Evaluating the Effectiveness of a 3D Visualization Environment While Learning Object Oriented Programming

Abstract

Students often face difficulties while learning Object Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts. Many researchers have proposed different approaches to improve the teaching and learning of OOP concepts. One possible method is to engage the students with stimulating 3D visualization environments to reduce the complexity while enhancing understanding of concepts. The visualization environments may improve programmer productivity and the OOP learning outcomes. However, still many researches' conclusions were based on subjective assessments, where Computer Science (CS) lacks standard assessment methods for educators to measure their students' learning outcomes. In this context, the purpose of this research is to illustrate a demonstration experiment using the Achievement Degree Analysis (ADA) approach to statistically evaluate the effectiveness of the visualization environment—ALICE— that is hypothesized to improve novice programmers' understanding of OOP concepts at King Abdulaziz University's (KAU), CS department female section, in Saudi Arabia. We focused on a specific intervention in OOP, but the experimental method could be applicable in a range of domains.