On code example-aided just-in-time learning for programming education

Context: Programming education keeps facing challenges. A significant challenge is the mismatch between the increasing student demand and the shortage of teaching workforce on personal tutoring. Objective: The aim of this research is to address the demand workforce mismatch and relieve the challenges of programming education. Method: After theoretically discussing a set of methodological principles (e.g., active learning from suitable code examples), a prototyping research method is employed to iteratively verify whether or not the proposed principles can be practically implemented. Results: A methodology, namely code example-aided just-in-time learning, gradually emerged. A code example hunting tool was developed for enabling this methodology. Conclusion: The code example-aided just-in-time learning can effectively and efficiently facilitate both experienced learners and beginners to study programming by practising, without requiring extensive guidance from teachers.