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Virginia Tech

Sofia.Micro: An Android-Based Pedagogical Microworld Framework

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Microworlds are visual, 2D grid-based worlds with programmable actors that help ease students into programming. Microworlds have been used as a pedagogical tool for teaching students to program in an object-oriented paradigm for several years now. With the popularity of Android smart phones, creating a pedagogical microworld for Android can help students learn not just Java, OO and event-driven concepts, but also learn to use the Android framework to create concrete, real-world applications. This thesis presents Sofia.Micro, an Android-based pedagogical microworld framework that not only allows Greenfoot-style microworld programs to run on Android, but also adds additional functionalities to microworlds that have not been previously explored, such as built-in shape and physics support, event-driven programming in a microworld context, and allowing for both Greenfoot-style actors and Karel-style actors in the same world.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Computer Science and Applications
Department dc:contributor.department
Computer Science
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Bowden, Brian Lee
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Edwards, Stephen H.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Perez-Quinonez, Manuel A.
  • Tilevich, Eli

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:2986
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/49300

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Bowden, Brian Lee. Sofia.Micro: An Android-Based Pedagogical Microworld Framework. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/49300