Motivation plays a key role in effective learning but motivation needs to be sustained through feedback responses, reflection, and active involvement in order for learning to take place. This work focuses on incorporating active methods of teaching such as game-based learning and simulation-based learning. Game theme-based instructional (GTI) modules produce better results than traditional learning techniques because it increases motivation and engagement of students as they learn interactively. This work is aimed at assessing the motivation and engagement of undergraduate students for GTI modules in introductory data structure courses. This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a GTI module to teach the linked list and binary tree data structure. For the design and development of GTI modules, we have incorporated FDF (four-dimensional framework) and constructive approach for learning. The GTI modules were evaluated based on the five components of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII). We have also performed an ANOVA test for evaluating the motivation based on familiarity with other virtual reality games and the t-test for evaluating the motivation of students when they use GTI modules as a learning tool. The results of the evaluation of GTI modules shows that instructional modules can efficiently promote learning by encouraging the students’ participation.
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Evaluation of Game-Theme Based Instructional Modules for Data Structure Concepts
Motivation plays a key role in effective learning but motivation needs to be sustained through feedback responses, reflection, and active involvement in order for learning to take place. This work focuses on incorporating active methods of teaching such as game-based learning and simulation-based learning. Game theme-based instructional (GTI) modules produce better results than traditional learning techniques because it increases motivation and engagement of students as they learn interactively. This work is aimed at assessing the motivation and engagement of undergraduate students for GTI modules in introductory data structure courses. This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a GTI module to teach the linked list and binary tree data structure. For the design and development of GTI modules, we have incorporated FDF (four-dimensional framework) and constructive approach for learning. The GTI modules were evaluated based on the five components of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII). We have also performed an ANOVA test for evaluating the motivation based on familiarity with other virtual reality games and the t-test for evaluating the motivation of students when they use GTI modules as a learning tool. The results of the evaluation of GTI modules shows that instructional modules can efficiently promote learning by encouraging the students’ participation.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1923986
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10188816
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International journal of computers and their applications
- Volume:
- 27
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1076-5204
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 24-34
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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