NSF Award
2319014
Rust is an important new programming language that enables programmers to build low-level systems in a way that is both fast and efficient, a combination that has traditionally been extremely difficult. However, using Rust requires programmers to understand the language's "ownership" mechanism, which many find daunting. The project's novelties are to create a strong understanding of the difficulties in learning it, create tools to improve understanding, and evaluate that these tools work. The project's impacts are an understanding of important programming language concepts, a collection of useful tools, and a collection of pedagogic materials.<br/><br/>Concretely, the project has multiple phases. First, it examines StackOverflow postings to determine what troubles programmers seem to have. Next, it turns these into a concept inventory for ownership. Then, it creates visualization tools for understanding both the dynamic and static semantics of Rust. These are then deployed in a copy of a widely used Rust book. The project then assesses the impact of these interventions.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
