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Computational thinking and online learning: A systematic literature review

Kirwan, Colette orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-3145-3574, Costello, Eamon orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-2775-6006 and Donlon, Enda orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-2817-9033 (2018) Computational thinking and online learning: A systematic literature review. In: 17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL 2018), 1-2 Nov 2018, Athens, Greece. ISBN 978-1-5108-7462-6

Abstract
This paper introduces research concerned with investigating how Computational Thinking and online learning can be successfully married to help empower secondary teachers to teach this subject. To aid this research, a systematic literature review was undertaken to investigate what is currently known in the academic literature on where Computational Thinking and online learning intersect. This paper presents the findings of this systematic literature review. It outlines the methodology used and presents the current data available in the literature on how Computational Thinking is taught online. Using a systematic process eight hundred articles were initially identified and then subsequently narrowed down to forty papers. These papers were analysed to answer the following two questions: 1. What are the current pedagogical approaches to teaching Computational Thinking online? 2. What were the categories of online learning observed in the teaching of Computational Thinking? Our findings show that a wide range of pedagogical approaches are used to teach Computational Thinking online, with the constructivist theory of learning being the most popular. The tools used to teach Computational Thinking were also varied, video game design, playing video games, competitions, and unplugged activities, to name a few. A significant finding was the dependency between the tool used and the definition of the term Computational Thinking. Computational Thinking lacks consensus on a definition, and thus the definition stated in the literature changed depending on the tool. By considering a significant body of research up to the present, our findings contribute to teachers, researchers and policy makers understanding of how computational thinking may be taught online at second level.
Metadata
Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Event Type:Conference
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Computational Thinking; Online Learning; Pedagogy; Secondary Education7
Subjects:Social Sciences > Education
Social Sciences > Educational technology
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > NIDL (National Institute for Digital Learning)
DCU Faculties and Schools > Institute of Education > School of STEM Education, Innovation, & Global Studies
Published in: Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL 2018). . Academic Conferences Ltd. ISBN 978-1-5108-7462-6
Publisher:Academic Conferences Ltd
Official URL:http://www.eden-online.org/resources/proceedings-a...
Copyright Information:2018 The Authors.
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
ID Code:22874
Deposited On:13 Dec 2018 15:22 by Fran Callaghan . Last Modified 29 Apr 2022 12:58
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