The Gamification of Code

Kristin Carlson, Rick Valentin

OAI: oai:igi-global.com:242215 • DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0242-6.ch005

Teaching an introductory web design course is already a blended environment. Students meet face-to-face, yet have access to a myriad of online resources, YouTube videos, blogs, and forums to support their learning. However, the challenges of learning to understand code can inhibit students and diminish their motivation to look for resources. The authors have attempted to address this issue by focusing on the use and design of games for learning to code, as well as providing video lecture material in combination with the traditional face-to-face learning environment. By using games and gamification in the course design, the authors have found that students are able not only to bridge their knowledge between modalities more smoothly, but that they understand that there are multiple ways to solve a problem and feel empowered to search for solutions in innovative ways.

Blended & Mobile Learning Education K-12 Education Computer Science and Information Technology