Supporting open-ended programming assignments

Self-directed, open-ended projects can enable students to pursue their own interests and lead to deep learning. However, it can be difficult to incorporate these kinds of projects into a traditional curriculum in which all students must master a set of basic skills. In this chapter, the authors describe the design and implementation of Storytelling Alice, a programming environment that presents computer programming as a means to the end of creating animated stories. By studying the kinds of animated movies that students envision creating, the chapter's authors were able to design the system such that typical student projects naturally motivate the set of basic concepts we want students to learn. The authors present a potential model for incorporating Storytelling Alice into a classroom setting using open-ended projects. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some directions for future work that may help to enable the use more open-ended projects in formal education.