Pockets: A Tool To Support Exploratory Programming For Novices And Educators

Exploratory programming is one of the programming techniques, and it is considered to be an effective way to improve programming skills for novices. However, there is no existing system or programming environment educating exploratory programming for novices. Therefore, we have developed a tool, named as Pockets, to support novice's exploratory programming. Through Pockets, educators are able to identify where and when novices experience difficulties during exploratory programming. In addition, it is possible to assist educators' mentoring by referring collected logs through the proposed system. We have also conducted a case study and evaluated the usefulness of the tool. As a result, Pockets makes novices' exploratory programming more efficient, and also allows more accurate advice by educators.