This article is a review of the pedagogical experience obtained with systems for algorithmic animation. Algorithms consist of a sequence of operations whose effect on data structures can be visualized using a computer. Students learn algorithms by stepping the animation through the different individual operations, possibly reversing their effect. Algorithmic animation seems to improve the student's understanding of algorithms, but mainly when they can become active participants, not just spectators. Students who write their own algorithmic animations are more engaged and can profit more from them. At the end of this article, we extract some consequences for the development of future algorithmic animation systems.
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