Improving performance and retention in computer science courses using a virtual game show

One of the many factors that contribute to the decline in Computer Science retention is poor performance in foundation programming courses. In the Introduction to Programming course here at UNC Charlotte, it has been observed that poor assessment performance is often attributed to students feeling they understand material when they often don't. This iteration of the Dr. Chestr Show seeks to overcome this disconnection by assisting in the guidance of review based on routine lecture quiz performance. The Dr. Chestr show presents users with questions about the C++ programming language based on topics covered during lecture. This paper describes the design and implementation of the Dr. Chestr virtual human and his game show environment.