Abstract:

Keeping the students engaged is important and challenging. With the rapid development of information technology new products and solutions are available for the public, and within reach for the resourceful teachers. Visualizing different data was present long before computers. But with the help of the mentioned devices users are capable to visualize various data in different ways with relatively low effort. The reasons to consider visualization in education are manifold. First it helps to understand the connection between data. Secondly, graphs and charts can be created with only a few lines of code and are highly customizable. Lastly, pairs well with the principles of Learning by doing and with modern teaching methods like Problem and Project-Based Learning. The various types of charts and graphs ensure the flexibility and reusability of this topic during different, not just programming tasks. The data used for the code can be predetermined or even collected by the students. These characteristics combined with interdisciplinary aspect make introductory data visualization a promising contender in school environment.

This paper deals with the basic usage of visualization in educational environment by the help of Python programming language and the introduction of popular data visualization libraries like Plotly and Matplotlib. In addition, evaluates the complexity relative to high school programming level. The aim of this research is to further develop the role of visualizations in education by expanding its usage as a potential topic to cover for teachers and as an additional modern tool in the students’ repertoire.

Keywords:

Python, data visualization, programming, learning by doing, problem-based learning, project-based learning