WebLab! A Web- and Java-Based Laboratory for Animated, Interactive Exploration of Computer Science

许多研究人员在程序动画、算法动画和计算机科学概念动画方面做了大量工作，这些动画可以作为低级本科计算机科学课程中实验室的基础。尽管这项工作令人印象深刻，但由于一个主要原因：动画软件只能在具有特定操作系统支持的特定计算机平台上运行，因此采用它的速度很慢。为了解决这个问题，各种研究人员已经开始使用HTML和Java使计算机科学动画系统适应万维网。这项提议的项目名为WebLab，将把PI在计算机科学动画方面所做的工作结合到一个模拟实验室课程中，该课程是动画的、动态的、交互的，几乎可以被任何计算机科学程序使用。所需要的只是一个支持Java-Ready浏览器的计算环境，如Netscape。WebLab项目将为入门计算机科学实验室建立基础设施。以网络为基础的基础设施将包括一套实验室练习以及一个支持基于超文本标记语言和Java的动画的用户界面、过去几年来由国际和平研究所开发的一个PASCAL程序动画师、一个更现代的编程语言(C/C++)的动画师和一套计算机科学概念动画(国际和平联合会已经在进行的工作)。其他研究人员开发的算法动画也将被纳入WebLab，使WebLab成为一个综合的实验室环境。由于WebLab将围绕HTML和Java进行开发，因此随着项目的进展，它将在Web上逐渐可用。WebLab的最终版本将通过Web以及独立的CD-ROM形式提供，以便与教科书和实验手册一起分发。万维网的普遍性将确保WebLab得到广泛传播和使用。

A substantial body of work by a number of researchers has been done in program animation, algorithm animation, and computer science concept animation that could be used as the basis for laboratories in the lower-level undergraduate computer science curriculum. In spite of the impressive nature of this work, however, it has been slow to be adopted for one primary reason: the animation software runs only on specific computer platforms with specific operating system support. To solve this problem, work has begun by various researchers on adapting computer science animation systems to the World Wide Web using HTML and Java. The project of this proposal, called WebLab, will combine work done by the PI in computer science animation into a model laboratory curriculum that is animated, dynamic, interactive, and usable by virtually any computer science program. All that will be needed is a computing environment that supports a Java-ready browser, such as Netscape. The WebLab project will result in an infrastructure for introductory computer science laboratories. The Web-based infrastructure will consist of a set of laboratory exercises along with a user interface supporting animation that is based on HTML and Java, a Pascal program animator developed over the past number of years by the PI, an animator for a more modern programming language (C/C++), and a set of computer science concept animations (work already in progress by the PI). Algorithm animations developed by other researchers will also be incorporated into WebLab, making WebLab a comprehensive laboratory environment. Since WebLab will be developed around HTML and Java, it will be available incrementally over the Web as the project progresses. Final versions of WebLab will be available via the Web as well as in self-contained CD-ROM form for distribution with textbooks and lab manuals. The universal nature of the World Wide Web will ensure that WebLab is widely disseminated and used.