This short paper presents an educational approach to teaching three popular methods for encoding DNA sequences: one-hot encoding, binary encoding, and integer encoding. Aimed at bioinformatics and computational biology students, our learning intervention focuses on developing practical skills in implementing these essential techniques for…

In this study, we attempted to curate a list of tools whose primary intent is to enable and teach children to code. From this list, we developed a framework for the classification of coding tools and reviewed current research to determine how tools are used to teach coding in elementary education. The catalog grew to over 300 specific tools…

This study investigated the effects of 3D model building activities with block codes on students' spatial thinking and computational thinking skills. The study group consists of 5th grade students in a secondary school in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. For the study, a pretestposttest control group was utilized within the experimental…

There is a growing perception that computational thinking can be developed in unplugged environments. A recent trend among these unplugged approaches is the use of tabletop games. While there are many commercial tabletop games on the market that are promoted as teaching computer science and/or computational skills, little is known about how these…

Most mathematicians state mathematics is a field of beauty, creativity, and innovation, yet what is echoed by students is not how mathematics allows students to explore, but rather the ways in which it constrains and does not necessitate creativity. In comparison, many students associate coding with freedom, and the ability to create and express…

Coding is increasingly recognized as a new literacy that should be encouraged at a young age. This understanding has recontextualized computer science as a compulsory school subject and has informed several developmentally appropriate approaches to computation, including for preschool children. This study focuses on the introduction of three…

The advent of data science has led to statistics education researchers re-thinking and expanding their ideas about tools for teaching statistical modeling, such as the use of code-driven tools at the secondary school level. Methods for statistical inference, such as the randomization test, are typically taught within secondary school classrooms…

Computational chemistry instructional activities are often based around students running chemical simulations via a graphical user interface (GUI). GUI-based activities offer many advantages, as they enable students to run chemical simulations with a few mouse clicks. Although these activities are excellent for introducing students to the…

The integration of visual programming in early formal education has been found to promote computational thinking of students. Teachers' intuitive perspectives about optimal learning processes -- "folk psychology" -- impact their perspectives about teaching "folk pedagogy" and play a significant role in integrating educational…

Coding learning involves cognitive control ability that enables children to coordinate behaviors according to internally maintained goals. However, such ability is still developing during early childhood and cannot reach maturity at least until late adolescence. This study aimed to test whether integrating cognitive control strategies into online…

Tasks for teaching predictive modelling and APIs often require learners to use code-driven tools. Minimal research, however, exists about the design of tasks that support the introduction of high school students and teachers to these new statistical and computational methods. Using a design-based research approach, a web-based task was developed.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present computational algorithms as potential bearers of biases and also tools for reflection, and to advance strategies for engaging with them in education. Design/methodology/approach: Three example games (Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld, FreeCiv) are provided for introducing algorithms as meaningful and…

Computational thinking (CT) has become a necessary skill of students in the 21st century. Various learning approaches have been developed to foster CT among school students. However, these approaches predominantly rely on computer devices and internet connection and fail to promote advanced computer concepts necessary for programming. Therefore,…

Researchers and educators have advocated computational thinking (CT) should be integrated into K-12 settings as early as elementary schools. However, there has been a lack of knowledge of how pre-service K-8 teachers would be engaged in the learning of CT and its integration in different subject areas. In this study, we taught a flipped learning…

Multiple initiatives contend that all students should master computational thinking, including the "Next Generation Science Standards, the K-12 Framework for Computational Thinking," and Code.org. In turn, many physics teachers have begun to explore a variety of approaches to integrating computational modeling through programming. These…