PhD Dissertation Defence of Luca Chiodini
Teaching Introductory Programming Using Graphics as a Domain
USI, Lugano, Switzerland
Mon, Aug 25, 2025
Abstract
An increasingly wider and more diverse population is learning to program, with interests and motivations that often differ from traditional ones. Instructors try to cater to these new needs by designing learning experiences that go beyond classic domains and include, for example, multimedia. Graphics, in particular, has emerged as an attractive domain. However, this shift is not exempt from criticisms: programming graphics can be an engaging activity, but it might actually distract from the intended learning goals.
This dissertation aims to show that it is possible to design an approach to teach programming using graphics as a domain, thereby sustaining the engagement, without neglecting fundamental aspects of programming such as abstraction and problem decomposition. We start by reviewing existing approaches to graphics used in introductory programming, highlighting a number of pitfalls. We then present the PyTamaro approach: a Python library with a design that eschews these pitfalls, an unplugged introduction to programming based on the library, and a dedicated web platform that integrates pedagogical features to leverage the strengths of the approach.
The PyTamaro approach is evaluated in a controlled experiment using the popular turtle graphics as a baseline. Both groups reported high engagement. On transfer to questions outside the domain of graphics, we found few differences, despite the fact that the PyTamaro group had practiced on tasks isomorphic to those in the post-test.
We then conducted a case study with five Swiss high school teachers who have adopted the PyTamaro approach to teach programming. The study analyzed why they decided to adopt our approach, examined their teaching materials in depth, and collected the experience of using PyTamaro with their students. In summary, teachers recognized PyTamaro as a novel and engaging approach to graphics, used it to introduce most programming concepts, and emphasized the definition of functions as a means of abstraction. The case study also highlighted certain issues: teachers had to create their own materials, explained problem decomposition only in the domain of graphics, and struggled to reconcile the ideas of (im)mutable variables and constants.
Overall, the PyTamaro approach shows the feasibility of teaching introductory programming in an engaging way, emphasizing abstraction and decomposition. Its current use at three educational levels paves the way for future empirical investigations.