SGER: Creativity and Computer Programming: A New Research Program

这个项目调查人类的创造力，以此为基础：创建这种创造力的计算模型；在人工智能和软件工程(称为自动编程)的交叉点上推进这一领域；以及开发教育技术，以更好地教授计算机编程。该项目通过计算机编程中创造力的新理论模型来促进计算创造力，朝着自动编程的重大贡献迈进，并对更好的计算机编程教育提出见解。该项目将设计一种将计算机编程作为一种创造性过程的正式理论。这一形式理论将对独立于领域的人类创造力的最重要的计算理论施加明确的限制。将设计一些形式理论的初步实现和相应的演示。作为形式理论的先驱，将开发一个通用的编程创造力体系结构。该项目将开发算法示意图，展示如何利用人类程序员的创造力来开发一种新的自动编程方法。计算创造力和自动编程的正式模型将为如何更好地培训计算机程序员提供指导。学生将接触到编程创造力的计算模型，该模型集成了演绎、归纳和溯因推理。在程序设计的创造性/探索性部分，还将向学生介绍图解思维和推理在可视化数据结构和此类数据结构上的转换中的作用。在程序设计教学中强调创造力将吸引更多的学生学习计算机科学。

This project investigates human creativity as a basis for: creating computational models of such creativity; advancing the area at the intersection of artificial intelligence and software engineering known as automatic programming; and developing educational technology to better teach computer programming. The project advances computational creativity with a new theoretical model of creativity in computer programming, steps toward a significant contribution to automatic programming, and insights into better education in computer programming. The project will devise a formal theory of computer programming as a creative process. This formal theory would place clear constraints on an overarching computational theory of domain-independent human creativity. Some initial implementations and corresponding demonstrations of the formal theory will be engineered. As a precursor to the formal theory, a general architecture of programming creativity will be developed. The project will develop algorithm-sketches showing how the creativity of human programmers can by exploited to develop a new approach to automatic programming. The formal models of computational creativity and automatic programming will provide guidance as to how to better train computer programmers. Students will be exposed to computational models of programming creativity that integrate deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning. Students will also be introduced to the role of diagrammatic thinking and reasoning in visualizing data structures and transformations on such data structures during the creative/exploratory part of programming. An emphasis on creativity in the teaching of programming will entice a greater number of students to pursue computer science.