A retrospective review of 50 years of research and development experience showing the connectedness of the author's theoretical ideas to practical application. An effort to show designers how over the span of a career new ideas begin as work-related insights and discoveries that by problem solving flow together to create a unique personal view of…

Computational thinking is accepted today as a collection of cognitive and social skills required for functioning in the 21st century. The paper presents a conceptual view at computational thinking that encompass concepts, problem-solving skills, application skills, and social skills. To impart those perceptions and skills the paper proposes the…

With the challenges of a global pandemic, political and social unrest, and the consequences these issues bring, there is a universal call for empathy as we attempt to maneuver through this tumultuous time. For instructional designers, this includes employing empathy and empathic design as they grapple with how to design instructional interventions…

Theoretical work is essential to the progress of any discipline. Theories, models, and frameworks are underdetermined representations of a phenomenon that help us understand and take action in a domain. However, the field of learning design and technology (LDT) has traditionally struggled with developing a solid theoretical foundation that is…

In the contemporary society, it is important to cultivate students' visual literacy. However, there has been a lack of sufficient training for students to improve their visual literacy in the classroom. A problem-posing approach (Visual Thinking Strategy, VTS, a learning strategy with question sequences to facilitate critical inquiry) has been…

A majority of research in Computational Thinking (CT) mainly focuses on teaching coding to school students. However, CT involves more than just coding and includes other skills like algorithmic thinking. The current study developed an Online Inquiry-based Learning Platform for Computational Thinking (CT-ONLINQ) that follows Inquiry-Based Learning…

Employing authentic cases experienced by practitioners in educational contexts is critical to expanding students' experience and engaging students in authentic problems to promote their real-world problem-solving skills. Although in real life, practitioners experience both success and failure and learn from both, little research has been done so…

The purpose of this research is to investigate students' learning experiences in a systematic game development process. The study was conducted at a science and arts center, where gifted students can enroll in after-school activities. Fifteen students and one instructor participated in a 12-week problem-solving implementation. During the last five…

A Multi-touch table functions as a tablet, but allows multiple children to move around and manipulate the screen simultaneously. Using social cognitive theory (Bandura 1997) to analyze group dynamics, this study examined computer-supported collaborative learning. Children were observed and recorded for 20 min, three times a week for 5 weeks as…

Computer programming is a subject that requires problem-solving strategies and involves a great number of programming logic activities which pose challenges for learners. Therefore, providing learning support and guidance is important. Collaborative learning is widely believed to be an effective teaching approach; it can enhance learners' social…

Online educational games have been widely used to support students' mathematics learning. However, their effects largely depend on student-related factors, the most prominent being their behavioral characteristics as they play the games. In this study, we applied a set of learning analytics methods (k-means clustering, data visualization) to…

Much has been written about the promise and peril of technology in education. This paper presents an empirical study that explores how technology can play a pivotal role in student learning and how teaching staff can adopt innovative technology-based approaches in the creation of interactive online problem-based learning (PBL) resources, allowing…

Complex problem solving is an effective means to engage students in disciplinary content while also furnishing critical non-cognitive and life skills. Despite increased adoption of complex problem-solving methods in K-12 classrooms today (e.g., case-, project-, or problem-based learning), we know little about how to make these approaches…

This paper examines whether using "From Here to There!" (FH2T:E), a dynamic game-based mathematics learning technology relates to improved early algebraic understanding. We use student log files within FH2T to explore the possible benefits of student behaviors and gamification on learning gains. Using in app measures of student…

This study examined the effects of a graduate level, professional development (PD) course on teachers' perceptions, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions regarding the use of digital games in the classrooms, teacher involvement in educational game design, and constructionist gaming. Twenty-one teachers participated in the study. Both…