Academic literature on the topic 'Programming Concept'

Software comprehension is one of the most expensive activities in software maintenance and many tools have been developed to help the maintainer reduce the time and cost of the task. Of the numerous tools and methods available, one group has received relatively little attention: those using plausible reasoning to address the concept assignment problem. This problem is defined as the process of assigning descriptive terms to their implementation in source code, the terms being nominated by a user and usually relating to computational intent. It has two major research issues: Segmentation: finding the location and extent of concepts in the source code.Concept Binding', determining which concepts are implemented at these locations. This thesis presents a new concept assignment method: Hypothesis-Based Concept Assignment (HB-CA). A framework for the activity of software comprehension is defined using elements of psychological theory and software tools. In this context, HB-CA is presented as a successful concept assignment method for COBOL II, employing a simple knowledge base (the library) to model concepts, source code indicators, and inter-concept relationships. The library and source code are used to generate hypotheses on which segmentation and concept binding are performed. A two-part evaluation is presented using a prototype implementation of HB-CA. The first part shows that HB-CA has linear computational growth in the length of program under analysis. Other characteristics addressed include HB-CA's scalability, its applicability to other languages, the contribution made by different information sources, domain independence, representational power, and guidelines for the content of the library. The first part concludes by comparing the method and implementation to cognitive requirements for software comprehension tools. The second part considers applications of HB-CA in software maintenance. Five areas for potential cost reduction are identified: business-rule ripple analysis, code ripple analysis, module selection, software reuse, and software module comprehension.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2008.<br>Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed June 18, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-64).

Nowadays, wireless sensor networks can be found in many new application areas. In these sensor networks there may exit a part of the network which are difficult to access or lie in a wide area, far apart. A change in the software (e.g., function update or bug fix) can entail reprogramming of all sensor nodes. This is very time consuming and labour intensive, if the patching has to be done manually for each individual sensor nodes. In the area of mobile phones, the over the air (OTA) update function has been established very well with good reliability. In embedded systems such as sensor nodes, where resources are severely restricted, an update cannot be stored but must be programmed directly with the transfer. For this to be possible, a lot of basic functionality is needed to be established to correct errors or to be able to resume a failed programming. Within the framework of this thesis a concept for the transmission and distribution of the firmware and programming the sensor node is established. Focus here is to optimize the use of resources and to provide basic functionality within the programming mode.

It is important for students to engage in adequate deliberate practice in order to develop programming expertise. However, students often encounter anxiety when they begin to learn. This can present a challenge to educators because such anxiety can influence practice behaviour. This thesis situates this challenge within the Control- Value Theory of Achievement Emotions, emphasising a need for domain-specific research and presenting new research tools which can be used to investigate the area. Analysis of data collected from three cohorts of introductory programming students on web programming (2011-12) and robot programming (2012-13 and 2013-14) courses show that programming self-concept and programming aptitude mindset can predict programming anxiety and that programming anxiety is negatively correlated with programming practice. However, levels of anxiety remained consistently high across this period. A method to enrich these psychological constructs through a multimedia-rich learning environment is proposed. Drawing upon the interplay between narrative reinforcement and procedural rhetoric that can be achieved in a fantasy role-play, students' self-concept can be enhanced. A double-blind randomised controlled trial demonstrates promising results, however small effect sizes suggest further research is needed.

