Work in Progress: Integrating Computational Thinking in STEM Education Through a Project-Based Learning Approach

This work in progress describes the design of a project-based, STEM +C (Computing) curriculum for 4th to 6th grade students in an afterschool setting, which is part of a large NSF-funded STEM+C project. The paper reports the preliminary outcome of the implementation of the first two STEM+C projects that focuses on student attitudes toward STEM and the computational thinking revealed during students’ scientific inquiry and problem solving processes

Elementary Students’ Computational Thinking Practice in a Bridge Design and Building Challenge (Fundamental)

The increased focus on computational thinking (CT) has grown in recent years for various reasons, such as a general concern about (a) a lack of global competitiveness among American students and general literacy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Hsu & Cardella, 2013), (b) maintaining the economic competitiveness of the U.S. (Yadav, Hong, & Stephenson, 2016), and (c) preparing students adequately for a society that is increasingly technological (NRC, 2011). CT can help individuals analyze and understand multiple dimensions of a complex problem and identify and apply appropriate tools or techniques to address a complex problem (Wing, 2010). Furthermore, children can benefit from improved technological literacy, content knowledge, and problem-solving skills (Hsu & Cardella, 2013) while practicing CT

Introdução do pensamento computacional na formaçao inicial de professores. Questões de avaliação e investigação/ Introducing computational thinking in pre-service teacher education. Issues in evaluation and research.

Abstract — The text describes and analyses the introduction of computational thinking in the context of initial teacher education in a university context through the use of Scracth programming language. The approach is based in theorethical and practical framework in order to study and evaluate the development of computational thinking. We designed a pilot study aimed to investigate the adequacy of the dimensions present in the referred framework, in the context of initial teacher training, as well as evaluating the attributed relevance to the development of computational thinking by future teachers as part of their training process. A sample of 44 students participated in the research selected from undergraduate and master's courses. A qualitative research methodology was adopted, using Programming Scratch Language and multimedia projects, reports and focus-group interviews as main data collection techniques. Results shows the importance of providing experiences and learning opportunities to the initial teacher training students, appropriate to the development of computational thinking so that students can, as citizens, to prepare for an increasingly demanding and complex society and, as future education professionals, to take fully advantage of the fully educational potential of the computers and particularly the computacional environments for children. Resumo — O estudo teve como objetivo investigar os resultados da aplicação prática dos princípios constantes no referencial teórico de avaliação do pensamento computacional em estudantes dos cursos de pós-graduação no quadro da formação inicial de professores bem como avaliar a relevância atribuída ao desenvolvimento do pensamento computacional por futuros professores, como parte de seu processo de formação. Uma amostra de 44 estudantes foi selecionada a partir de cursos de licenciatura e de mestrado que participaram na investigação. Foi implementada uma proposta educativa, com recurso ao ambiente computacional Scratch, decorreu ao longo de um semestre lectivo. Foi adotada uma metodologia de investigação qualitativa, que combina o recurso à análise dos blocos de programação usados pelos estudantes na criação dos projectos e aplicações computacionais, com entrevistas focus-group e análise de conteúdo dos relatórios. Os resultados mostram a utilidade do quadro referencial utilizado na avaliação dos conceitos, das práticas e perspectivas computacionais desenvolvidas. O estudo apresenta evidências do reconhecimento da importância de proporcionar experiências e oportunidades de aprendizagem aos alunos de formação inicial de professores, necessárias ao seu desenvolvimento como cidadãos e como futuros professores, ajudando-os a prepararem-se para um contexto profissional cada vez cada vez mais complexo e exigente bem como a aproveitar plenamente o potencial educativo dos computadores e das tecnologias e recursos digitais no trabalho educativo co

Knowledge Level and Self-Confidence on The Computational Thinking Skills Among Science Teacher Candidates

