About This Project

Intention of the Project

This platform is part of a PhD research project that aims to improve how beginners learn programming. The system is built to test a nature-inspired instructional model inspired by the eagle's nurturing behaviour and to examine how it helps novice programmers learn programming in practice.

Learning to program is difficult for many: novices often struggle with code comprehension, syntax, and building a clear mental model. Traditional teaching methods can feel abstract and disconnected from how people naturally learn. This project explores whether an approach inspired by natural learning processes can make programming education more effective and engaging.

The Eagle-Inspired Model

The instructional design draws on the eagle's nurturing strategy: stepwise training, observational learning, guided independence, and experiential reinforcement. The idea is to structure learning in stages that mirror these principles—so that beginners progress from supported, guided practice toward greater independence, with plenty of hands-on experience.

What the Platform Offers

The platform combines the nature-inspired pedagogy with practical tools for learning programming, including:

• Structured courses - Content organised in clear steps to support gradual skill development.
• Practice coding - Hands-on coding exercises (e.g. Python) with immediate feedback.
• Natural language support - Integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) to help learners explain code, get explanations, and bridge the gap between natural language and program code.
• Assignments and progress tracking - So learners and researchers can monitor understanding and engagement.

Research Purpose

The system is designed both as an educational tool and as a research instrument. It is used to evaluate whether the nature-inspired model improves programming proficiency, confidence, and retention among novice programmers, and how it compares to more traditional programming instruction. Findings from this PhD work are intended to contribute to better programming education and to the broader use of nature-inspired and NLP enhanced approaches in learning.

For More Details

To learn more about this research or to get involved, please contact: