Abstract
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [1], computer science professions are among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., and computer science occupations will add more than half a million new jobs in the next ten years. Simultaneously, universities in the U.S. and worldwide are seeing poor retention rates in computer science, with a major reason being that students often view the early courses in the subject as uninteresting and dull [2]. We have developed a mobile game that provides an engaging way for students to practice the basic syntax of C, C++ and Java. Learning programming language syntax is a tedious process. Practicing by actually programming is, of course, ideal, but we believe that a game which is fun for students to play in their spare time will help them get used to distinguishing correct syntactical constructs quickly. The initial version of the game was evaluated by a small population of first-year computer science students at Norfolk State University. The results showed that students enjoyed the game, and that a modest improvement in the students' abilities to identify correct and incorrect syntax was achieved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference: Launching a New Vision in Engineering Education, FIE 2015 - Proceedings |
| Publisher | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. |
| Volume | 2014 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781479984534 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2 2015 |
| Event | 2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2015 - El Paso, United States Duration: Oct 21 2015 → Oct 24 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | 2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2015 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| City | El Paso |
| Period | 10/21/15 → 10/24/15 |
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Keywords
- computer science education
- mobile computing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Software
- Education
- Computer Science Applications
Cite this
Syntax circuitry : A mobile game for practicing programming language syntax. / Shellington, W. A.; Humphries, T. O.; Morsi, R.; Rizvi, Mona A.E.
2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference: Launching a New Vision in Engineering Education, FIE 2015 - Proceedings. Vol. 2014 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2015. 7344133.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - Syntax circuitry
T2 - A mobile game for practicing programming language syntax
AU - Shellington, W. A.
AU - Humphries, T. O.
AU - Morsi, R.
AU - Rizvi, Mona A.E.
PY - 2015/12/2
Y1 - 2015/12/2
N2 - According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [1], computer science professions are among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., and computer science occupations will add more than half a million new jobs in the next ten years. Simultaneously, universities in the U.S. and worldwide are seeing poor retention rates in computer science, with a major reason being that students often view the early courses in the subject as uninteresting and dull [2]. We have developed a mobile game that provides an engaging way for students to practice the basic syntax of C, C++ and Java. Learning programming language syntax is a tedious process. Practicing by actually programming is, of course, ideal, but we believe that a game which is fun for students to play in their spare time will help them get used to distinguishing correct syntactical constructs quickly. The initial version of the game was evaluated by a small population of first-year computer science students at Norfolk State University. The results showed that students enjoyed the game, and that a modest improvement in the students' abilities to identify correct and incorrect syntax was achieved.
AB - According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [1], computer science professions are among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., and computer science occupations will add more than half a million new jobs in the next ten years. Simultaneously, universities in the U.S. and worldwide are seeing poor retention rates in computer science, with a major reason being that students often view the early courses in the subject as uninteresting and dull [2]. We have developed a mobile game that provides an engaging way for students to practice the basic syntax of C, C++ and Java. Learning programming language syntax is a tedious process. Practicing by actually programming is, of course, ideal, but we believe that a game which is fun for students to play in their spare time will help them get used to distinguishing correct syntactical constructs quickly. The initial version of the game was evaluated by a small population of first-year computer science students at Norfolk State University. The results showed that students enjoyed the game, and that a modest improvement in the students' abilities to identify correct and incorrect syntax was achieved.
KW - computer science education
KW - mobile computing
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U2 - 10.1109/FIE.2015.7344133
DO - 10.1109/FIE.2015.7344133
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84960465270
VL - 2014
BT - 2015 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference: Launching a New Vision in Engineering Education, FIE 2015 - Proceedings
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ER -