jCAB: Making Java Class Design Easier for Novice Programmers

Abstract

This Research Full Paper introduces a tool called Java Class Auto Builder (jCAB) that helps students to design Java custom classes, helps them to understand the core concepts in the class design, and helps them to develop Object-Oriented (OO) ideas efficiently. When OO programming is introduced to students, its fundamental concepts are difficult for them to learn at first, and also impact them when they start to design their custom class templates. The existing UML (Unified Modeling Language) based tools could be served for educational purpose, but they are not suitable for novice Java students or programmers. Those tools generate class template code automatically from UML diagrams which must represent the class structures and functionalities clearly. That requires users to have a comprehensive view on the class structures. However, when they are first exposed to custom class design, novice programmers usually do not know what are necessary in the design and/or the relationships among classes if there are any. Therefore, it would be hard for them to develop UML diagrams which could represent class templates clearly. A tool that could help students in this stage is necessary. The jCAB tool introduced in this paper is designed for Java CS1 course, and is a good start for novice programmers to learn how to implement custom classes. The tool divides the custom class design procedure into several steps in order to show students what are necessary in the class design clearly and how to do them in detail. Its GUI (Graphic User Interface) interacts with students, directs them step by step, and generates code in each step automatically, so that students will be aware of the class structure, the design procedures, and how each piece of code is related with OO concept, and they will have better grasp on the OO fundamentals and the custom class design procedures.