DiverseClaire: Simulating Students to Improve Introductory Programming Course Materials for All CS1 Learners
Wendy Wong, Yuchao Jiang, Yuekang Li

TL;DR
DiverseClaire uses large language models to simulate neurodiverse students, revealing that accessible, multi-format course materials improve learning outcomes in introductory programming courses for diverse learners.
Contribution
This study introduces a novel simulation approach using LLMs to model neurodiverse students, emphasizing the importance of Universal Design for Learning in CS1 courses.
Findings
Simulated neurodiverse students struggled with inaccessible lecture slides.
Accessible, multi-format materials improved simulated student performance.
Data supports inclusive pedagogical strategies for diverse learners.
Abstract
Although CS programs are booming, introductory courses like CS1 still adopt a one-size-fits-all formats that can exacerbate cognitive load and discourage learners with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other neurological conditions. These call for compassionate pedagogies and Universal Design For Learning (UDL) to create learning environments and materials where cognitive diversity is welcomed. To address this, we introduce DiverseClaire a pilot study, which simulates students including neurodiverse profiles using LLMs and diverse personas. By leveraging Bloom's Taxonomy and UDL, DiverseClaire compared UDL-transformed lecture slides with traditional formats. To evaluate DiverseClaire controlled experiments, we used the evaluation metric the average score. The findings revealed that the simulated neurodiverse students struggled with learning due to lecture slides that were in inaccessible…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsTeaching and Learning Programming · Educational Assessment and Pedagogy · Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