The self-defending object (SDO) concept is an extension to the object-oriented programming paradigm, whereby those objects that encapsulate the protected resources of a security aware application (SAA), are made aware of, and responsible for, the defence of those resources. That defence takes two forms, the enforcement of mandatory access control on protected resources and the generation of the corresponding portion of the SAA's audit trail. The SDO concept acts as the philosophy that guides the application level mandatory access control within SAAs which ensures that the provided access control is both complete and non bypassable. Although SDOs accept responsibility for controlling access to the protected data and functionality that they encapsulate, an SDO delegates the responsibility for making authorisation decisions to an associated authorisation object. Thus, SDOs fulfill their access control obligations by initiating the authorisation check and then enforcing the decision made on their behalf. A simple, yet effective mechanism for enforcing that access control at the object level involves controlling the ability to invoke those SDO methods that access protected resources. In the absence of previous research on this approach to the enforcement of application level access control, the primary aim of this research was to demonstrate that the SDO concept is a viable paradigm for developing SAAs. That aim was achieved in two stages. The first stage targeted the provision of a 'proof of concept', that demonstrated that the SDO concept could be applied to the development of non-distributed SAAs. The second stage demonstrated its applicability to the development of distributed SAAs. In the second stage, two versions of a distributed prototype were developed, one based on a traditional (proprietary) distributed computing model, (Java RMI), and the second using the currently popular Web services model, to demonstrate the general applicability of the SDO concept. Having already demonstrated that the SDO concept could be applied to SAAs executing on a single machine, the major focus of that research was to devise a mechanism by which SDOs could be transferred between machines. The research then concentrated on determining what impacts the adoption of the SDO concept would have on SAA development. Experimentation carried out using the distributed prototypes demonstrated that (1) the adoption of the SDO does not restrict the use of inheritance hierarchies that include SDOs, (2) the restriction of the lifetime of SDOs can be supported, (3) usage rights enforcement can be employed, and (4) the use of cryptographic techniques to provide additional security guarantees is not affected. A key feature of the SDO concept, is that no major changes need to be made to current development tools or　methodologies, so its adoption is not hampered by significant financial or training impediments. This research demonstrated that the SDO concept is practical and constitutes a valuable extension to the object oriented paradigm that will help address the current lack of security in information systems. The SDO approach warrants additional research and adoption.

The self-defending object (SDO) concept is an extension to the object-oriented programming paradigm, whereby those objects that encapsulate the protected resources of a security aware application (SAA), are made aware of, and responsible for, the defence of those resources. That defence takes two forms, the enforcement of mandatory access control on protected resources and the generation of the corresponding portion of the SAA's audit trail. The SDO concept acts as the philosophy that guides the application level mandatory access control within SAAs which ensures that the provided access control is both complete and non bypassable. Although SDOs accept responsibility for controlling access to the protected data and functionality that they encapsulate, an SDO delegates the responsibility for making authorisation decisions to an associated authorisation object. Thus, SDOs fulfill their access control obligations by initiating the authorisation check and then enforcing the decision made on their behalf. A simple, yet effective mechanism for enforcing that access control at the object level involves controlling the ability to invoke those SDO methods that access protected resources. In the absence of previous research on this approach to the enforcement of application level access control, the primary aim of this research was to demonstrate that the SDO concept is a viable paradigm for developing SAAs. That aim was achieved in two stages. The first stage targeted the provision of a 'proof of concept', that demonstrated that the SDO concept could be applied to the development of non-distributed SAAs. The second stage demonstrated its applicability to the development of distributed SAAs. In the second stage, two versions of a distributed prototype were developed, one based on a traditional (proprietary) distributed computing model, (Java RMI), and the second using the currently popular Web services model, to demonstrate the general applicability of the SDO concept. Having already demonstrated that the SDO concept could be applied to SAAs executing on a single machine, the major focus of that research was to devise a mechanism by which SDOs could be transferred between machines. The research then concentrated on determining what impacts the adoption of the SDO concept would have on SAA development. Experimentation carried out using the distributed prototypes demonstrated that (1) the adoption of the SDO does not restrict the use of inheritance hierarchies that include SDOs, (2) the restriction of the lifetime of SDOs can be supported, (3) usage rights enforcement can be employed, and (4) the use of cryptographic techniques to provide additional security guarantees is not affected. A key feature of the SDO concept, is that no major changes need to be made to current development tools or　methodologies, so its adoption is not hampered by significant financial or training impediments. This research demonstrated that the SDO concept is practical and constitutes a valuable extension to the object oriented paradigm that will help address the current lack of security in information systems. The SDO approach warrants additional research and adoption.

