Game-themed programming assignments: the faculty perspective

We have designed and implemented game-themed programming assignment modules targeted specifically for adoption in existing introductory programming classes. These assignments are self-contained, so that faculty members with no background in graphics or gaming can selectively pick and choose a subset to combine with their own assignments in existing classes. This paper begins with a survey of previous results. Based on this survey, the paper summarizes the important considerations when designing materials for selective adoption. The paper then describes our design, implementation, and assessment efforts. Our result is a road map that guides faculty members in experimenting with gamethemed programming assignments by incrementally adopting/customizing suitable materials for their classes. Categories and Subject Descriptors: K.3.2[Computers and Education]:Computer and Information Science Education

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: SIGCSE
• Authors: Kelvin Sung, Michael Panitz, Scott A. Wallace, Ruth Anderson, John Nordlinger
• Keywords: Education, Faculty Members, Introductory Programming Classes, Science Education, SIGCSE 2008