Algorithm Visualization: The State of the Field

• Published in: ACM transactions on computing education Vol. 10; no. 3
• Main Authors: Shaffer, Clifford A, Cooper, Matthew L, Alon, Alexander Joel D, Akbar, Monika, Stewart, Michael, Ponce, Sean, Edwards, Stephen H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association for Computing Machinery 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Computer Science Education; Information Dissemination; Information Management; Instructional Effectiveness; Instructional Materials; Mathematics; Undergraduate Study; Value Judgment; Visual Aids; Visualization
• ISSN: 1946-6226; 1946-6226
• DOI: 10.1145/1821996.1821997

We present findings regarding the state of the field of Algorithm Visualization (AV) based on our analysis of a collection of over 500 AVs. We examine how AVs are distributed among topics, who created them and when, their overall quality, and how they are disseminated. There does exist a cadre of good AVs and active developers. Unfortunately, we found that many AVs are of low quality, and coverage is skewed toward a few easier topics. This can make it hard for instructors to locate what they need. There are no effective repositories of AVs currently available, which puts many AVs at risk for being lost to the community over time. Thus, the field appears in need of improvement in disseminating materials, propagating known best practices, and informing developers about topic coverage. These concerns could be mitigated by building community and improving communication among AV users and developers. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure, and 1 footnote.)