Using Cyberlearning Environment to Improve Student’s Learning and Engagement in Introductory Computer Programming Courses
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Abstract
All Computer Science majors are required to take introductory programming (CS1) as a fundamental course which has a high dropout rate. Researchers report that CS1 students lack motivation and need constant resource support. Motivated by these factors, we developed a cyberlearning environment embedded with learning engagement strategies such as Collaborative Learning, Social Interaction and Gamification. The purpose of research is to investigate the impact the cyberlearning environment had on student acquisition of programming concepts. I conducted a series of studies to empirically validate these learning engagement strategies in the context of student learning outcomes. The results of my dissertation have shown that Gamification and Social Interaction when combined or used individually had more positive impact on student learning when compared to that of other learning engagement strategies.