Ivo Damyanov, Martin Madzhov
South-West University, Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria)
https://doi.org/10.53656/math2026-2-5-ect
Abstract. Parsons puzzles are simplified code-construction tasks in which learners construct programs by selecting and rearranging predefined program segments. As a wellestablished pedagogical tool in programming education, they stimulate computational thinking and a deeper understanding of code by focusing on the structure and logic of the code rather than on syntax. Although many implementations of Parsons puzzles exist today, most of them offer only standard functionality and are locked to a single language. To overcome these limitations and expand the puzzle variability, this paper presents an improved architecture for Parsons puzzles, introducing new features designed to improve applicability across courses and languages. Several key additions have been integrated into the presented Parsons puzzles application: (1) Flexible support for languages with dissimilar syntax, (2) Multi-line puzzle blocks, (3) An improved version for handling nested constructions, (4) The introduction of the concept of mini-blocks for constructing more complex puzzles in realistic scenarios, (5) Support for “fill-in-the-blank” puzzles.
Keywords: Parsons puzzles, computational thinking, code comprehension, educational tools
