AWERProcedia Information Technology & Computer Science 1 (2012) 1093-1099 2 nd World Conference on Information Technology (WCIT-2011) Teaching computer programming online or face to face: a quantitative study Sevinc Gulsecen a *, Zerrin Ayvaz Reis b , Cigdem Selcukcan Erol c , Elif Kartal Karatas c , Murat Gezer d , Irfan Simsek b , Yasemin Asaadi c , Yasemin Derelioglu e , Kemal Yildirim f , Fatih Gursul c , Duygu Mutlu b , Burak Sisman b , Zeki Ozen c a İstaŶďul UŶiversity, FaĐulty of SĐieŶĐe, DepartŵeŶt of MatheŵatiĐs, Beyazıt, İstaŶďul, ϯϰϰϱϮ, Turkey b İstaŶďul UŶiversity HasaŶ Ali YüĐel EduĐatioŶ FaĐulty, DepartŵeŶt of Coŵputer EduĐatioŶ aŶd IŶstruĐtioŶal TeĐhŶology, Beyazıt, İstaŶďul. c İstaŶďul UŶiversity Informatics Departments,Vezneciler- Beyazıt, İstaŶďul, ϯϰϰϱϮ, Turkey d Fatih UŶiversity FaĐulty of EŶgiŶeeriŶg DepartŵeŶt of Coŵputer EŶgiŶeeriŶg, İstaŶďul, Turkey e İstaŶďul UŶiversity HasaŶ Ali YüĐel EduĐatioŶ FaĐulty, DepartŵeŶt of Priŵary EduĐatioŶ, , Beyazıt, İstaŶďul, Turkey f Bahçeşehir UŶiversity, VoĐatioŶal SĐhools, TeĐhŶiĐal Prograŵs, İstaŶďul, Turkey Abstract Although online education provides opportunities to people who traditionally do not have access to universities, there is a need for more empirical studies to gain better understanding on how to deliver quality online education, especially when the subject of the course is related with IT. Learning to program is a complicated process. This study aims to find out the difference between studeŶts’ perforŵaŶĐe iŶ oŶliŶe aŶd faĐe -to-face settings during a computer programming course in the fall semester of the year 2010. The study was conducted at the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University. This online course is one of the required courses for students majoring in Mathematics. It is delivered in a learning management system developed in house through a project funded by Istanbul University. The goal is to introduce students with structured programming using the programming language C. Two topics -FuŶĐtioŶs iŶ C PrograŵŵiŶg aŶd Loops iŶ C PrograŵŵiŶg - were presented to students online and face to face. The total of 62 students formed two groups: the online and face to face groups. The content analysis statistical technique is used, as well as a questionnaire consisting of open- ended questions, which performed as a data collection tool to find out the views of the students in context to the process. Keywords: E-learning, Computer Programming, On line learning,Information technology, LMS Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Hafize Keser. ©2012 Academic World Education & Research Center. All rights reserved. *ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE; Sevinc, Gulsecen, İstaŶďul UŶiǀersitLJ, FaĐultLJ of “ĐieŶĐe, DepartŵeŶt of MatheŵatiĐs, BeLJazıt, İstaŶďul, 34452, Turkey E-mail address: gulsecen@istanbul.edu.tr/ Tel: +90-212-440-00-00/10110