Peer Review

Algorithm Animations and Visualizations

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 26, 2018 by Computer Science

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This website provides animations for CS algorithms.

Type of Material:

Animation

Recommended Uses:

In-class, flipped classes, self-paced. The animations can be used in all cases, but will be best used with some guidance and organization by the instructor.

Technical Requirements:

Web browser (capable of running Javascript animation)

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Good animations for sorting mechanisms, data structures etc. Upon the completion of this material, students should be able to:

Describe different algorithms, such as sorting, graphs, etc.
Describe the characteristics of each algorithm

Target Student Population:

College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Undergraduate

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic knowledge in programming and data structures.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The content is very complete and comprehensive. It contains animations for a number of algorithms which are essential for learners. It can effectively help learners to grasp the concents of these algorithm and understanding their characteristics.

In summary, the collection of animations is broad. The animations are clear and allow for adequate interaction with the user/learner.

Concerns:

Instructions on how to use the materials are missing. This is fine if an instructor is to use the materials as supplementary materials. However, this could be an issue for a novice who is just visiting the website without any instructions or supervision.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The learning objectives of the Website are very clear. It contains a number of animations or videos to demonstrate the concept of different algorithms. It can enhance students' learning effectiveness and concepts. It can be used as self-study materials or in-class for demonstration.
Concerns:: Some of the animations could provide more information. For example, for the 3rd animation in selection sort, where the user can step through the code, the values of i and j could have been shown in each step.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The Website is ver clear and different animations and videos are well organized. The animations and videos are very interesting and visually appealing. One good thing is that the animation shows the program code side-by-side. Students can actually know how the program runs. In summary, usablity is excellent and the animations are very intuitive to use.

Other Issues and Comments:: Overall, this collection of animations is an excellent resource. Well-curated and appropriate for CS fundamentals.
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