![]() When they encountered a difficulty, they tried different spells and made changes to the code until they solved it.ĬodeSpells was influenced by research that Esper and Foster conducted on how successful programmers learn their trade. The girls also reported feeling empowered. So the girls made their wizard jump onto another object and levitated it high enough to reach the object they were after. For example, one group made the mistake of levitating an object so high into the air that their wizard couldn't reach it. ![]() Instead, they used the mistakes as a stepping stone to explore the game's possibilities. Their interest in the game didn't wane when they made mistakes while writing code. The students were disappointed when they had to stop playing because the test was over. "We were purposefully vague," they wrote, "as we hoped to encourage a largely unstructured learning environment." Researchers encouraged them to explore the game and see what they could do. The girls were divided in groups of two or three. They gave the students a brief overview of the game's mechanics, including how to write and edit code within the game's user interface. Researchers tested the game on a group of 40 girls ages 10 to 12 in San Diego. By the time players complete the game's first level, they have learned the main components of the Java programming language, such as parameters, for if statements, for loops and while loops, among other skills. Yet another entails starting a large bonfire. Another entails rescuing a gnome from the roof of his cottage, where he got stuck. Players can also earn badges by undertaking simple quests, which help them master the game's spells. "We're hoping that they will get as addicted to learning programming as they get addicted to video games," Foster said. Programming also teaches logical thinking, said Stephen Foster, another lead student. ![]() Teaching children how to program must be a priority in a society where technology is becoming more and more important, said Sarah Esper, one of the lead graduate students on the development of CodeSpells. They designed the game to keep children engaged while they are coping with the difficulties of programming, which could otherwise be frustrating and discouraging. So he and his graduate students set out to find a way to reach these students outside the classroom. Teaching computer science below the college level is difficult, mainly because it is hard to find qualified instructors for students in elementary to high school, Griswold said. Researchers are currently conducting further case studies in San Diego elementary schools. The UC San Diego computer scientists plan to release the game for free and make it available to any educational institution that requests it. "CodeSpells is the only video game that completely immerses programming into the game play," said William Griswold, a computer scientist at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. Computer scientists found that within just one hour of play, the girls had mastered some of Java's basic components and were able to use the language to create new ways of playing with the game. They detailed their findings in a paper they presented at the SIGCSE conference in March in Denver. The researchers tested the game on a group of 40 girls, ages 10 to 12, who had never been exposed to programming before.
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