Work

Rethinking the Bebras Challenge in Virtual Reality: Implementation and Usability Study of a Computational Thinking Game

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) technology is becoming increasingly relevant as a modern educational tool. However, its application in teaching and learning computational thinking remains relatively underexplored. This paper presents the implementation of selected tasks from the international Bebras Challenge in a VR environment called ThinkLand. A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the usability of the developed game across two interface types: mobile devices and desktop computers. A total of 100 participants, including high school and university students, took part in the study. The overall usability rating was classified as “good”, suggesting that ThinkLand holds promise as a platform for supporting computational thinking education. To assess specific aspects of interface usability, a custom Virtual Environment Usability Questionnaire (VEUQ) was developed. Regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between participants’ age, gender, and interface type with both learning performance and perceived usability, as measured by the VEUQ. The analysis revealed statistically significant differences in interaction patterns between device types, providing practical insights for improving interface design. Validated in this study, the VEUQ proved to be an effective instrument for informing interaction design and guiding the development of educational VR applications for both mobile and desktop platforms.

Source: Multimodal Technologies and Interaction

DOI: 10.3390/mti9060060

Authors: Jelena Nakić, Ivana Rogulj, Lada Maleš

Institutions: University of Split, Ericsson (Croatia)

Language: English

Topic: Teaching and Learning Programming

Subfield: Computer Science Applications

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,930