# Influence of Gamification on the Commitment of the Students of a Programming Course: A Case Study
## 1 Introduction  
In the evolving landscape of higher education, student commitment has become a paramount concern for educators and institutions alike. The digital age, characterized by rapid technological advancements and the proliferation of online learning platforms, has brought forth both challenges and opportunities in fostering student commitment. One such opportunity lies in learning with gamification, a pedagogical approach that integrates game mechanics into non-game contexts, aiming to enhance user engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. As programming courses, often perceived as complex and challenging, grapple with issues of student commitment and dropout, the potential of gamification in this domain warrants thorough exploration. While the broader educational sector grapples with engagement challenges, programming courses present their own unique set of hurdles. The abstract nature of programming concepts, coupled with the rigorous analytical thinking it demands, can often lead to feelings of being overwhelmed among students. Traditional teaching methodologies, though effective for some, might not cater to the diverse learning needs of the current generation. As educators seek to bridge this gap, the integration of modern pedagogical approaches becomes imperative. Among these, gamification emerges not just as a trend but as a potential cornerstone for reshaping the learning experience in programming courses, making it more interactive, engaging, and aligned with the preferences of today's learners. Recent studies have highlighted the alarming dropout rates and lack of motivation among engineering students, particularly in computer science disciplines [1], emphasizing the need for innovative educational strategies to improve student engagement and performance. Concurrently, research has also underscored the gender disparities in engineering career choices, pointing to a range of influencing factors such as interest, social influences, and outcome expectations [2]. The underlying reasons for such dropout rates encompass a spectrum of factors, from low academic performance and socio-economic challenges to lack of motivation and poor social support in the academic environment [3]. These challenges underscore the urgency for innovative educational interventions, such as gamification, to bolster student commitment and reduce the dropout rate in programming courses and beyond. In the domain of software modeling, an area closely related to programming, the introduction of gamified platforms has shown promise for enhancing student engagement and comprehension. A study by [PERSON] and [PERSON] evaluated a gamified web platform tailored for studying the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a standard tool often integrated into programming and software engineering curricula [4]. Their findings revealed that students appreciated the platform's usability and recognized its significant contribution to their learning process. Other studies oriented towards the analysis of students' perceptions found that the use of gamified tools improves their motivation [5] and engagement [6]. Expanding the scope away from computer science and engineering disciplines, student dropout in higher education remains a global concern. A study from Central Java, Indonesia, further corroborates the complexity of this issue, emphasizing the diverse challenges students face across different educational settings [7]. Moreover, with rapid advancements in technology, data-driven models are emerging as potent tools to understand and predict student dropout risks. A recent study employed data mining and machine learning techniques to categorize university students based on their dropout risk, underscoring the potential of technology for addressing educational challenges [8]. Delving deeper into the psychoeducational aspects of student dropouts, [PERSON] et al.