Textoo: An object-oriented learning tool based on enunciates

Abstract

This work describes an educational tool, named TextOO, to assist in the application of object-oriented concepts to design. Depending on the nature and difficulty of the problem, it supports the application, analysis or design level of Bloom¿s taxonomy. TextOO is based on the use of natural language specifications, that we call ¿enunciates¿. It allows students to select parts of an enunciate and to associate them to program elements (classes, objects, messages, etc.). It supports class, object and sequence diagrams. Assessment is also supported, giving feedback to students about their good and bad choices. We evaluated TextOO with our students, yielding good results in two issues: they performed better in simple modelling exercises and they considered the tool useful and easy to use.