Researchers from our Computer Science Department have developed a new teaching approach designed as a tool to help beginners learn computer programming in a simpler and more engaging way.
The tool, called Medialib, facilitates the use of images, sound and interactive activities to teach Python programming through creative multimedia exercises rather than traditional maths-heavy tasks.
The research found that students who struggled with standard programming exercises became more confident and improved their coding skills when using Medialib exercises.
The findings were published in Smart Learning Environments following studies involving more than 120 university students in Japan and the United Kingdom.
Researchers said many students lose confidence early when learning to code because introductory exercises can feel abstract and difficult.
Medialib exercises gives students a more accessible starting point and helps them build confidence step by step.
In a 14-week study at a Japanese university involving 36 students, researchers found that learners who initially performed poorly in traditional maths-based exercises improved significantly through Medialib’s visual programming tasks.
By the middle of the course, most students were achieving strong results in both traditional and multimedia-based exercises.
A second study involving 84 students at a UK university confirmed similar positive results across a different educational setting.
Students described the multimedia exercises as more enjoyable, easier to understand and more motivating than standard textbook tasks.
Many said seeing immediate visual results from their code helped them better understand programming logic.
Researchers believe the approach could make computer science more accessible to students from non-technical backgrounds and those with lower confidence in mathematics.
The research team hopes Medialib could eventually be introduced more widely in schools and universities to modernise computer science education and encourage more students to develop digital skills.
The long-term aim is to create a more inclusive pathway into computing and support a broader and more diverse future workforce in the digital economy.
Our Department of Computer Science is ranked 11th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2026. Visit our Computer Science webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
/filters:quality(70)/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/central-news-and-events-images/83431-1920X290.jpg)