First slide

Hello everyone

The topic of my presentation is “Gamification For Teaching Computer Programming”

Background

 As an academic in the IT Department of the Middlesex Mauritius campus, I’m

called upon to teach programming language classes as part of the MSc
Computer Networks programme.

 As you are aware, programming language learning is a core subject in any

computer science (CS) programme, and plays an important role in a
successful CS education.

 I teach java socket programming to a class of 19 students, made up of a mix

of locals and internationals, with some or no prior programming experience.

 One of the greatest challenges faced by most students is the understanding of

programming basics, as students are required to develop algorithmic or
computational thinking, and problem solving skills.

Current Teaching Approaches

 With regards to the teaching methods currently being used for this class, we
have adopted a variety of constructivist methods such as encouraging
students to work in pairs or larger groups in order to try to get them engaged
and interested in active learning.

 This also reinforces the idea of knowledge not just being passively absorbed,
but being actively constructed by learners based on their own experiences.

 Furthermore, we make use of problem-based learning by giving students

problems to solve during practical lab sessions.

 We also make use of scaffolding learning theory, whereby the instructor

needs to be aware of the learner's current level of knowledge, and then work
with the latter in order to try to go beyond that level.

 The support and guidance provided by the instructor is then gradually

removed as the learner becomes more proficient.

Issues

 However, despite the various teaching strategies used, students still struggle
to understand basic programming concepts
  Now why is that so?
 Most programming concepts, algorithms and data structures are abstract
constructs, which can be difficult for students to visualise and understand.

 Additionally, the software that students use for writing and running computer
programs are normally some type of command-line terminal screen with very
little engaging visuals and feedback.

 All these make it difficult for the student to learn and comprehend the basic
and advanced constructs of programming languages.

 This leads to decreasing student motivation, which in turn, leads to lower

student engagement levels, and ultimately, to failures in the subject.

 Many times, students end up getting traumatised and develop a hate for
programming.

Proposed Solution – Gamification

 The solution that I plan to use to alleviate the previously mentioned problems
is Gamification.

 Gamification is the use of game theory and game mechanics in non-game

contexts to engage users in solving problems. The main goal of gamification
is to motivate students to perform better.

 The term ‘gamification’ was first used in 2002. It was coined by Nick Pelling, a
British software developer and designer.

 As playing video games had already become deeply entrenched in the lives of
people, gamification of learning easily gained widespread recognition in just a
few years.

 Because games can really engage people, both academics and private
companies began to investigate how to transport the motivational elements of
games to non-game applications, thus leading to the gamification
phenomenon.

 They wanted to harness the addictive nature of game playing in student

learning. Gamified learning that taps into the addictive and competitive nature
of humans is more likely to grip learners’ attention, increase their memory
recall and knowledge retention.

Advantages of Gamification

 Some of the advantages of gamified learning are as follows:

 o Gamification makes learning not only informative, but fun and exciting
too. Students get a better learning experience and a better learning
environment.
o It also adds an interactive element. This creates the feeling of
immersion, which offers learners the opportunity to feel as though they
are an integral part of the overall learning process.

o Gamification also holds student attention and motivates them, given

that they are striving to reach a goal. When learners feel positive about
their learning process and know that they are going to be rewarded in
some way for their efforts, then they stop becoming passive observers
and turn into active participants.
o By doing so, they are able to effectively absorb the information and
commit it to the long-term memory, because the knowledge itself is
linked to the favorable experience that is provided through gamification

o Moreover, Students get instant feedback on whether they have

achieved the goals set or not, and on their level of proficiency. This is
achieved through the use of progress bars and a point system
respectively.

o Another benefit of gamification is that students are also more likely to

adjust their behaviour towards their learning in order to achieve higher
scores. There is also more interaction and sharing among peers.

How Do We Gamify?

 So how do we actually gamify learning?

 Gaming principles, mechanics and elements are used to gamify learning.

Some examples of game principles, mechanics and elements that are
commonly used include:
o A point system for rewarding completed actions (it’s normally a
numeric value that’s added to the total points)
o Badges, that are optional rewards and goals used to reward the
degree of excellency/efficiency achieved
o User Levels that give an indication of the user’s proficiency in the
overall gaming experience over time
o Leaderboards for tracking and displaying desired actions to drive
desired behaviour through competition
o Immediate notification and feedback that keep users constantly
aware of progress

Gamification in Learning & Teaching

  Now let’s have a look at some of the learning theories that Gamification
encompasses. The following are thought to be some of the most directly
relevant learning theories to gamification:

 First we have:
o Constructivism, where students are made to practice using the
gamified learning environment. Through the experience gained, they
construct their own knowledge and understanding of the subject.

o Next we have Scaffolding learning, which is done by having different

levels of learning such as an Easy level, an Intermediate level, and a
Hard level. And there is a progressive disclosure of the concepts to be
learnt.

o Lastly, we have Community of Practice, where students learn through

the process of sharing information and experiences with the group, so
that the members can learn from one another.

Gamification in Teaching Programming (1)

 A simple tool that can be used to gamify programming language learning is

Jeliot 3.

 Jeliot 3 is a program visualization application. It visualizes how a Java

program is interpreted.

 Students can program in Jeliot 3, and later they can visualise their program
and follow its execution path. They can also control the animation with Step,
Play, Pause buttons and Animation speed slider.

 This graphical representation greatly helps beginner programmers in

developing a computational mental model, and thus the learning of
programming is simplified.

Gamification in Teaching Programming (2)

 However, according to Pears, much research has shown that simple
visualization is not enough to support successful learning. Students learn
better when they are engaged with a tool in some kind of activity.

 Jeliot 3 provides the ability to select the “Ask Questions During Animation”
option from the main menu. It’s like a Quiz-like feature.

 Students have the opportunity to self evaluate their knowledge. The scores
can then be totaled, and a leaderboard created to motivate students through
friendly competition.
Results (1 of 2)

 A study carried out by Cisar et al., involving 400 students of two higher
education institutions in Serbia, and which lasted for two years, showed that
there were significant differences in the achievements of students who were
taught in the traditional way, and those who have used Jeliot3.

 Those taught using Jeliot 3 scored higher marks as show in Figure 3.

Results (2 of 2)

 They were also much more motivated to learn, and displayed higher levels of
satisfaction with their learning progress.

Conclusion

 Hence, we see that Visualisation tools can be used to gamify the teaching of
programming languages

 And that gamification can significantly boost student motivation and student
engagement

 Finally, Gamified learning can greatly help knowledge retention and recall,
and ultimately, positively impact student performance

References

And here’s a list of some of the reference materials used for this presentation.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your attention.