Research Overview

In recent years, computers, including smartphones, have become widely available to many people, and AI and XR technologies have become increasingly accessible. Our laboratory conducts research on learning support methods that utilize information technology, as well as the development of learning support systems based on these methods. Our main research themes are the following two areas.

Research on Debugging Learning Support for Novice Programmers

Debugging skills, which involve identifying and fixing bugs, are essential in programming and are also indispensable in programming exercises for novice learners. However, programming exercises for beginners often focus mainly on explaining syntax, and instruction related to debugging is sometimes insufficient. As a result, some novice learners do not know how to debug when their programs do not work as intended, which can prevent them from making progress in programming.
In this research, we are developing a learning support environment for such novice learners. This environment includes a course package consisting of lectures and exercises for learning debugging methods themselves, as well as a learning support system for learners who encounter difficulties during programming exercises.

Currently, we are working to extend the learning support environment so that it can provide instruction not only on debugging methods themselves, but also on the peripheral knowledge required for debugging. For example, when debugging, learners need to correctly understand the specifications and algorithms in order to determine whether a program is behaving as intended. In addition, learning how to write understandable code based on coding conventions and the principles of readable code is considered effective for making bugs easier to find.
In this way, we are examining the knowledge that learners should know, or would benefit from knowing, when debugging. Our goal is to develop a learning support environment that enables novice programmers to learn debugging methods in an integrated manner.

Research on a Disaster Prevention Learning Support System Based on Learners’ Everyday Environments

After participating in disaster education or disaster prevention drills, have you ever wondered what kinds of damage could actually occur in your own home, school, workplace, or local community, and how you should apply what you have learned in such places?
To address this issue, our research aims to develop a learning support system that uses information technology to enable disaster prevention learning focused on learners’ real-life spaces, that is, their familiar everyday environments.
Currently, we are mainly developing a system that uses VR technology to support disaster prevention learning by simulating disasters in models that reproduce actual buildings.