Experience in the use of a virtual classroom for teaching computer programming: Development of algorithmic thinking and learning a programming language

Abstract

This article describes the use of a virtual classroom to provide students in the first semester of the Professional School of Ingeniería de Sistemas of the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa - Peru an organized, motivating, communicative and innovative environment for the basic course of Computer programming: Fundamentals of Programming 1. A problem that exists in many Latin American countries is that educators who teach the basic computer programming course find that for most students, computer programming is a completely new subject. As a result, it has been shown that the use of a virtual classroom as a support tool to carry out the teaching-learning process of computer programming concepts gives students a more effective and motivating experience. Here we will describe the experience using the Virtual Classroom implemented by the University Office of Information and Communication Technologies to teach the basic concepts of computer programming.