Teaching object-oriented programming in first-year undergraduate courses supported by virtual classrooms

Abstract

Students struggle to learn computer programming. In recent years, there has been a dramatic drop in the number of students enrolling in IT and computer science courses. There is high dropout rate among first year students undertaking computer science courses. Because introductory programming courses traditionally have a high failure rate, this has been a barrier for students and staff in computer science faculties. Programming is acknowledged by many to be an inherently complex, intellectual activity with students struggling through their first programming subjects and lecturers are struggling to teach it. This problem is no different at School of Computer Science at PUCRS in Brazil. The department has for many years trying to improve the teaching of programming courses to the students. This paper describes the use of a classroom in the MOODLE environment to teach Java programming to first year students.