TCE/CSE 3XX Proof of Concept

Agentically Built Teaching Applets

Three sample applets for a bridge-to-CSE-174 course. Each one is tied to a different part of the semester so you can point to repeated, low-stakes encounters with logic, pseudocode, and readable Java.

Choose a Scenario

Arrange the Popsicle Sticks

Use arrows to move each stick

Before You Translate

Check your sequence first. After a correct order, this box becomes the pseudocode and Java view.

Check these ideas before you click:

  • What must happen first no matter what?
  • Which step depends on another step being finished?
  • Did you fill in every missing stick with a clear action?
  • Where does a decision or check belong, if there is one?

Why does sequence matter in real code?

  • Compile Errors: Trying to use a variable before you declare it crashes the compiler. Order isn't optional.
  • Runtime Bugs: Opening a file before checking if it exists? Your program fails when users need it most.
  • User Experience: Showing a success message before the save completes confuses users and breaks trust.
  • Logic Errors: Calculating a total before adding all the items gives wrong answers that are hard to trace.

Bottom line: The computer follows your instructions exactly, in the order you give them. If the sequence is wrong, the code breaks—even if each individual step is correct.

Week 6: Binary and Digital Representation

Binary Media Lab

Experiment with how computers represent text and images in binary. Start with something concrete, then connect it to the logic underneath. Type a message and watch each character turn into 8-bit binary. Click pixels in an 8x8 image and watch the rows turn into binary and hexadecimal. Compare the same idea in pseudocode and readable Java.

Text to Binary

Pixel Grid

Click squares to build a tiny image. Each row shows its binary number and hexadecimal value.

Translate the Logic


          

        

      


      

        

          

            
Week 11: Objects

            
Objects Explorer

            

              See an object as a bundle of attributes and behaviors.
              Choose an example, create an instance, call methods, and compare the idea to pseudocode and a gentle Java class.
              Switch among different object examples, edit instance values to see state change over time, and notice how object thinking can feel concrete before full OOP syntax appears in CSE 174.
            

          


          

            

              
Choose an Object

              
            

            

            
            
Blueprint

            

          


          

            
Instance Playground

            

              Change the starting state, then call methods to see what the object does.
            

            

            

            
          


          

            
Think About This

            

              An object is like a template that holds both data (attributes) and actions (methods). Every instance you create from that template starts with the same capabilities but can have different values.
            

            
    
              
  • Which details belong to the class definition and which belong to each specific instance?
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  • How are methods (actions) just named behaviors an object can perform?
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  • What stays the same when you move from the object idea to the Java class?
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  • Why does changing an attribute value affect only that one instance, not all objects of that type?
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See the Class

              

                
                
              

            

            

            

              You do not need to write this from scratch. The goal is to recognize that the object you just
              manipulated has a readable class structure behind it.