Investigating Students' Misconceptions of Dijkstra's Algorithm: Exploration of Algorithm Simulation Traces
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A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa
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en
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7
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ITiCSE 2025 - Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, pp. 674-680
Abstract
Knowledge of undergraduate students' misconceptions of data structures and algorithms (DSA) helps creating more effective learning material. Graph algorithm misconceptions have been studied rarely. As an online learning aid for DSA, visual algorithm simulation (VAS) exercises require the students to trace the steps of an algorithm by manipulating a data structure visualization. We utilize a corpus of 712 algorithm simulation traces from 289 non-CS major undergraduate students to find evidence for misconceptions in Dijkstra's algorithm. We model students' systematic errors in traces as algorithms to classify traces as misconceptions. The models explain together 16% of 451 incorrect traces, providing evidence of four previously identified misconceptions. Students appear to conflate the concepts of spanning tree and fringe, solve shortest paths heuristically instead of Dijkstra's algorithm, apply Dijkstra's algorithm to all graph components, and apply alphabetical order in the neighbor iteration of Dijkstra's algorithm. The findings show how VAS exercise design and learning analytics can support diagnosing students' misconceptions of algorithms. In the future, this knowledge of misconceptions can be leveraged to create more effective exercises, including automated targeted feedback for VAS exercises based on validated misconceptions.Description
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Tilanterä, A, Korhonen, A, Seppälä, O & Taivainen, T 2025, Investigating Students' Misconceptions of Dijkstra's Algorithm: Exploration of Algorithm Simulation Traces. in ITiCSE 2025 - Proceedings of the 30th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. ACM, pp. 674-680, Annual Conference on Innovation & Technology in Computer Science Education, Nijmegen, Netherlands, 27/06/2025. https://doi.org/10.1145/3724363.3729081