Bit:sort : Bringing Tangible Computing to Computer Science Unplugged to Support Children's Algorithmic Explorations
Maja Dybboe, Magnus Høholt Kaspersen, Johanne Birkkjær Bjerrum, Marianne Graves Petersen · 2025
CS Unplugged: computing education activities without digital tools have successfully engaged young students in fundamental computing concepts. While CS Unplugged fosters qualities such as collaboration and kinesthetic engagement, it requires significant facilitation and offers little room for students' experimentation. Addressing these limitations, we augment unplugged activities with tangible computing by designing and evaluating Bit:sort. Bit:sort supports young students' exploration of sorting algorithms using the micro:bit platform, maintaining the embodied elements of unplugged activities while using tangible computing to direct the activity and provide motivation for collaborative learning. We conducted a study with six groups of 4th-grade students (n=35). Our findings indicate that while students struggle to articulate their problem-solving strategies verbally, they demonstrate algorithmic reasoning through kinesthetic explorations. We discuss the qualities and limitations of augmenting CS Unplugged and propose design guidelines for replugged activities to foster scalable and exploratory learning experiences while maintaining core qualities of the unplugged approach.