A cross-cultural review of lightbot for introducing functions and code reuse

Abstract

Functions and code reuse are often among the first topics that students find challenging in introductory programming courses. This paper describes the use of Lightbot to introduce students to these concepts in two post-secondary classrooms in different countries, cultural contexts, and curricula. This work suggests that Lightbot might offer an effective and engaging introduction to these concepts regardless of cultural setting. In this paper we discuss and analyze student responses.