CRII: SHF: Systematic Construction of Teaching Language Progressions for Embedded Domain-Specific Languages

该项目探讨了嵌入式领域特定语言（EDSL）的教学语言进展的发展，重点是使编程更容易为新手学习者。它解决了从基本编程到高级EDSL的挑战性过渡。该项目的新颖之处在于它将EDSL简化为入门版本的方法，逐渐引入复杂性，以及通过重新利用现有EDSL组件来构建这些教学语言的方法。该项目的影响是显著的，旨在使编程教育民主化，提高学习者对复杂编程语言的掌握，最终有助于建立一个更具包容性和技能的编程社区。在更技术的范围内，该项目采用结构化的方法创建两个量身定制的教学EDSL（tEDSL），专门用于代数模式匹配和约束逻辑编程。这些tEDSL的目的是在复杂性的演变，与学习者不断增长的熟练程度。研究者将对新手学生进行试点研究，以评估这些tEDSL的有效性，评估学习成果和参与水平。这一奋进有望在编程语言设计和计算机科学教育方面取得重大进展，促进学习者更容易地过渡到掌握专家级EDSL，并可能塑造未来编程教育的教学策略。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The project explores the development of teaching language progressions for Embedded Domain-Specific Languages (EDSLs), focusing on making programming more accessible to novice learners. It addresses the challenging transition from basic programming to advanced EDSLs. The project's novelties are its approach to simplify EDSLs into starter versions, gradually introducing complexity, and its methodology to construct these teaching languages by repurposing existing EDSL components. The project's impacts are significant, aiming to democratize programming education and enhance learners' grasp of complex programming languages, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and skilled programming community.In a more technical scope, the project employs a structured approach to create two tailored teaching EDSLs (tEDSLs), specifically for algebraic pattern matching and constraint logic programming. These tEDSLs are designed to evolve in complexity, aligning with the learners' growing proficiency. The investigator will conduct a pilot study with novice students to evaluate the effectiveness of these tEDSLs, assessing both learning outcomes and engagement levels. This endeavor is expected to yield significant advances in programming language design and computer science education, fostering an easier transition for learners to master expert-level EDSLs and potentially shaping future pedagogical strategies in programming education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.