Student perception of the contribution of Hackathon and collaborative learning approach on computer programming pass rate

Abstract

According to [8] the student's learning inspiration and adequacy can be influenced by several environmental factors which includes the learning approach and social pressure from class mates. The aim of this study is to investigate students' perceptions about the contribution of collaborative learning and the Hackathon to improve computer programming pass rate. The study included both the under-graduate and post-graduate full-time, Information Technology (IT) students at the Durban University of Technology and a self-administered survey was used. Social cognitive theory and collaborative learning are the core theoretical frameworks that underpins this study. The outcome of students' perception was analyzed using IBM SPSS. It was found that students that collaborated with others on assignments felt that their computer programming marks would improve when participating in Hackathons. The results from this study also revealed that a high number of students are satisfied with their collaborative learning experience.