A constructivist, mobile and principled approach to the learning and teaching of programming

Abstract

Novices in programming courses need to acquire a theoretical understanding of programming concepts as well as practical skills for applying them, but in traditional learning environments students passively listen to the lecture without proactive practice-based learning. There is a need for a constructivist approach to learning based on the ability of the learner to construct his or her own knowledge from the concepts provided by the instructors. Therefore, learning that uses a practical approach offers more in-depth understanding to students and sustains students’ attention as well as encourages students to be active players in their own learning process. The ubiquitous use of mobile devices and the evolution of mobile device technologies have led to a growing interest in these devices as pedagogical aids in a constructivist learning approach where students can immediately practice the concepts being taught in the lecture on their mobile devices