Alice (software)
| Alice
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|---|---|
 Screenshot of Alice 2.0 |
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| Basic data
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| developer | Carnegie Mellon University, USA |
| Publishing year | 1998 |
| Current version |
3.5 ( October 4, 2019 ) |
| operating system | Windows , macOS , Linux |
| programming language | Java |
| category | Programming languages for children |
| License | BSD license |
| German speaking | Yes |
| www.alice.org | |
Alice is an introductory object-oriented programming language published by Carnegie Mellon University under the BSD license and the development environment of the same name that was developed for educational purposes. With Alice, middle school children can populate a virtual world with animated 3D objects and people (including characters from Alice in Wonderland). The language allows users to create computer animations from 3D models using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It is an attempt to solve the three basic problems of learning programming languages:
- Most programming languages were developed to make software, which leads to a high level of complexity. Alice was designed to learn programming.
- Alice is directly related to its development environment , so there is no need to learn any special syntax . Still, Alice supports the object-oriented, event-driven model of programming.
- Most programming languages only allow you to program calculations while Alice focuses on storytelling. It is believed that this approach will make the language particularly interesting for female students.
Due to different target groups and objectives, both Alice 2.x and Alice 3.x should be seen as equivalent current software versions.
outlook
The development of version 3.0 of Alice is supported by Electronic Arts . The finished software should use 3D objects from The Sims 2 .
research
In controlled studies at Ithaca College and Saint Joseph's University , students used the Alice language for their first computer science classes, with an average grade of between C and B, which far outperformed other classes without Alice.
Trivia
According to Randy Pausch , the name "Alice" comes from the author Lewis Carroll who wrote the book Alice in Wonderland .
literature
- Learning to Program with Alice, Wanda P. Dann, Stephen Cooper, Randy Pausch : ISBN 0-13-187289-3
- An Introduction to Programming Using Alice, Charles W. Herbert ISBN 1-4188-3625-7
- Alice 2.0: Introductory Concepts and Techniques; Gary B. Shelly, Thomas J. Cashman, Charles W. Herbert ISBN 1-4188-5934-6
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Research by Stephen Cooper (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice
- ↑ http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=faq#Storytelling
- ^ Carnegie Mellon Collaborates with EA to Revolutionize and Reinvigorate Computer Science Education in the US
- ↑ Carnegie Mellon Collaborates with EA to Revolutionize And Reinvigorate ( Memento of September 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive )