@article{limke_lytle_mahmoud_lin_hill_catete_barnes_2023, title={Participatory Design with Teachers for Block-based Learning with SnapClass}, ISSN={["1943-6092"]}, DOI={10.1109/VL-HCC57772.2023.00028}, abstractNote={As computer science is increasingly taught in secondary schools, tools need to integrate block-based environments into learning platforms. This way, teachers can more effectively lead lessons, help students, and assess students' programs in their classrooms. We conducted a participatory design process with three K-12 computing teachers to understand their struggle and needs for block coding within their classrooms. The teachers identified 14 needs that were not already addressed by our tool, SnapClass. SnapClass, a new web-based learning platform for Snap!, integrates assignments with starter code, executable student submissions, rubric-based assessment, and a gradebook into one platform. The teachers designed prototypes for three features important to their classrooms: assignment differentiation, help-requests, and peer and self-assessment. This paper begins by introducing SnapClass and the motivation for its development. Then through thematic analysis of the session transcripts, we identify the common struggles teachers face while instructing programming and summarize how they would address those struggles through the design of SnapClass.}, journal={2023 IEEE SYMPOSIUM ON VISUAL LANGUAGES AND HUMAN-CENTRIC COMPUTING, VL/HCC}, author={Limke, Ally and Lytle, Nicholas and Mahmoud, Sana and Lin, Maggie and Hill, Marnie and Catete, Veronica and Barnes, Tiffany}, year={2023}, pages={173–178} }
 @article{cody_maniktala_lytle_chi_barnes_2021, title={The Impact of Looking Further Ahead: A Comparison of Two Data-driven Unsolicited Hint Types on Performance in an Intelligent Data-driven Logic Tutor}, ISSN={["1560-4306"]}, DOI={10.1007/s40593-021-00237-3}, abstractNote={Research has shown assistance can provide many benefits to novices lacking the mental models needed for problem solving in a new domain. However, varying approaches to assistance, such as subgoals and next-step hints, have been implemented with mixed results. Next-Step hints are common in data-driven tutors due to their straightforward generation from historical student data, as well as research showing positive impacts on student learning. However, there is a lack of research exploring the possibility of extending data-driven methods to provide higher-level assistance. Therefore, we modified our data-driven Next-Step hint generator to provide Waypoints, hints that are a few steps ahead, representing problem-solving subgoals. We hypothesized that Waypoints would benefit students with high prior knowledge, and that Next-Step hints would most benefit students with lower prior knowledge. In this study, we investigated the influence of data-driven hint type, Waypoints versus Next-Step hints, on student learning in a logic proof tutoring system, Deep Thought, in a discrete mathematics course. We found that Next-Step hints were more beneficial for the majority of students in terms of time, efficiency, and accuracy on the posttest. However, higher totals of successfully used Waypoints were correlated with improvements in efficiency and time in the posttest. These results suggest that Waypoint hints could be beneficial, but more scaffolding may be needed to help students follow them.}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION}, author={Cody, Christa and Maniktala, Mehak and Lytle, Nicholas and Chi, Min and Barnes, Tiffany}, year={2021}, month={May} }
 @inproceedings{lytle_cateté_dong_boulden_akram_houchins_barnes_wiebe_2019, place={Chengdu, Sichuan, China}, title={CEO: A Triangulated Evaluation of a Modeling-Based CT-Infused CS Activity for Non-CS Middle Grade Students}, ISBN={9781450362597}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3300115.3309527}, DOI={10.1145/3300115.3309527}, abstractNote={With the increased demand for introducing computational thinking (CT) in K-12 classrooms, educational researchers are developing integrated lesson plans that can teach CT fundamentals in non-computing specific classrooms. Although these lessons reach more students through the core curriculum, proper evaluation methods are needed to ensure the quality of the design and integration. As part of a research practice partnership, we work to infuse research-backed curricula into science courses. We find a three-pronged approach of evaluation can help us make better decisions on how to improve experimental curricula for active classrooms. This CEO model uses three data sources (student code traces, exit ticket responses, and field observations) as a triangulated approach that can be used to identify programming behavior among novice developers, preferred task ordering for the assignment, and scaffolding recommendations to teachers. This approach allows us to evaluate the practical implementations of our initiative and create a focused approach for designing more effective lessons.}, booktitle={Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Global Computing Education  - CompEd '19}, publisher={ACM Press}, author={Lytle, Nicholas and Cateté, Veronica and Dong, Yihuan and Boulden, Danielle and Akram, Bita and Houchins, Jennifer and Barnes, Tiffany and Wiebe, Eric}, year={2019}, pages={58–64} }
 @article{lytle_2019, title={Towards Data-Driven Programming Problem Generation for Mastery Learning}, DOI={10.1145/3291279.3339447}, abstractNote={Research into intelligent programming systems has lead to numerous means of providing help to students during programming tasks but not in generating the right problem for students to work through. My work will be in developing and analyzing a programming problem generator for mastery learning that will leverage student data and incorporate methods for instructional design for programming tasks to give students the best problem to practice and achieve proficiency}, journal={ICER '19 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2019 ACM CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL COMPUTING EDUCATION RESEARCH}, author={Lytle, Nicholas}, year={2019}, pages={339–340} }
 @article{catete_lytle_dong_boulden_akram_houchins_barnes_wiebe_lester_mott_et al._2018, title={Infusing Computational Thinking into Middle Grade Science Classrooms: Lessons Learned}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85056713650&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1145/3265757.3265778}, abstractNote={There is a growing need to present all students with an opportunity to learn computer science and computational thinking (CT) skills during their primary and secondary education. Traditionally, these opportunities are available outside of the core curriculum as stand-alone courses often taken by those with preparatory privilege. Researchers have identified the need to integrate CT into core classes to provide equitable access to these critical skills. We have worked in a research-practice partnership with two magnet middle schools focused on digital sciences to develop and implement computational thinking into life sciences classes. In this report, we present initial lessons learned while conducting our design-based implementation research on integrating computational thinking into middle school science classes. These case studies suggest that several factors including teacher engagement, teacher attitudes, student prior experience with CS/CT, and curriculum design can all impact student engagement in integrated science-CT lessons.}, journal={WIPSCE'18: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 13TH WORKSHOP IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COMPUTING EDUCATION}, publisher={ACM Press}, author={Catete, Veronica and Lytle, Nicholas and Dong, Yihuan and Boulden, Danielle and Akram, Bita and Houchins, Jennifer and Barnes, Tiffany and Wiebe, Eric and Lester, James and Mott, Bradford and et al.}, year={2018}, pages={109–114} }
 @article{lytle_floryan_amin_2017, title={Experience, experiment, evaluate: A framework for assessing experiential games}, volume={4}, number={1}, journal={International Journal of Serious Games}, author={Lytle, N. and Floryan, M. and Amin, D.}, year={2017}, pages={15–30} }