Following Norman (1983) and Yehezkal et al (2004)
- Let T be a system of interest
- Each learner develops a mental model, M(T), of T
- The instructor has a conceptual model, C(T), of T
Goal: help students to develop an M(T) that approximates C(T)
Our context: Learning Programming in early courses
A crucial early insight was thatT is not a computer
T is strongly influenced by the programming language