Paul Neve

NoobLab: An Intelligent Learning Environment for Teaching Programming

Computer programming is a highly practical subject and it is essential that those new to the discipline engage in hands-on experimentation as part of the learning process. However, when faced with large cohorts and an increasing demand for distance and student flexible learning, incorporating this into a programming course can be difficult. There is a dynamic that exists between tutor and student in a real-world programming workshop session that is not easily replicated online. In this paper we describe an online learning environment that begins to create an analogue of this dynamic and its successful integration into an undergraduate programming module. Ultimately, the potential exists to not only improve the student learning experience but also investigate and inform programming pedagogy itself.

Learn Programming++: The Design, Implementation and Deployment of an Intelligent Environment for the Teaching and Learning of Computer Programming

We discuss the demand for intelligent systems to assist both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of computer programming, then describe the design, implementation of Nooblab, an integrated system offering instruction, a programming test bed and assessment for several programming languages, and its deployment in real university classroom situations. The system also logs every interaction which each student has with it, providing a rich set of data for analysis. Initial results from its use within real courses are presented and discussed, along with proposals for future developments involving incorporating machine learning paradigms into the system.

NoobLab: An E-learning Platform for Teaching Programming

Computer Programming remains a difficult discipline to teach. E-learning can help improve student engagement and outcomes but offerings designed to teach programming in a University context are rudimentary when compared to publicly available sites such as Code Academy. This paper describes Noob Lab, an e-learning platform for teaching programming. The environment provides a complete suite of features surpassing prior work, and has successfully been used in a number of undergraduate modules to improve student outcomes, satisfaction, and inform pedagogy.