Visual Python: Enhancing Beginner Programming Education through Real-Time Code Animation

Programming continues to be a challenging discipline for novices, primarily because the dynamic behavior of programs is not visible in static source code. Visual Python is an interactive, web-based educational tool designed to make Python program execution observable via real-time animated visualizations. The system captures runtime traces and maps variable updates, control flow, function calls, and data-structure transformations into smooth, pedagogically informed animations. This paper motivates the need for improved program visualization, surveys relevant literature across CS education and HCI, details the system architecture and design decisions, and presents a comprehensive evaluation plan. We argue that by externalizing execution semantics through animation and interaction, Visual Python can reduce cognitive load, accelerate concept acquisition, and improve debugging skills among beginner programmers.