Data Structure and Algorithm Visualization Research Questions
Everyone "knows" that visualizations have the potential to play a major role in Computer Science education. Unfortunately, their actual impact on education to date has not been great, despite the fact that many algorithm visualizations exist. There are many reasons for this. Quality control is a significant issue. This raises the question of what makes for a good visualization. Authoring tools might or might not have a significant impact. Commiting visualizations to a public repository to ensure future availability might be necessary for users to have confidence in their continued existence. We seek to provide a comprehensive list of research questions to drive our research activities.
What constitutes a good algorithm visualization?
Does it mean "works at all and is widely available for educational use", or does it include other pedagogic or technological criteria?
Right now, it means "works at all and is widely available for educational use". Perhaps that will change?
What are the design criteria for a successful algorithm visualization?
See our SIGCSE paper.
Issues of longevity
- What is the decay rate of links to visualizations on the internet?
- What is the significance of repositories? Do most visualizations appear in repositories or in small individual sites?
History of algorithm visualization research
- Who have been the major players?
- What are the major historical contributions in terms of visualizations and tools?
- When have been the main historic periods of progress? Is the community currently thriving?
Distribution/Availability
- What is the topical distribution of data structure and algorithm visualizations? Are they mainly clustered around a few popular topics, or is the range of desired topics well covered?
Related resources: