The Development of a Visual Output Approach for Programming via the Application of Cognitive Load Theory and Constructivism

Abstract

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.

Active Learning by Visual Programming: Pedagogical Perspectives of Instructivist and Constructivist Code Teachers and Their Implications on Actual Teaching Strategies and Students’ Programming Artifacts

“…In the context of visual programming, previous studies claimed that constructivism is a proper approach for teaching and learning (Bakar et al, 2019;Hadad et al, 2020). However, research findings that followed the process of creating games using the Scratch environment (Ke, 2014) found that most of the educational digital games created by students under the guidance of computer science teachers in schools were instructive in nature and may have reflected the pedagogical perspective of the teachers.…”

The effects of an active learning mechanism on cognitive load and learning achievement: A new approach for pharmacology teaching to Taiwanese nursing students

“…Our goal was to understand the intrinsic and extrinsic cognitive load of the nursing students during the learning process and their learning achievement. This study developed a cognitive load scale for digital reading of pharmacology (CLSDR_P) based on the literature ( Leppink et al, 2013 ; Korbach et al, 2018 ; Bakar et al, 2019 ). According to Cheng et al (2015) , prequiz and postquiz results can indicate the germane cognitive load in the two groups.…”

Adoption of Visual Programming Environments in Programming Learning

“…The problems faced by students in programming courses have been addressed in numerous studies, such as the success/failure rates, the complexity of the programming material, syntax error, error messages, individual learning (solo programming), and the number of students per lab [2]- [4], [10], [22], [23]. Nonetheless, efficient and innovative methods for learning basic programming skills are present.…”