Treffer: The Impact of Thematic Teaching on Student Learning Outcomes in Computer Programming Applications

This study originates from the observation during teaching and student interactions that students in industry-academic cooperative programs have very limited time to dedicate to coursework. The target group for this research consists of third-year students in the Mechanical Engineering industry-academia collaborative training program, and sessions are conducted in the shared computer lab, Room 312. All 40 students were informed of the study details and signed consent forms. This research was initiated based on observations from teaching sessions and internship evaluations, which revealed that these students face challenges such as heavy workloads, condensed class schedules, and limited familiarity with programming. With limited classroom time, designing content that captures students' attention and enhances learning efficiency is a primary objective of this study. This research introduces a topic-based teaching approach, which was pilot-tested in the 2021 academic year and fully implemented in the 2022 academic year. The topic-based approach comprises three stages: topic explanation and programming implementation, problem-based exercises with peer learning, and results presentation with in-depth discussion. After completing each topic, both qualitative and quantitative questionnaires are administered to facilitate rapid instructional feedback, thereby scientifically refining the teaching and learning process. The study findings show high effectiveness in quantitative metrics, with student evaluations consistently above 4 out of 5 and a gradual increase in satisfaction with the teaching team as topic difficulty rose (from 4.48 to 4.70). In qualitative feedback, students expressed strong agreement that the topic-based approach enhanced their understanding of programming applications and techniques, peer interactions deepened knowledge retention, and team presentations fostered greater engagement. Course evaluation scores improved from 4.03 to 4.49, and final grades increased significantly from 70.23 to 87.26 (with a 12.7% improvement in teaching effectiveness and a 24.2% increase in overall semester grades.). These results indicate that, compared to conventional teaching methods, the topic-based approach effectively ignites students' enthusiasm for learning and improves learning outcomes.

As Provided