IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i6p3293-d518686.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Conceptual Framework for Programming Skills Development Based on Microlearning and Automated Source Code Evaluation in Virtual Learning Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Skalka

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Martin Drlik

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Lubomir Benko

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Jozef Kapusta

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
    Institute of Computer Science, Pedagogical University of Krakow, 30-084 Krakow, Poland)

  • Juan Carlos Rodríguez del Pino

    (Computing Center of the Department of Informatics and Systems, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 30, 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain)

  • Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska

    (Institute of Pedagogy, Faculty of Art and Sciences of Education, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland)

  • Anna Stolinska

    (Institute of Computer Science, Pedagogical University of Krakow, 30-084 Krakow, Poland)

  • Peter Svec

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia)

  • Pavel Turcinek

    (Department of Informatics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Understanding how software works and writing a program are currently frequent requirements when hiring employees. The complexity of learning programming often results in educational failures, student frustration and lack of motivation, because different students prefer different learning paths. Although e-learning courses have led to many improvements in the methodology and the supporting technology for more effective programming learning, misunderstanding of programming principles is one of the main reasons for students leaving school early. Universities face a challenging task: how to harmonise students’ education, focusing on advanced knowledge in the development of software applications, with students’ education in cases where writing code is a new skill. The article proposes a conceptual framework focused on the comprehensive training of future programmers using microlearning and automatic evaluation of source codes to achieve immediate feedback for students. This framework is designed to involve students in the software development of virtual learning environment software that will provide their education, thus ensuring the sustainability of the environment in line with modern development trends. The paper’s final part is devoted to verifying the contribution of the presented elements through quantitative research on the introductory parts of the framework. It turned out that although the application of interactive features did not lead to significant measurable progress during the first semester of study, it significantly improved the results of students in subsequent courses focused on advanced programming.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Skalka & Martin Drlik & Lubomir Benko & Jozef Kapusta & Juan Carlos Rodríguez del Pino & Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska & Anna Stolinska & Peter Svec & Pavel Turcinek, 2021. "Conceptual Framework for Programming Skills Development Based on Microlearning and Automated Source Code Evaluation in Virtual Learning Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-30, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3293-:d:518686
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3293/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3293/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Enrique Barra & Sonsoles López-Pernas & Álvaro Alonso & Juan Fernando Sánchez-Rada & Aldo Gordillo & Juan Quemada, 2020. "Automated Assessment in Programming Courses: A Case Study during the COVID-19 Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Stamatios Papadakis & Michail Kalogiannakis & Vasileios Orfanakis & Nicholas Zaranis, 2017. "The Appropriateness of Scratch and App Inventor as Educational Environments for Teaching Introductory Programming in Primary and Secondary Education," International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies (IJWLTT), IGI Global, vol. 12(4), pages 58-77, October.
    3. Aldo Gordillo, 2019. "Effect of an Instructor-Centered Tool for Automatic Assessment of Programming Assignments on Students’ Perceptions and Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-24, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cristian D. González-Carrillo & Felipe Restrepo-Calle & Jhon J. Ramírez-Echeverry & Fabio A. González, 2021. "Automatic Grading Tool for Jupyter Notebooks in Artificial Intelligence Courses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-26, October.
    2. Sara H. S. Almadi & Danial Hooshyar & Rodina Binti Ahmad, 2021. "Bad Smells of Gang of Four Design Patterns: A Decade Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-28, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Belkis Díaz-Lauzurica & David Moreno-Salinas, 2019. "Computational Thinking and Robotics: A Teaching Experience in Compulsory Secondary Education with Students with High Degree of Apathy and Demotivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-21, September.
    2. Sonsoles López-Pernas & Mohammed Saqr & Olga Viberg, 2021. "Putting It All Together: Combining Learning Analytics Methods and Data Sources to Understand Students’ Approaches to Learning Programming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Cristian D. González-Carrillo & Felipe Restrepo-Calle & Jhon J. Ramírez-Echeverry & Fabio A. González, 2021. "Automatic Grading Tool for Jupyter Notebooks in Artificial Intelligence Courses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-26, October.
    4. Enrique Barra & Sonsoles López-Pernas & Álvaro Alonso & Juan Fernando Sánchez-Rada & Aldo Gordillo & Juan Quemada, 2020. "Automated Assessment in Programming Courses: A Case Study during the COVID-19 Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    5. Esperanza Milena Torres-Madroñero & Maria C. Torres-Madroñero & Luz Dary Ruiz Botero, 2020. "Challenges and Possibilities of ICT-Mediated Assessment in Virtual Teaching and Learning Processes," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3293-:d:518686. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.