FULLY INTEGRATING ALGORITHM VISUALIZATION INTO A CS2 COURSE

We describe a two-year experience of fully integrating algorithm visualization technology into a CS2 course on data structures and algorithms. Our integration methodology was based on the engagement taxonomy proposed by the working group on Improving the Educational Impact of Algorithm Visualization: in particular, we used five forms of engagement of this taxonomy, that is, the no-viewing, the viewing, the changing, the constructing and the presenting forms. The integration of algorithm visualization technology into the course culminated in the writing of a textbook on the design, analysis and visualization of data structures and algorithms, whose reading is strictly dependent on the use of an algorithm visualization tool, called Alvie, which has been developed by the authors.