Supporting program development comprehension by visualising iterative design

eL-CID (e-Learning by Communicating Iterative Design) demonstrates computer programs' iterative design using computer animation. It translates descriptions of iterative editing into an animated demonstration. An analysis of the work of expert programming trainers shows that successive versions of a program are shown statically. eL-CID attempts to visualise the changes dynamically as if code was being edited in front of the user. Several example demonstrations have been developed. To the author's knowledge, this is the first system designed to visualise the iterative process of program development.