Learning Java through a Game

Abstract

Students studying business information technology at a university have a wide choice of learning options, such as videos, reading literature, learning by solving exercises, taking online teaching courses or attending the class. However, few publications describe the effect of using learning games in tertiary education. That is why the topic of learning games in a university setting will be investigated in this thesis. Java is a programming language which will continue to play an important role in software development education in 2022 and beyond. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of game-based learning when it comes to perceived learning effects as seen by the students who are taught Java in a beginner programming course. For this purpose, existing games have been evaluated and a suitable game has been adapted to the learning content of the FHNW Programming 1 course. Our work investigated whether the students find the use of a game motivating and whether they liked it. The evaluation was based on the MEEGA+ method, which examines these aspects by means of a survey. The results can be used further at the FHNW and by other universities in the field of business information technology. The experiment shows that students liked the game prototype. The students enjoyed playing the game and stated that it helped them understand the learning content. They rated the game as an efficient and effective learning method, and many preferred it to more traditional learning methods.