An Interactive Laboratory Infrastructure for Computer Science

9455588 Ross这个项目的目标是设计和开发一个基础设施，围绕这个基础设施可以实现计算机科学的正式实验室。基础设施的核心组件是一个名为DYNALAB（动态实验室）的软件系统。DYNALAB将运行在Macintosh和ibm兼容的个人计算机上，以及连接到中央计算机的x终端上。使用DYNALAB的学生可以通过面向完全新手的用户界面访问一个全面的、易于修改和扩展的程序和实验库，包括程序结构实验（例如，迭代、选择、递归、执行路径确定、参数传递机制、函数、过程等）、算法的黑盒确定、时间复杂度、空间复杂度、程序验证等。一个复杂的程序动画组件允许程序向前和反向执行，同时动态地以交互的方式显示程序执行的相关方面，如当前执行的语句、变量的值、指针引用、语句和内存单元计数（用于时间和空间复杂性实验）。算法动画组件还允许在屏幕上以正向和反向模式呈现算法的抽象图形表示，用于算法和数据结构的研究。最后，概念动画包括基本的计算机科学概念的研究，如编译，多任务处理，棘手，等等。正式实验室在计算机科学课程中的可取性是有据可考的，但由于缺乏实验室资源，很少有机构将其纳入其中。预计DYNALAB将被广泛采用，作为计算机科学实验室设计的工具。

9455588 Ross The objective of this project is the design and development of an infrastructure around which formal laboratories in computer science can be implemented. The central component of the infrastructure is a software system called DYNALAB, for DYNAmic LABoratory. DYNALAB will run on Macintosh and IBM-compatible personal computers, as well as X-terminals connected to central computers. Students using DYNALAB have access--through a user interface oriented towards complete novices--to a comprehensive, easily modifiable, and extendible library of programs and experiments, including experiments in program structure (e.g., iteration, selection, recursion, execution-path determination, parameter passing mechanisms, functions, procedures, and so forth), black box determination of algorithms, time complexity, space complexity, program verification, and others. A sophisticated program animation component allows the execution of programs both forwards and in reverse, while displaying dynamically and in interactive fashion the pertinent aspects of program execution, such as the currently executing statement, values of variables, pointer references, and statement and memory cell counts (for time and space complexity experiments). Algorithm animation components also allow abstract graphical representations of algorithms to be presented on a screen in forward and reverse modes for algorithm and data structure studies. Finally, concept animations are included for the study of fundamental computer science concepts, such as compiling, multitasking, intractability, and so forth. The desirability of formal laboratories in the computer science curriculum is well documented, but few institutions ha e incorporated them for lack of laboratory resources. It is expected that DYNALAB will be widely adopted as a tool around which computer science laboratories can be designed.