Computing learning acquisition?
V. Bennett, KyuHan Koh, Alexander Repenning · 2011
How can learning be computed? Curriculum, using visual language as the motivational context with embedded computer science content was utilized in one college computer science class and two middle school technology classes. From the data collected in these three classes over the course of a semester, associated learning progressions were computed from several computational thinking patterns. By comparing the results (learning progressions), some obvious and some not so obvious indications emerged. We believe that the more obvious indications give credence to the less obvious, and hence the measurement tool. This comparison between middle school students and college students demonstrated that middle school students' learning progressions are slower than college level students (obvious), but middle school students' learning skill scores reached/surpassed the entry level scores of students in the college class after designing only two or more games. Consequently, these results tell us that this measurement tool although not validated yet, could measure accumulated learning in certain contexts. Although this is just the first "outing" of this tool these results strongly indicate that the tool provides an accurate measure of the concept, in this case, learning accumulation or transfer. The Scalable Game Design (SGD) project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve computer science interest in middle schools. The goal of SGD is to use visual language programming software (Agentsheets) to introduce a more positive image of computer science through a game design course.