Memory Diagrams: A Consistant Approach Across Concepts and Languages

Hand-drawn memory diagrams are frequently used in computer science to demonstrate new programming concepts and support students' understanding of program functionality. These diagrams often vary among courses, instructors, and languages, which confuse students moving through the curriculum. Consistent memory diagrams throughout a curriculum not only alleviate confusion but offer a scaffold for students to transfer their understanding between courses taught at different levels of complexity and in different languages. We describe our standardized system for memory diagrams as it is used in our curriculum to demonstrate this scaffolding process through multiple concepts and programming languages.