A Visual and Engaging Approach to Learning Computer Algorithms

Despite attempts by faculty to teach in ways that accommodate new styles of learning, there is much room for improvement. In order to adapt to students’ continually changing learning styles, efforts must be made to further modify teaching methods that include more relevance in visual, intuitive, and interactive ways. This paper focuses on a “mini” experimental reform aimed at introducing difficult concepts in computer algorithms in a way that students can relate to. The method is based on establishing students’ intuition by providing visual relevance-based content before focusing on mathematical understanding. The goal is to help students develop a core understanding of the subject matter, leading to an easier transition to deeper mathematical analysis. This is part of a greater effort at Florida Atlantic University to apply this method to different subjects in engineering such as control systems, calculus, and MATLAB. To gauge the receptiveness of the methodology, the techniques were applied over the course of a semester for a class titled “Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms”. The results, although preliminary, have been positive. A larger effort is presently being conducted re-assess the success of the method by monitoring the progress of a class and its individuals as the semester moves on.