A theory of the planning and debugging of computer programs is formalized as a context free grammar, which is used to reveal the constituent structure of problem solving episodes by parsing protocols in which programs are written, tested, and debugged. This is illustrated by the detailed analysis of an actual session with a beginning student…

A unified theory of planning and debugging is explored by designing a problem solving program called PATN. PATN uses an augmented transition network (ATN) to represent a broad range of planning techniques, including identification, decomposition, and reformulation. (The ATN is a simple yet powerful formalism which has been effectively utilized in…

A computer-assisted instructional module to teach educable mentally retarded students the survival skill of making change was developed in a two-year project at the University of Texas at Austin. Behavioral objectives were determined through consultation with various interested personnel, including the staff of the Vocational Training Annex at the…