The Conceptual Framework of Online Problem-Based Learning Towards Problem-Solving Ability and Programming Skills

Computer programming is a tough course that involved complex activity. The most important activity for students while learning programming is to learn how to create their own programs. Even though there are few learning approaches that have been proposed to assist students especially novice students in learning programming, few researchers believe that students face such difficulties due to their lack of ability to analyze problems. Due to that matter, we have intended to propose a conceptual framework of problem-based learning or PBL with the aim to improve students' problem-solving ability and programming skills. Besides, through the increase development of technology in recent years, the PBL tasks will be conducted via online learning setting. The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework of online problem-based learning towards students' problem-solving ability and programming skills. The input-process-output (IPO) model was used in describing the conceptual framework of this study. Inputs lead to processes that in turn lead to outcomes. The proposed conceptual framework will be useful for guiding the online instructors to effectively organize and design teaching tasks and materials for the online PBL to take place in order to assist students' problem-solving ability and computer programming skills.