Learning a (programming) language from mistakes

Although making mistakes is usually associated with negative emotions, making mistakes is by no means “evidence of failure to learn”. Actually, making mistakes may enhance the learning process and might even be essential for an effective learning process. This project focusses on learning from mistakes a new language, be it a foreign human natural or a programming one. Although there are many differences between these two types of languages, both are characterised by sets of rules that constrain the use of certain expressions or forms. Not being familiar with all the rules, learners will make mistakes. The projects sets out to explore possibilities to develop an efficient automatic training system to assist students in learning a new (programming) language. The system uses a more refined manner of assessing students’ knowledge and understanding, that extends beyond traditional assessment tools, with the ultimate goal to turn mistakes into positive learning events. Read more…