Evaluating the Application and Understanding of Elementary Programming Patterns

Programming patterns are stereotypic fragments of code that accomplish common programming goals. The ability to recall, apply and evaluate patterns are important outcomes for learning to program. However, monitoring students use of patterns is currently difficult and time-consuming, requiring expert analysis and code walk-throughs. This paper introduces a method and automated tool for labelling the application (or not) of patterns in Java programs that enables instructors to specify and then analyse the programming patterns used by students. An empirical study is used to identify what patterns variations occur, how frequently, and why. The what and how questions are answered using automatic analysis with our tool, and the why question is answered from student explanations of their code.