In the Pd/Max environment, programming can be explored in real-time sound and video synthesis algorithms. This tool demo overviews the use of the Pd/Max media- programming environment for learning C code in a non computer science course with the goal of designing practical, task-oriented applications. Pure Data (Pd) is an open source fifth generation visual programming language (VPL) with options to write coded objects in C, and Max is its commercial software version. The Pd/Max paradigm can be described as a way of combining predesigned objects and instances of classes with custom written patches into useful configurations. It’s possible to write very low level, old school C code or high level C code with classes without needing to rely on a wrapper for any other language, which assists novice programmers to understand challenging computer science concepts. This software tool was used to teach C programming for media development to non-computer science students in an experimental audio programming course. These kinds of tools are indispensable as evidenced by an assessment of learning outcomes as we shift to more constructivist learning environments where the acquisition of knowledge is instrumental and adaptive to the problem, or task. With VPL learning environments, students are able to engage in active learning through realist ontologies, which provides a strategy for the development of cognitive models applied to Boolean reasoning, combinatory logic and modal logic in the C code.