Advancing the Computational Thinking of Undergraduate Students in Intermediate Computer Science Courses

该项目旨在通过定义学生必须理解的关键概念来成为计算思考者，并通过识别阻碍学习这些概念的误解，为国家利益服务。在当今数据和计算驱动的社会中，人们需要计算思维能力才能成为成功的、对社会有贡献的成员。计算思维能力与基本的阅读、写作和算术能力一样重要。一个众所周知且令人不安的问题是，通常教授计算思维的计算机课程和项目的学生保留率很低。尽管在计算机入门课程中，在识别关键概念和提高学生成绩方面已经做了大量的工作，但在中级课程中做的工作却很少。该项目旨在了解学生在二年级和三年级学习基本计算技能时面临的概念障碍。这种理解可能会带来新的方法来改善计算思维的教与学。该项目的成果对建立和维持一支熟练的国家劳动力队伍具有重要意义，特别是在高度重视计算的领域。这个项目将通过阈值概念和阈值能力框架来研究计算思维。学生们在学习门槛概念时往往会遇到困难，因为这些概念要求学习者以新的、通常是反直觉的方式转变思维。面向对象编程是阈值概念的一个例子。一旦掌握了阈值概念，阈值概念就具有变革性，因为它们使学习者能够学习更高级的概念，并建立学习者在计算机领域的专业身份。通过识别中级计算机科学中的阈值概念，该项目旨在帮助学生更成功地通过开发计算思维能力所需的概念性工作。该项目将整合阈值概念、阈限性和变革性学习的问题，以产生一个框架，通过该框架可以探索计算思维，并可以更好地评估学生的进步。计算思维本身就是一种门槛能力，它为STEM和非STEM职业的专业成功奠定了基础。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by defining critical concepts students must understand to become computational thinkers and by identifying misconceptions that stand in the way of learning these concepts. In today’s data- and computing-driven society, people need computational thinking abilities to be successful, contributing members of society. The ability to think computationally is as fundamentally important as basic fluency in reading, writing, and arithmetic. A well-known and troubling problem is the low retention of students in computing courses and programs, where computational thinking is typically taught. Although considerable work has been done to identify critical concepts and improve student performance in introductory computing courses, little work has been done in intermediate courses. This project seeks to understand the conceptual barriers that students face while learning basic computational skills in their second and third year of study. This understanding may lead to new approaches to improve teaching and learning of computational thinking. The results of this project have important implications for building and maintaining a skilled national workforce, especially in fields that are highly focused on computation.This project will study computational thinking through the lens of threshold concepts and threshold capability frameworks. Students often struggle to learn threshold concepts because these concepts require learners to shift their thinking in new and often counter-intuitive ways. Object-oriented programming is an example of a threshold concept. Once learned, threshold concepts are transformational because they enable learning of more advanced concepts and build the learners’ professional identities in computing. By identifying threshold concepts in intermediate computer science, the project aims to help students navigate more successfully through the conceptual work needed to develop computational thinking capabilities. This project will integrate issues of threshold concepts, liminality, and transformative learning to produce a framework through which computational thinking can be probed and students’ progression can be better assessed. Computational thinking is, itself, a threshold capability that lays the groundwork for professional success in STEM and non-STEM careers. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.