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Add Maze Challenge for Neurodiverse Accessible NetsBlox Learning - #285

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Maxwell-P wants to merge 8 commits into
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Maxwell-P wants to merge 8 commits into
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@Maxwell-P

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This PR implements the Maze Challenge I developed during my summer research at Vanderbilt's Institute for Software Integrated Systems as part of a project on neurodiverse accessible computer science learning. My literature review found that autistic students can be engaged with programming tasks while still facing barriers with complex problem solving and sustained independent work, and it supported the use of visual supports, immediate feedback, predictable structure, and repeated connections between commands and visible results. The JavaScript service generates randomized easy and hard mazes, stores each maze by ID, evaluates paths written with U/D/L/R commands, and returns scores and immediate feedback. The NetsBlox frontend draws the maze, marks the start and goal, and overlays the submitted path so learners can compare their symbolic commands with what happens visually on the maze. The completed multiplayer version includes timed rounds, cumulative scoring, and a leaderboard that persists across rounds within the session. These parts of the game follow the research from my literature review by giving learners visual structure, immediate feedback, and a progression from visual action to symbolic representation. The maze also provides a reusable structure for future NetsBlox games, including Connect Four, that can become curricular modules for the NetsBlox website and can be adapted in the future around the accessibility needs of learners with different disabilities.

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