Section 1.5.2

Review of the Java Tutor

The Java Tutor website provides an online tutorial on the basic features of Java (i.e. if statements, declaration, while loops, for loops, arrays).  Following each explanation of a basic feature of Java, the Java Tutor executes sample pieces of code line-by-line and draws helpful diagrams.  The Java Tutor does not provide any quizzes or interaction between the students and the professor.

Good Features:

• Always displays available lessons
• Provides good written explanations of the material
• Provides several examples for each Java feature
• Runs through a piece of code line-by-line describing each step and drawing appropriate pictures

Bad Features:

• Requires student to save code examples to hard drive in order to edit, run and compile them
• Screen layout has a lot of empty space
• Different number of buttons and different size buttons at the bottom of each page

Missing Features:

• No professor feedback
• No log-in name to track a student’s progress
• No quiz feature to give students feedback on how their code ran
• No way for professor to write their own lessons