ABSTRACT considered simply, but a more complex evaluation of the We have adapted the programming walkthrough technique to help design computer-supported educational activities in elementary school science. We present examples from a case study which illustrate ways in which design of an educational activity is similar to and different from design of a user interface. We have found that the walkthrough approach is useful in this new setting, and that it sheds new light on the general task-centered orientation to design.

A new generation of innovative, highly visual children's programming environments is under development.In this paper, we consider the instructional requirements for children learning to program in a visual environment.Based on our year-long experience using Apple Computer's Kid-Sim/Cocoa prototype [2] and the results of a year-end assessment, we conclude that the children failed to grasp many aspects of the program operation.The children readily mastered drawing and animating characters in imaginary worlds, but struggled to achieve more complex behaviors.Lack of explicit instruction on program functionality hindered these children in their attempts to create more sophisticated science programs.We explore the prospects for more effective instruction and suggest some guidelines for designing visual programming environments.