# From Idea to Classroom in Days: Using "Vibe Coding" to Create a Programming Process Visualizer from IDE Activity Logs

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.24757 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.24757/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 54 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 May 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [How Novices Use LLM-Based Code Generators to Solve CS1 Coding Tasks in a Self-Paced Learning Environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14049/) (2023)
- [The Widening Gap: The Benefits and Harms of Generative AI for Novice Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.17739/) (2024)
- [Vibe coding: programming through conversation with artificial intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.23253/) (2025)
- [Vibe Coding as a Reconfiguration of Intent Mediation in Software Development: Definition, Implications, and Research Agenda](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.21928/) (2025)
- [Exploring Student-AI Interactions in Vibe Coding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.22614/) (2025)
- [Detecting Plagiarism based on the Creation Process](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.09183/) (2016)
- ["Can you feel the vibes?": An exploration of novice programmer engagement with vibe coding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.02750/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper reports on the rapid development and classroom deployment of a Thonny log visualizer built using AI-assisted ``vibe coding'' to make students' programming processes easily visible to teachers. We developed a web application that analyzes log files generated by Thonny (an IDE for Python) and produces interpretable views of students' programming processes. Teachers can upload a log, a ZIP archive, or a folder containing logs for a group or the course; the system parses all logs, generates results per student, and provides student-by-student navigation for reviewing cases. Each student's view includes an interactive activity timeline, a compact session summary, a code-size graph, a programming-process replay, and more. These views support teacher decision-making by enabling the identification of learning-support situations and flagging sessions for academic-integrity clarification. The tool was initially evaluated using logs from previous courses; a February 2026 pilot in an introductory programming course with 160 participants provided teachers' feedback and informed iterative usability improvements.