This document introduces Alice, a 3D programming environment designed to be students' first exposure to object-oriented programming (OOP). It can be used to create animations and interactive games. The document outlines how to download and install Alice, open projects, and create and modify objects. It provides examples of adding behavior to objects by writing procedures and calling methods. The goal is to attract more students, especially those from underrepresented groups, to STEAM fields by introducing programming concepts through an easy to use and engaging tool like Alice.

1. AN INTRODUCTION TO
ALICE PROGRAMMING AS A
STEAM ENGAGEMENT
TOOL: TUTORIAL
KARINA ASSITER
CCSC RM 2015 OCTOBER 1-2.

2. Outline
 Motivation
 Background
 What is Alice?
 Getting your feet wet:
 Download Alice
 Opening Alice
 Opening and creating Projects
 Creating objects
 References

3. Motivation
 Attracting under-represented groups into STEAM pipeline top priority
 Even more important as population becomes increasingly diverse
 According to US censes, by 2044, more than half of all Americans are projected to belong to minority group.
 General agreement: we must start early
 Elementary or middle school.
 Strategies (see references)
 Numerous tools/environments
 Workshops, summer and after school programs aimed at both kids and K-12 teachers

4. What is Alice?
 3D Programming environment
 Freely available teaching tool
 Designed to be a student’s first exposure to OOP
 Easy to create an animation for
 Storytelling
 Playing an interactive game or video to share on the Web
 Accessible to novices and still challenging for experienced users

5. Background
 Annual 1 day WIT SWE girl-scout event
 CS faculty teach 1 hour workshop (4 x )
 This year, Alice
 Tremendous success, expressed in this parent’s email:
THANK YOU for the February 7th STEM event! Zoe loved the STEM
event she took at Wentworth. … So far she has spent hours on ALICE
and has eagerly shown her family all her Alice projects. I am thrilled
with the knowledge and exposure it has provided to Zoe. I am also
thankful for GS and Wentworth for hosting STEM events- please
continue! Zoe is eagerly looking forward to the next STEM event so
keep me on any distribution list for future events.
..and surveys,
of course.

6. Example – Quick Demo

7. Lets get started... THE FUN PART.

8. Downloading & Installing
 Go to www.alice.org
 Select Downloads/Alice 3
 Select the download for your machine type.
 Once downloaded, find and select the Installer

9. Starting Alice
 Select Alice 3 startup icon
 Welcome dialog box appears (Figure 1)
 Templates tab automatically selected.
 Select a template (background for a scene) and hit ok
 Code Editor appears (Figure 2)
 Selected template scene appears in upper left corner
Figure 1 – Welcome Dialog box
Figure 2 – Code Editor

10. Add objects
 Select Setup Scene (FIgure 1)
 Browse and select objects
 Either click or drag to place in scene (Figure 2)
Figure 2 – Scene with objectsFigure 1 – Code Editor
Select

11. Layout scene (arrange objects)
Change
camera

12. Altering properties of objects
Object selected

13. Exploration Time
 Creating objects
 Laying out your scene
 Changing object properties
Once you’re done we’ll
continue with adding
behavior…

14. Add object behavior – Part 1
 Return to Code editor
 Click on
 Select class then select option to create a procedure (Figure 1)
 Name your procedure (Figure 2)
 .
Figure 1 – Create a procedure Figure 2 – Name procedure
Click bring up
list of classes
procedure

15. Add object behavior – Part 2
 Select object and it’s procedure (Figure 1)
 Drag and drop into procedure (Figure 2)
 Procedures, Functions, and Contral Statement options (you’ll be prompted to add details)
Figure 1 – Create a procedure
Object
selected
Procedure
Selected
Drag & drop
Figure 2 – Drag procedures, functions, control

16. Call object’s method
1. Select Scene’s myFirstMethod
2. Select your object
3. Drag method into myFirstMethod
4. Run to test
1. myFirstMethod
2. Object selected
3. Drag

17. Add Multi-object behaviors
 Select object
 Drag to myfirstMethod an interactive procedure
 You’ll be prompted to select an object to interact with .
Cat will move
toward person.

18. Exploration Time
 Adding object behavior

19. Exploration Time
 Adding object behavior
 No more formal instruction
 I’ll help you individually as needed
 Maybe you’ll even learn something and show me  as the girl scouts did in their workshop…

20. Thanks for attending!
REFERENCES FOLLOW

21. References
 Adams, J.C., Alice : Middle Schooler's & the Imaginary Worlds Camps. Proceedings SIGCSE, 307-311, 2007.
 Alice, http://www.alice.org (accessed June 2015).
 Alice Tutorials, http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/alice09/tutorials.php (accessed September 2015)
 Colby, Sandra L., and Jennifer M. Ortman. Projections of the Size and Composition of the US Population: 2014 to 2060.
Current Population Reports, Washington, DC: US Census Bureau, 2014.
 Etoys, http://www.squeakland.org/.
 GameFront, http://gamefroot.com/.
 Girl Scouts Research Institute, Generation STEM: What girls say about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. New
York, NY: Girl Scout Research Institute, 1-39, 2012.
 Lifelong Kindergarden Group @ MIT Media Lab. Scratch, https://scratch.mit.edu/ (accessed July 10, 2015).
 MIT Education Arcade. StartLogo TNG, http://education.mit.edu/portfolio_page/starlogo-tng/
 Peluso, E M, and E Mauch,Incorporating Alice into a Summer Math and Science Outreach Program, Alice Symposium,
Durham, NC , 2009.
 Werner, L, S Campe, and J Denner. Children Learning Computer Science Concepts via Alice Game-Programming, SIGCSE
2012. Raleigh, NC: ACM