Gamification improves learning: Experience in a training activity of computer programming in higher education

Gamification improves learning: Experience in a training activity of computer programming in higher education

Gamification improves learning: Experience in a training activity of computer programming in higher education

Rafael Mellado, Claudio Cubillos

Abstract

"Background: Effective learning in computer programming courses has been a con-stant challenge for university teachers and has become a relevant competence for current professionals. The literature on gamification in learning presents mixed results, mainly due to problems in instructional design and inconsistency in gamifica-tion. Studies with positive empirical results on computer programming formative activities and showing under what conditions gamification is effective still need to be included. Objectives: This study aimed to quantify the effects of gamification techniques in software tools that support computer programming learning applied to data- structures university students. The study focused on determining whether there are differences in learning when using gamification techniques in online exercising for-mative activities. The effects of gamification on learning objectives with diverse com-plexity are studied. Methods: The study was conducted on computer engineering university students fol-lowing a pretest-intervention-posttest design. They were divided into control and experimental groups, where both used a bank of exercises in Moodle to support learning. The experimental group considered gamification techniques, including points, leaderboards, and badges. Results and Conclusions: Gamification techniques significantly outperformed in learning gains in exercising activities without gamification. Regarding learning com-plexity, increasing taxonomic complexity did not negatively affect gamification learn-ing effects."

Reference

Mellado, R., & Cubillos, C. (2024). Gamification improves learning: Experience in a training activity of computer programming in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(4), 1959–1973. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcal.13000

Keywords

Data Structures, Educational Software, Gamification