Virtual reality instructional modules for introductory programming courses

Undergraduate students may find computer science to be a tough subject to learn. Students might not grasp concepts with traditional teaching methods, even if they are ideal. Likewise, instructors could also find computer science hard to teach. This predicament could lead to poor academic performance for students as well as students not possessing adequate programming skills needed for software development careers. Gamification is the application of game-like elements to non-gaming activities used to encourage people to participate in those activities and achieve specific goals. Emerging research proves the effectiveness of gamification in academia, especially in the computer science realm. Thus, we have built two gaming modules for teaching object-oriented programming (OOP) and binary search. This paper discusses the design, development, and testing of virtual reality instructional (VRI) modules based on gaming metaphors. Constructivism and usability were considered while developing them. A user study found that about 75% of undergraduate students found the OOP module was easy to use and about 92% of them thought that it is effective at helping them learn OOP.

[1]  Günter Wallner,et al.  DOGeometry: teaching geometry through play , 2012, FnG '12.

[2]  Zhou Zhang,et al.  Evaluation of a video game adaptation for mechanical engineering educational laboratories , 2016, 2016 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[3]  Choo-Yee Ting,et al.  Adaptive digital game-based learning framework , 2007, DIMEA.

[4]  L.D. Thomas,et al.  Work in progress - implementation of Second Life in electromagnetic theory course , 2008, 2008 38th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference.

[5]  Patty Kostkova,et al.  Gaming to master the game - Game usability and game mechanics , 2014, 2014 IEEE 3nd International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health (SeGAH).

[6]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  Effects of Knowledge Construction Tools on Students' Learning Patterns in Collaborative Game-Based Learning Activities , 2016, 2016 5th IIAI International Congress on Advanced Applied Informatics (IIAI-AAI).

[7]  Cristina Carmona,et al.  Implications of a Formative Evaluation for Improving the Educational Effectiveness of an Educational Game for Spanish Orthography , 2006 .

[8]  Päivi Kinnunen,et al.  Informal CS learning through games: benefits to formal education? , 2015, Koli Calling.

[9]  O.H. Graven,et al.  Exploitation of games and virtual environments for e-learning , 2006, 2006 7th International Conference on Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training.

[10]  Per Backlund,et al.  Educational games - Are they worth the effort? A literature survey of the effectiveness of serious games , 2013, 2013 5th International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (VS-GAMES).

[11]  Anita Komlodi,et al.  Usability related human errors in a collaborative immersive VR environment , 2014, 2014 5th IEEE Conference on Cognitive Infocommunications (CogInfoCom).

[12]  Baltasar Fernández-Manjón,et al.  Investigating the Impact of Gaming Habits, Gender, and Age on the Effectiveness of an Educational Video Game: An Exploratory Study , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[13]  Christopher Watson,et al.  Game-based concept visualization for learning programming , 2011, MTDL '11.

[14]  Mohamed Jemni,et al.  Towards a Generic UML Model to Support Designing Educational Role Playing Games , 2016, 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT).

[15]  Ismar Frango Silveira,et al.  Open educational games: Challenges and perspectives , 2016, 2016 XI Latin American Conference on Learning Objects and Technology (LACLO).

[16]  Stephen J. H. Yang,et al.  Creating a 3D Game-Based Learning System in a Virtual World for Low-Achieving Students in Mathematics , 2016, 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT).

[17]  Marion A. Hersh,et al.  Accessibility and Usability of Educational Gaming Environments for Disabled Students , 2012, 2012 IEEE 12th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies.

[18]  James Stigall,et al.  Game-Theme Based Instructional Module for Teaching Object Oriented Programming , 2015, 2015 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI).

[19]  Charles Gouin-Vallerand,et al.  Game Based Learning: A Case Study on Designing an Educational Game for Children in Developing Countries , 2016, 2016 8th International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (VS-GAMES).

[20]  Jakub Miler,et al.  Designing effective educational games - a case study of a project management game , 2016, 2016 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS).

[21]  Fabio Abbattista,et al.  User brain-driven evaluation of an educational 3D virtual environment , 2015, 2015 10th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI).

[22]  Anton Nijholt,et al.  Let the Game Do the Talking: The Influence of Explicitness and Game Behavior on Comprehension in an Educational Computer Game , 2011, 2011 International Conference on Cyberworlds.

[23]  Peggy Doerschuk,et al.  Introducing programming concepts through video game creation , 2013, 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[24]  Kuan-Cheng Lin,et al.  Online Interactive Game-Based Learning in High School History Education: Impact on Educational Effectiveness and Student Motivation , 2011, 2011 Fourth International Conference on Ubi-Media Computing.