A Proposal of the Gamification of Programming Learning Assistant System

Despite the rapid expansion of the ICT sector, there's a disconnect with STEM subjects, leading to high dropout rates in computer science and engineering programs. This contributes to many unfilled positions in the ICT job market. One key issue is that traditional teaching methods struggle to engage students in challenging and abstract STEM subjects like programming. To address this, innovative technology-enhanced learning solutions are needed to be developed. In the past, we have developed a Programming Learning Assistant System (PLAS) to support programming learning for novice students. PLAS offers several types of exercise problems to foster code reading and writing skills at different levels. In this paper, we propose the initial prototype of the gamification of PLAS to enhance students' comprehension of programming concepts, improve their confidence, cultivate their interest in STEM fields, and increase course engagement through dynamic and engaing scenarios.