The characterization of learning environments and program structures of instructional programs produced using Logo /

A methodology was developed in this study for identifying the cognitive, pedagogical, and computational characteristics of computer-based learning environments. The characterization of the cognitive and pedagogical features was achieved by decomposing the learning environments into episodes which were composed of sequences of "views". Each "view" was described in terms of the different types of knowledge presented, the pedagogical strategies used to present the knowledge, and the forms and functions of user-computer interactions elicited. The computational characteristics were described in terms of modularity and other programming properties. The methodology was applied to characterizing the instructional programs produced by student teachers using Logo.The results showed that this methodology can successfully identify the cognitive, pedagogical and computational characteristics of the learning environments. It can also clarify what can be learned in a microworld, especially the "powerful ideas" in Logo environments. In addition, the usability and constraints of learning environments in meeting the learners' cognitive needs during the learning process can be assessed