Design and Implementation of a Logo-based Computer Graphics Course

Abstract

Two years ago the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Sofia University makes a decision to design a new series of Logo-based courses which make use of the modern technology. The pedagogical component of the challenge is to design a multidisciplinary course suitable for students with different skills and interests. From a development perspective the challenge is to build an entirely new one. And finally the course must be attractive regardless of the seriousness and complexity of the topics included in it. The paper discusses the structure of the course including the final weeks when topics emerging from students’ course projects are taught. Each lesson from the course is based on sets of sample programs representing the general lifecycle of software development. This includes designing, coding and debugging. Samples are created on-the-fly, thus different instances of the course results in different final projects. Lessons are interactive and students may interfere with the direction of demonstrated software development. Three lessons from the course are sketched in the paper. The first one is taught in week 4 and spans over Computer Science, Calculus, Analytical Geometry; and Applied Statistics and Probability. The lesson in week 6 is focused on composition of complex movements and their synchronization. It uses elements from Computer Science, Geometry, Physics, and Trigonometrics. The third lesson is about relative transformational geometry and its application in the form of Turtle Graphics