Programming is a skill of the future. However, decades of experience and research had indicated that the teaching and learning of programming are full of problems and challenges. As such educators and researchers are always on the look-out for suitable approaches and paradigms that can be adopted for the teaching and learning of programming. In this article, it is proposed that a visual output approach is suitable based on the current millennials affinities for graphics and visuals. The proposed VJava Module is developed via the application of two main learning theories, which are, the cognitive load theory and constructivism. There are two submodules which consist of eight chapters that cover the topics Introduction to Programming and Java, Object Using Turtle Graphics, Input and Output, Repetition Structure, Selection Structure, More Repetition Structures, Nested Loops and Arrays. To enable Java programs to produce graphical and animated outputs, the MJava library was developed and integrated into this module. The module is validated by three Java programming experts and an instructional design expert on the module content, design and usability aspects.

Computer programming is not an easy subject to learn or teach, particularly to first-year students in higher learning institutions. Numerous past studies have shown that students faced difficulties in comprehending and applying the programming concept when writing programs to solve problems. A slight negative experience at the initial stage of the studies is enough to disappoint the students. This then resulted in lowering the motivation of students to learn programming which impacted the students' performance in the programming course. Thus, an approach must be developed so that the motivation to learn and practice programming remains high. This article proposes the use of Turtle Graphics at the initial stage of Java Programming course in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Via this approach, by writing suitable programs, the students are able to produce animations and graphics output. Students' motivation levels are then measured via the ARCS model, which measure the students' motivation based on four aspects, namely attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The results of this study found that the students demonstrate high motivation in all four motivational aspects.

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