Block programming has been suggested as a way of engaging young learners with the foundations of programming and computational thinking in a syntax-free manner. Indeed, syntax errors--which form one of two broad categories of errors in programming, the other one being logic errors--are omitted while block programming. However, this does not mean…

Especially in large courses, feedback is often given only on the final results; less attention is paid to the programming process. Today, however, some programming environments, e.g., Thonny, log activities during programming and have the functionality of replaying the programming process. This information can be used to provide feedback, and this…

In a large-scale quantitative study that adopted a learning analytics approach, we searched for associations between students' activity in a game-based online mathematics learning environment and their mathematics achievements on a national standardized test. Students were active in the environment throughout the school year, and particularly…

Collaborative concept mapping, as one of the widely used computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) modes, has been used to foster students' meaning making, problem solving, and knowledge construction. Previous empirical research has used varied instructional scaffoldings and has reported different effects of those scaffoldings on…

Computational Thinking (CT) and creativity are considered two vital skills for the 21st century that should be incorporated into future curricula around the world. We studied the relationship between these two constructs while focusing on learners' personal characteristics. Two types of creativity were examined: creative thinking and computational…

Creativity and Computational Thinking (CT) have been both extensively researched in recent years. However, the associations between them are still not fully understood despite their recognition as essential competencies for the digital age. This study looks to bridge this gap by examining the association between CT and two types of creativity,…

This study implemented a data-driven approach to identify Chinese high school students' common errors in a Java-based introductory programming course using the data in an automated assessment tool called the Mulberry. Students' error-related behaviors were also analyzed, and their relationships to success in introductory programming were…

Persistence has proven to be a great challenge in online learning environments. Gaming and interactivity have been suggested as essential features in reducing dropout and increasing persistence in online learning. Yet in interactive game-based learning environments, persistence in moving forward in the game may come at the expense of investing in…

The recent shift in compulsory education from ICT-focused computing curricula to informatics, digital literacy and computer science, has resulted in children being taught computing using block-based programming tools such as Scratch, with teaching that is often limited by school resources and teacher expertise. Even without these limitations,…

Course reviews, which is designed as an interactive feedback channel in Massive Open Online Courses, has promoted the generation of large-scale text comments. These data, which contain not only learners' concerns, opinions and feelings toward courses, instructors, and platforms but also learners' interactions (e.g., post, reply), are generally…