THE EMERGENT REQUIREMENTS FOR VISUAL TEACHING TOOLS FOR SUPPORTING INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMMING: A CASE STUDY OF BOTHO UNIVERSITY, FRANCISTOWN

At Botho University we offer a BSc (Computer Science) where in the third year students are required to choose specialization stream; software, hardware or general stream. The challenge has been that over years we have experienced a high rate of attrition in students who select the software (programming) stream and preliminary findings indicated that learners have preconceived perception that programming is difficult. However, it should be noted that programming's importance has not diminished and as such should form part of the core curricula of undergraduate computer science. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate how best students learning introductory programming can be supported and their interest cultivated by use of the ultimate visual support tools. It first compares the attrition rates experienced by the Software stream when compared to other streams from January 2009 to July 2014. Secondly, the researchers will discuss the core requirements for ultimate visual tools for supporting novice programmers and lastly we will present a framework to standardize the design and development. Furthermore, the simple BOWI/2012/01 framework is proposed as a guide for restructuring the curricula for novice programmers. Finally, recommendations for further studies into the effects of the visual teaching aids for supporting introductory programming in object-oriented programming is recommended.