Impact of Elements in C++ Maze Board on Student Engagement and Learning in Programming Fundamentals Course

The focus of this paper is to determine the impact of a C++ Maze Board as a physical board game to enhance students' understanding of topics in a Programming Fundamentals course at Politeknik Muadzam Shah. Based on observations, students often fail in practical assignments, quizzes, and exams due to confusion over basic concepts and terms in C++. This game is adapted from the traditional game of Snake and Ladder. An online survey using Google Form of 63 students had been conducted and a quantitative study on how the students perceived the activity. The data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics for reliability tests and descriptive analysis. The analysis of overall mean scores are for both sections include the perception of elements in C++ Maze Board with (M=4.45) and impact of learning with (M=4.40) indicate positive respond from the students. The results show that students strongly agreed they were able to learn from their own and their friends’ mistakes during the game, which helped them understand the correct answers and improve their programming skills through reflection and observation. Game components, including coins system for collecting points, balance between challenges and learning as well as suitable programming topics were seen as factors that led to a more engaging and reflective learning experience. These results provide evidence for the validity of C++ Maze Board as the gamification tools for enhancing conventional teaching in fundamentals of C++ programming.