Cette recherche, qui s'inscrit dans le cadre des travaux en didactique de l'informatique de Baron et Bruillard, analyse la façon dont des enseignants du primaire, non experts en informatique,conçoivent et mettent en œuvre des scénarios impliquant des robots pédagogiques de sol dans leurs classes. La mise en œuvre de ces robots a été étudiée avec l'objectif, d'apporter un éclairage sur leurs possibles apports pédagogiques. Il s'est agi de préciser comment ces enseignants parviennent à définir des situations didactiques de ces objets de connaissances auxquels ils n'ont jamais été confrontés et d'analyser la manière dont ils parviennent à développer chez les élèves une pensée informatique en actes. L'activité des élèves a été analysée, au travers l'approche instrumentale (Rabardel), en vue de comprendre de quelle manière l'apprentissage de concepts en informatique émerge de ces activités. La question des apprentissages des concepts et méthodes propres au domaine informatique par le biais de la robotique est analysée en prenant appui sur la théorie des champs conceptuels (Vergnaud). Cette recherche apporte des éléments permettant de comprendre comment ces enseignants parviennent, de manière intuitive, à développer et à mettre en œuvre des scénarios pour enseigner quelques concepts informatiques. Elle témoigne de leur capacité à intégrer des objets tangibles ou symboliques dans des séances d'apprentissage en informatique, en procédant à une analyse préalable à minima du fonctionnement du robot. Au cours des activités dans lesquelles ils sont mobilisés, outils robotiques et aides pédagogiques accompagnent les apprentissages. Sur le plan des apprentissages, les élèves se sont forgés, par des démarches d'instrumentation et d'instrumentalisation, des instruments et des méthodes pour comprendre l'objet informatique. Les concepts et notions en jeu sont particulièrement dépendants des contextes technologiques spécifiques à chacun des robots. Des méthodes propres à la production logicielle ont permis le séquençage de l'activité de programmation en phases de spécification, conception, réalisation et mise au point. Des paradigmes de programmation ont aussi été approchés, comme la programmation procédurale dans le cas du robot Bee-Bot et la programmation événementielle dans le cas de l'étude du comportement du robot Thymio. En dehors du domaine informatique, la résolution de problème, en étant placée au cœur des scénarios, a permis aux élèves de développer des démarches de tâtonnements, d'essais-erreurs dans un contexte de travail en petit groupe favorisant les échanges et les interactions entre les élèves<br>This research, which takes place within the framework of Baron and Bruillard's research in didactics of computer science,analyzes how primary school teachers, not computer experts, design and implement scenarios involving ground pedagogical robots in their classrooms. The integration of these robots has been studied with the aim of shedding light on their possible pedagogical contributions. It shows how these teachers succeed in defining pedagogical situations of these knowledge objects to which they have never been confronted before and in developing pupils' thinking in action. Student activity was analyzed, through the instrumental approach (Rabardel), in order to understand how the learning of computational concepts emerges from these activities. The question of the learning of concepts and methods specific to the computer domain through robotics is analyzed using the theory of conceptual fields (Vergnaud). This research provides additional understanding how these teachers intuitively develop and implement scenarios to teach a few computer concepts. It demonstrates their ability to integrate tangible or symbolic objects into computer learning sessions by performing a minimum analysis of the robot's functionality. During the activities in which they are mobilized, robotic tools and teaching aids accompany learning. In terms of learning, pupils have forged, through instrumentation and instrumentalities, tools and methods to understand the computer object. The concepts and notions involved are particularly dependent on the technological contexts specific to each robot. Methods specific to software production allowed the sequencing of the programming activity into phases of specification, design, realization and development. Programming paradigms were also approached, such as procedural programming in the case of the Bee-Bot robot and event programming in the case of the study of the behavior of the Thymio robot. Outside the computer field, problem solving, by being placed at the heart of the scenarios, allowed students to develop trial and error approaches in a small group work environment that facilitate exchanges and interactions between students

The main purposes of this study is to investigate first year calculus students&rsquo<br>understanding of formal limit concept and change in their understanding after limit instruction designed by the researcher based on APOS theory. The case study method was utilized to explore the research questions. The participants of the study were 25 students attending first year calculus course in Middle East Technical University in Turkey. Students attended five weeks instruction depending on APOS theory in the fall semester of 2007-2008. Limit questionnaire including open-ended questions was administered to students as a pretest and posttest to probe change in students&rsquo<br>understanding of limit concept. At the end of the instruction a semi-structured interview protocol developed by the researcher was administered to all of the students to explore students&rsquo<br>understanding of limit concept in depth. The interview results were analyzed by using APOS framework. The results of the study showed that constructed genetic decomposition was found to be compatible with student data. Moreover, limit instruction was found to play a positive role in facilitating students&rsquo<br>understanding of limit concept.