## Development of “Aqua Dungeon” and its Effects
C is an important programming language for many information engineering students, but learning it can be difficult for beginners due to the time-consuming process of understanding its grammar and algorithms. In this study, we developed “Aqua Dungeon,” a C language learning support app that incorporates gamification techniques to improve learner motivation.
Aqua Dungeon Overview
Aqua Dungeon is a mobile app that supports C language learning and is designed to help students review and prepare for specific classes or seminars. The app incorporates the following gamification elements:
- Level System: Students earn points by solving problems and level up.
- Badge System: Students earn badges by achieving certain conditions.
- Ranking System: Students can compare their progress with other learners.
- Calendar Function: Students can visualize their progress.
In addition, the app incorporates adaptive learning techniques to adjust the difficulty of problems based on the learner’s level of understanding.
Experiments and Results
In this study, we conducted the following two case studies to verify the effectiveness of Aqua Dungeon.
Case Study 1: Classroom Use Experiment
Target: Students enrolled in Software Lab II at Kyoto Institute of Technology
Date: June 15 – July 26, 2023
Results:
- Increased participant motivation was confirmed.
- Badges and ranking elements promoted continuation of learning.
- Low usage of the calendar function leaves room for improvement.
Case Study 2: Comparison via A/B Testing
Target: Laboratory students (enrolled in Software Lab I and II)
Date: December 11, 2023 – January 15, 2024
Method: Comparison of participants with and without gamification elements
Results:
The group that introduced gamification showed higher motivation.
The “ranking” and “calendar” features, in particular, were important factors in maintaining learning continuity.
Conclusions and Future Outlook
Aqua Dungeon was confirmed to be effective in maintaining motivation in C language learning. In particular,
The ranking feature increased learning motivation.
The badge and level system provided a sense of accomplishment.
The introduction of adaptive learning allows the app to accommodate individual learning paces.
Future challenges include:
Improving the calendar function (to increase usage),
An answer review function (to make it easier to check mistakes),
Increasing problem diversification (introducing more advanced algorithm problems).
We will continue to improve the app so that it can be used by more learners.
This research demonstrates the potential of gamification in programming education and is expected to be applied to learning other programming languages.