ERIC Number: EJ1420769
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2520-8705
EISSN: EISSN-2520-8713
Available Date: N/A
Students' Use of Computational Thinking Practices in an Undergraduate Biology-Engineering Course
Anna F. DeJarnette; Corey Larrison; Stephanie M. Rollmann; Dieter Vanderelst; John E. Layne; Anna E. Hutchinson
Journal for STEM Education Research, v5 n1 p53-77 2022
The construct of Computational Thinking (CT) first emerged to describe problem solving in the context of computing environments, but it has expanded to serve as a set of practices that can be applied across disciplines with or without the use of computers. We recorded students' work during two lab sessions in an undergraduate, biology-engineering course to answer the question, how did students' participation in CT practices vary according the disciplinary contexts and the demands of a biology lab compared to the engineering lab? We found that students applied some of the same CT practices, but these practices were used for different purposes across the two labs. The biology lab allowed for more varied CT practices, in part because students did not have to do any programming. These findings indicate how a biology lab that used a computational model, but not a computer, to understand a biological phenomenon led to meaningful engagement in CT. Documenting the ways that different types of tasks from different disciplines elicit aspects of CT in students can make the construct more useful for designing learning experiences and documenting student learning.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Computation, Thinking Skills, Biology, Engineering, Laboratories, Intellectual Disciplines, Educational Practices, Problem Solving, Computer Use
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1759150
Author Affiliations: N/A