Released by Carnegie Mellon University in 1998, Alice is an object-based programming language with an integrated development environment (IDE) that uses drag-and-drop features to create 3D computer games and animations.
The programming language was first developed at the University of Virginia in 1994, then at CMU since 1997, by a research group led by Randy Pausch.
Alice is a block-based programming environment that makes it easy to create animations, build interactive narratives, and program 3D games. It is designed to be an educational programming language, as well, as it motivates learning through creative exploration, teaches logical and computational skills, and the fundamental principle of programming. It often serves as the first exposure to object-oriented programming.
The drag-and-drop features of the Alice IDE eliminates the possibility of syntax errors, such as missing semicolons, curly braces, quotation marks, misspellings, or identifiers.
Alice includes a large library of off-the-shelf 3D objects and predefined methods, making it easy for game developers to create 3D worlds from these objects, which can then be animated through object-oriented programming.
Overseeing the development of the language, the Alice Project offers supplemental tools and materials for teaching by use of the language, reaching a wide spectrum of age groups. As an educational language, Alice is designed to teach programming theory without the semantics of production languages like C++. There is no syntax to learn or remember. It is used by teachers in middle schools, and even some at the earlier ages, as well as in universities, to supplement the curriculum in subjects ranging from visual arts and language arts to the fundamentals of programming.
Developed at Washington University in St. Louis, Looking Glass is an adaptation of Alice intended for children age ten and up, teaching them to create and share animated stories, simple games, and virtual pets.
Alice is free to use, but the source code is not available. It can also be used with NetBeans to convert the Alice file into Java.
The focus of this category, of course, is the Alice programming language, the Alice IDE, Looking Glass, or any other tools designed to facilitate the use of Alice, as well as sites displaying or promoting books, tutorials, guides, user groups, or forums related to the language.
Recommended Resources
Used by teachers at levels as young as elementary school, in universities, and in between, Alice is an educational programming language and IDE, and a 3D graphics platform and authoring tool that would be accessible to non-science and engineering students, adding drag-and-drop functions with Alice 99. The language and IDE may be downloaded from the site, along with other resources, a history of the project, donors, and patrons, and featured community projects.
http://www.alice.org/
Hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, the community support forum offers a venue for users of the Alice game programming language to ask questions, request support, give advice, and converse with other users. Registration and a login are required for participation in forum discussions, but there is no charge for membership. Topics for various versions of the language are set forth, along with a discussion area for educators using the language in their teaching.
http://www.alice.org/forums/
Alice Resources at Calvin College
Maintained by Joel Adams at Calvin College, the site offers information, tutorials, and links to other resources for the use of the Alice programming language, which may be downloaded from Carnegie-Mellon University for free. The drag-and-drop program starts with a near-empty 3D world, which can be populated by a choice of hundreds of predefined objects that respond to simple messages, allowing the creation of computer-generated movies and games. Books, courses, and camps are highlighted.
https://alice.calvin.edu/
Computer Science 101: Bootstrap Learning Alice
Intended for university students, this guide to the Alice programming language includes a textual tutorial on the use of the language, from downloading and installing it to completing a program, and also makes use of instructional Flash movies, PowerPoint presentations, references to readings in the textbook, Learning to Program With Alice, and links to Alice programs that will need to be saved to a local drive before being loaded into the Alice authoring system.
http://www.comscigate.com/Alice/Alice101.htm
Learning to Program with Alice
Written by Wanda Dann, Stephen Cooper, and Randy Pausch, and published by Prentice-Hall, the book offers instruction on the Alice programming language, which is freely available, the book may be purchased from Pearson or other online retailers. Instructor’s materials to accompany the text are available and educators may request a preview copy of the text. Solutions to the chapter exercises and tutorials are password protected to restrict access to instructors only.
http://www.aliceprogramming.net/
Available as a free download from Washington University in St. Louis, Looking Glass is built on the Alice programming language, and designed to allow children as young as ten to create their own 3D stories featuring fun characters and rich animations. Stories may be created from a blank template tutorial or through a community template tutorial, and more complex stories can be created by mixing animations from other individual’s worlds, and they can be shared online.
https://lookingglass.wustl.edu/
Udemy: Learn to Program with Alice
Udemy is an online educational site, offering certificate courses on a wide range of topics. Its course on the Alice programming language is designed to teach students how to get started with programming using the specialized tools provided with Alice. Consisting of two hours of video and nine downloadable resources, a certificate of completion is awarded for successful completion of the course. A description of the course and course requirements are posted to the site.
https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-to-program-with-alice/
