Mobile App Development to Increase Student Engagement and Problem Solving Skills

Authors

Sonal Dekhane, Georgia Gwinnett College
Xin Xu, Georgia Gwinnett College
Mai Y. Tsoi, Georgia Gwinnett College

Abstract

This paper describes a project designed to promote problem solving and critical thinking skills in a general education, computing course at an open access institution. A visual programming tool, GameSalad, was used to enable students to create educational apps for mobile platforms. The students worked on a game development project for the entire semester, incorporating various skills learned throughout the semester. Pre and post quiz analysis showed a significant improvement in students’ ability to design comprehensive solutions to a given problem. Survey results also showed increased student engagement, high interest in computing and a “better” understanding of information technology.

Recommended Citation

Dekhane, Sonal; Xu, Xin; and Tsoi, Mai Y. (2013) "Mobile App Development to Increase Student Engagement and Problem Solving Skills," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 24 : Iss. 4 , 299-308.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol24/iss4/5