in 5th and 6th grade in primary education through a cross-curricular implementation.
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•We analyze the use of “Scratch” through statistical inference and case study.•Pretest/posttest design (99%) Active approach and Computational Concepts.•Active Learning, contents in art and History, usefulness and fun.•Possibility of learning sequences, loops, parallelism and events.•Project Based Learning enables an active approach, obtaining high values.
Musculoskeletal modeling and simulation are powerful research and education tools in engineering, neuroscience, and rehabilitation. Interactive musculoskeletal models (IMMs) can be controlled by ...muscle activity recorded with electromyography (EMG). IMMs are typically coded using textual programming languages that present barriers to understanding for non-experts. The goal of this project was to use a visual programming language (Simulink) to create and test an IMM that is accessible to non-specialists for research and educational purposes.
The developed IMM allows users to practice a goal-directed task with different control modes (keyboard, mouse, and EMG) and actuator types (muscle model, force generator, and torque generator). Example data were collected using both keyboard and EMG control. One male participant in his early 40's performed a goal-directed task for four sequential trials using each control mode. For EMG control, the participant used a low-cost EMG system with consumer-grade EMG sensors and an Arduino microprocessor. The participant successfully performed the task with both control modes, but the inability to grade muscle model excitation and co-activate antagonist muscles limited performance with keyboard control. The IMM developed for this project serves as a foundation that can be further tailored to specific research and education needs.
With the development of visual programming languages, researchers pay attention to the automatic evaluation of visual projects. Previous work focus on the code evaluation but ignored another ...essential part—the visualization results. Scratch is a widely used programming platform, and projects created on it are displayed in the form of cartoon clips. It is valuable to explore the visual aesthetics embodied in these clips to fill the gap in the assessment system. We propose a model that predicts the human view scores of cartoon clips created on Scratch. Our method is divided into two steps to evaluate the aesthetic of the sequence images that compose cartoon clips. First, we train an image classification network to predict the relative aesthetics of individual images. Then we construct an aesthetic space for the sequence image and improve the rating within a specific range. We put forward ScratchGAN to generate a Scratch‐cartoon‐style aesthetic analysis data set for training the classification network. Experimental results show that our Generative Adversarial Network framework can well transform photos into a Scratch‐cartoon style. The single image assessment network can generate predictions that fit human cartoon aesthetic opinions. Our method achieves satisfactory results in the aesthetic evaluation of sequence cartoon images.
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