Description

Teachers face several challenges when presenting fundamental concepts of programming in the classroom. Several tools are introduced to give a visual dimension to support the learning process. They rely on code blocks, easily manipulated in a plug and play fashion, to build a program. These block-based tools intend to familiarize students with programming logic, before diving into text-based programming languages such as Java, Python, etc. However; when transitioning from block-based to text-based programming, students often encounter a gap in their learning. The student may not be able to apply block-based foundations in a text-based environment. To bridge the gap between both environments, we developed a hybrid-based learning approach. We found that on average a hybrid-based approach increases the students understanding of programming foundations, memorization, and ease of transition by more than 30% when compared to a block-based to text-based learning approach. Finally, we provide the community with an open source, hybrid-based learning tool that can be used by students when learning programming concepts or for future studies.

Date of creation, presentation, or exhibit

4-1-2019

Comments

© 2019 Copyright held by the owner/author(s)

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Department, Program, or Center

Software Engineering (GCCIS)

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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