Social Media-Facilitated Programming: An ARG Model for Collaborative Programming

Abstract

Internet-based tools and social media are greatly developed in the tech world. Today, technology is widely accepted and used by all generations. These tools are great and very useful for students in terms of learning, collaboration and information sharing. We aim to present a model for learning programming in social learning environments with the context of the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model. The proposed model is called "Learning Programming in Social Environments within Affinity Group (LPSEAG)". We test the proposed model for two academic years. A comparative approach was used. In the experiment, we divide the students into two categories: (1) Learn programming in the context of using the LPSEAG model, (2) Learn programming in the context of social media groups. Qualitative and quantitative results are compared for the two categories. From the results obtained it was clearly found that the students' satisfaction was high on working within a group using the LPSEAG model compared to the responses of students that use social media groups only. Moreover, the quantitative results support the assumptions that the use of LPSEAG model in learning programming in the introductory programming courses enhances the learning outcomes. Learning programming in groups enhances the learning outcomes for students whatever the student's programming level. Teachers are encouraged to create students' programming groups and implement LPSEAG model to increase learning outcomes and facilitate learning environments for students over-distance. More researches are needed to develop CVLEs which encourage students to learn programming with teams over distance.