The trending topic in today's education is computational thinking skills which are used to help to solve complicated problems easier. This study aims to identify the level of knowledge and self-confidence of science teacher candidates (physics and biology) on computational thinking skills. The survey research design was used through a mixed-method approach by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative study involved 1016 randomly selected groups of science teachers while in the qualitative study, eight science teachers were chosen based on the scores obtained from the quantitative study. The questionnaire was used as a quantitative data collecting technique to analyze descriptive statistics. Then, an interview was used as the qualitative data collecting technique and was analyzed through theme creation. The findings show that science teacher candidates have a high level of knowledge and self-confidence. The implication of this study is very important for teacher candidates because computational thinking can help to facilitate problems solving in everyday life. Teacher candidates need to be given knowledge and understanding of computational thinking skills, to have readiness and self-confidence in facing the challenges of the learning in the 21st-centur

Sorotan Literatur Bersistematik: Aktiviti Pemikiran Komputasional dalam Pendidikan di Malaysia

Kajian semasa bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti jenis aktiviti pemikiran komputasional yang digunakan dalam pendidikan di Malaysia. Metodologi kajian berdasarkan pernyataan PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) digunakan untuk kaedah tinjauan yang menggunakan pangkalan data utama iaitu Scopus dan Web of Science. Pencarian menyeluruh dalam pangkalan data elektronik terungkap 19 kajian mengenai pemikiran komputasional yang diterbitkan antara Jan 2010 hingga Julai 2020 di Malaysia berdasarkan kriteria-kriteria yang telah ditetapkan. Tinjauan terhadap artikel-artikel ini menunjukkan terdapat 19 aktiviti pemikiran komputasional yang dilakukan dalam konteks kajian di Malaysia. Aktiviti pengaturcaraan (programming) dikenal pasti sebagai aktiviti yang banyak dilakukan berbanding aktiviti robotik, LED (light emitting diode), gamifikasi, kad bergambar haiwan, modul pengajaran, amalan pembelajaran dan pengajaran, serta soal selidik. Manakala, tahap pendidikan yang mengintegrasikan pemikiran komputasional pula secara umumnya merangkumi golongan pelajar pra sekolah, pelajar sekolah rendah, pelajar sekolah menengah, pelajar universiti, guru, pensyarah, warga media sosial, dan warga emas. Kajian-kajian ini disintesis bergantung pada sebilangan ciri umum, seperti bagaimana mereka melakukan aktiviti pemikiran komputasional, tahap pendidikan, dan potensi sumbangan pemikiran komputasional khususnya kepada pelajar. Beberapa cadangan masa depan untuk sarjana diberikan pada akhir kajian ini

Bringing Computational Thinking to Nonengineering Students through a Capstone Course

Although the concept of computational thinking has flourished, little research has explored how to integrate various elements of computational thinking into an undergraduate classroom setting. Clarifying core concepts of computational thinking and providing empirical cases that apply computational thinking practices into a real-world educational setting is crucial to the success of software engineering education. In this article, we describe the development of a curriculum for a social innovation capstone course, using core concepts and elements of computational thinking. The course was designed for undergraduate students of a liberal arts college at a university in Korea. Students were asked to define a social problem and introduced to the core concepts and processes of computational thinking aided by Arduino and Raspberry Pi programming environments. After building a business model, they implemented a working prototype for their proposed solution. We document class project outcomes and student feedback to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach

Bringing Computational Thinking to Nonengineering Students through a Capstone Course

Although the concept of computational thinking has flourished, little research has explored how to integrate various elements of computational thinking into an undergraduate classroom setting. Clarifying core concepts of computational thinking and providing empirical cases that apply computational thinking practices into a real-world educational setting is crucial to the success of software engineering education. In this article, we describe the development of a curriculum for a social innovation capstone course, using core concepts and elements of computational thinking. The course was designed for undergraduate students of a liberal arts college at a university in Korea. Students were asked to define a social problem and introduced to the core concepts and processes of computational thinking aided by Arduino and Raspberry Pi programming environments. After building a business model, they implemented a working prototype for their proposed solution. We document class project outcomes and student feedback to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach