Key research themes
1. How can source coding leverage structural and variability properties of code and source data to improve compression and retrieval?
This research theme investigates how the intrinsic structural properties of source code and the statistical variability of source data can be exploited to optimize source coding performance, including compression efficiency and information retrieval. It encompasses advances in variable-to-fixed length codes surpassing classical approaches, utilization of information variation measures such as entropy variance, and enriched metadata for source code reuse that considers both functional and quality attributes. Understanding these properties leads to improved coding schemes that balance average and worst-case coding rates, and enables better search and reuse in large code repositories.
2. What are effective approaches to source code visualization and social practices influencing programming comprehension and education?
This theme explores the visualization of source code and the social dimensions of programming as critical factors that affect both programmer understanding and educational outcomes. It covers empirical and theoretical research on how code can be perceived, shared, and collectively produced within social contexts, the role of secondary syntax like spatial layout and color in code comprehension, and novel visualization techniques to support audiences with varying programming expertise. These studies illuminate the cognitive and social facets of source code work and offer insights for designing tools and pedagogies that align with human perceptual and social processing.
3. How are coding skills promoted and utilized across educational and societal contexts, and what challenges affect ethical coding practices?
This theme synthesizes research on the educational strategies and societal importance of coding skills acquisition, spanning early childhood to adult learners, formal and informal settings, and the implications for workforce readiness and social participation. It also addresses ethical concerns such as source code plagiarism, debating its causes and mitigation in educational contexts. The integration of coding with creativity, critical thinking, and democratization is explored along with the challenges of code reuse in open repositories and the impact of emerging technologies like AI in media professions.