Interactively Exploring Graph Coloring Algorithms in a Bilingual Web Platform with Gamification

Abstract

Graph coloring is a concept in graph theory that has many real world applications, such as scheduling and map coloring, thus making it an essential part of a computer science curriculum. Most graph theory courses are taught using standard methods such as with textbooks or a blackboard. Such methods introduce graph theory without providing the student with an adequate understanding of the process and the computational complexity of this NP-complete problem, which in return, hinders their ability to understand, implement, and develop graph coloring algorithms. In this paper, we describe the conceptual design of a bilingual web platform developed to provide students with interactive exploration of different graph coloring algorithms.