2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Parse tree construction plays an essential role in understanding programming languages and compilers. Yet, many students find it challenging to construct parse trees from formal language grammars. Traditional instruction often relies on static, hand-drawn tree exercises that offer limited feedback and can discourage sustained practice. To improve engagement and scalability, this project investigates interactive tools that allow students to construct and evaluate parse trees in immersive and non-immersive environments. We developed a browser-based drag-and-drop tool and an immersive version of the same activity, and we compared them against an existing text-input editor baseline. Together, these interfaces allow students to experiment with parse tree construction through direct manipulation rather than solely symbolic reasoning.

Our initial classroom trial suggested that the immersive interface increased perceived engagement and motivation, while also surfacing usability, comfort, and visual clarity challenges that may affect sustained use. Building on these observations, the current study uses qualitative methods to examine how students experience and interpret the trade-offs between immersion and usability during parse tree construction. Data were collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, observation fieldnotes and interview transcripts were coded to identify recurring patterns in how learners describe attention and distraction, embodied interaction and effort, legibility and navigation, and the perceived necessity of immersive interfaces relative to non-immersive alternatives.

Special attention is given to how students describe balancing novelty and comfort, engagement and fatigue, and clarity and distraction while completing parse tree construction across modalities. The paper reports qualitative themes that explain when immersive interfaces are experienced as beneficial (e.g., as an attentional enclosure that supports sustained focus and persistence) and when they are experienced as burdensome (e.g., when legibility, navigation, or comfort constraints shift effort toward interface management). These findings inform design and pedagogical recommendations that foreground clarity, comfort, and accessibility.