Game-Based Learning for Learning to Program: From Learning Through Play to Learning Through Game Development

This research is approaching game-based learning as a creative act. Furthermore, creativity receives a holistic interpretation and is regarded as a three-dimensional term. Consequently, the authors will debate the research topic of game-based learning from three perspectives: teacher, student and learning process. On the other hand, computer programming is still hard to learn; as many researchers show that students fail vastly in programming courses, game-based learning seems to be a motivational solution that overcomes the basic difficulties that students face in this field. In the emerging field of game-based learning, there are several approaches that have been tested in programming courses at university level. Three of them are a) Learning to program by playing games, b) Learning programming through game development and c) Learning to program by the development of games for learning programming. This study has been carried out as a comparative analysis of these three approaches. Data has been collected from course evaluation questionnaires, online discussion fora and from discussions with students and teachers involved in programming courses at three different universities. Findings show that all three approaches seem to have a promising potential but there are also some identified minor problems. The recommendation is to blend these approaches and to combine them with traditional instructional design for programming education. The outcome of the study is the design of a model of learning for students in programming education