Different instructional strategies have been drawn to assist elementary school students in improving computational thinking (CT) skills and student engagement (SE) in unplugged programming activities. This paper aimed to explore how the interactive strategies of unplugged programming affect CT skills and SE. The study was conducted based on a…

Computer programming is a skill of increasing importance in scientific and technological fields. However, in introductory computer science (CS1) courses in higher education, approximately one in every three students fails. A common reason is that students are overwhelmed by an accelerated and inflexible pace of learning that jeopardizes success.…

The SQL-Explore Learning Module detailed in this teaching tip provides an opportunity for students to apply database course knowledge beyond solving traditional pre-determined Structured Query Language (SQL) coding questions. In this unique constructivist activity using the apropos 5E Instructional Model, students explore tables to locate data…

In this paper we present a model for designing professional courses in a blended learning context as a tool to help the interaction between students, teachers and learning resources. This model aims to promote new concepts, new approaches and new strategies that have been changing the paradigm of teaching and learning. To develop a course based on…

Over the last 10 years, learning analytics have provided educators with both dashboards and tools to understand student behaviors within specific technological environments. However, there is a lack of work to support educators in making data-informed design decisions when designing a blended course and planning appropriate learning activities. In…

Computer Science Unplugged (CS-Unplugged) has been evolving in computer science education. It is a promising approach especially for introductory programming skills and computer science concepts. The skills of the computer science instructors/teachers, who convert the approach into practice, can be crucial during the preparation of CS-Unplugged…

This book highlights the importance of design in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) by proposing data-driven design and assessment. It addresses data-driven design, which focuses on the processing of data and on improving design quality based on analysis results, in three main sections. The first section explains how to design…

While programming was introduced to mathematics classrooms in the 1980s, emerging robotic technologies have encouraged more widespread integration of these technologies to support the development of K-12 students' mathematical reasoning. The recent emphasis of programming and computational thinking in K-12 education has highlighted the need to…

Blended learning is a hybrid of traditional face-to-face and different types of online learning services. Blended learning offers synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences that combine the conveniences of online courses while maintaining in-person contact. Blended learning addresses the needs of students who are unable to attend classes…

It is becoming increasingly necessary for every child to have experience with 21st century Computational Thinking (CT) skills including learning to program. Considerable efforts have been made within the last two decades including the development and widespread use of novice-friendly block-based programming environments such as Scratch and Snap!…

This paper elaborates on the notion of object-oriented collaborative learning by building on empirical material from two case studies in higher education. Prior empirical findings show how knowledge objects are evolving entities, shaped by the interactions between participants, and how students learn from engaging in knowledge practice that…

Learning design is currently slanted to reflect a course-based approach to learning. This article explores whether the concept of learning design could be applied to support the informal aspects of work-based learning (WBL). It also discusses the characteristics of WBL and presents a WBL-specific learning design that highlights the key features…

This paper explores the application of canonical gradient analysis to evaluate and visualize student performance and acceptance of a learning system platform. The subject of evaluation is a first year BSc module for computer programming. This uses "Ceebot," an animated and immersive game-like development environment. Multivariate…

One of the benefits of using collaborative learning is enhancing learning achievement and increasing social skills, and the second benefits is as the more students work together in collaborative groups, the more they understand, retain, and feel better about themselves and their peers, moreover working together in a collaborative environment…

The Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) provides a web-based environment for the creation, sharing, running and monitoring of Learning Designs. A central feature of LAMS is the visual authoring environment, where educators use a drag-and-drop environment to create sequences of learning activities. The visualisation is based on boxes…