Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction to Computational Thinking for University Students

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Informatics in Schools. New Ideas in School Informatics (ISSEP 2019)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 11913))

Abstract

Computer Science education has a long tradition at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. A lot of students apply for BSc studies that consists of 6 semesters, and it provides a general overview of the world of Informatics: the appropriate mathematical and theoretical background and practice in programming and software engineering. Our experiences show three basic problems of an computer science education at BSc level in English: an inadequate level of English language skills, the lack of the basics in mathematics, and inexperience in algorithmic thinking and problem solving. When applying to the university, students are tested for English language and mathematics skills, and based on the results they might be assigned to study in a preliminary year, where they have courses that improve their skills in English and mathematics. However, there was no course that aimed at improving algorithmic thinking and problem solving skills, and students’ lack of these skills often resulted in problems and learning difficulties in the introductory programming course. This experience has inspired us to develop and start a new course (Introduction to Computational Thinking) that focuses on improving computational thinking skills, with emphasis on algorithmic thinking and problem solving skill development. The aim of our paper is to describe the structure of the course, to introduce what was done in the first semester, and present our first experiences with this course. We would like to follow our students as they progress to their first year in their university studies, look at their results in programming classes, and improve our course based on the results.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://challenge.bebras.uk/index.php?action=user_competitions.

  2. 2.

    https://studio.code.org/s/express-2018/stage/2/puzzle/2.

  3. 3.

    https://studio.code.org/s/csp2-2018/stage/2/puzzle/1.

  4. 4.

    https://learnlearn.uk/microbit/2016/07/05/steady-hand-game/.

  5. 5.

    https://makecode.microbit.org/projects/timing-gates.

  6. 6.

    https://tinkercademy.com/tutorials/microbit-morse-code-transmit-receive/.

References

  1. Canedo, E.D., Santos, G.A., Leite, L.L.: An assessment of the teaching-learning methodologies used in the introductory programming courses at a Brazilian University. Inform. Educ. 17(1), 45–59 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Pluhár, Zs., Torma, H., Törley, G.: Hallgatói teljesítményértékelés az algoritmikus gondolkodás tükrében. In: Szlávi, P., Zsakó, L. (eds.) InfoDidact 2018. Webdidactica Alapítvány (2019). https://people.inf.elte.hu/szlavi/InfoDidact18/Manuscripts/PzsTHTG.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2019

  3. Wing, J.: Computational thinking. Commun. ACM 49, 33–35 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wing, J.: Research Notebook: Computational Thinking - What and Why? The Link. Carneige Mellon, Pittsburgh (2011). https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~CompThink/resources/TheLinkWing.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct 2018

  5. Hu, C.: Computational thinking: what it might mean and what we might do about it. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Joint Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. ACM, Darmstadt (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Casey, P.J.: Computer Programming: A Medium for Teaching Problem Solving. The Haworth Press, New York (1997). Computers in the Schools, vol. XIII, pp. 41–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. OECD (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Csapó, B.: A tanulás dimenziói és a tudás szerveződése. Educatio 2008(2), 107–217 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Adey, P., Csapó, B.: A tudományos gondolkodás fejlesztése és értékelése. In: Csapó, B., Szabó, G. (eds.) Tartalmi keretek a természettudomány diagnosztikus értékeléséhez, pp. 17–57. Budapest, Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Chen-Chung, L., Yuan-Bang, C., Chia-Wen, H.: The effect of simulation games on the learning of computational problem solving. Comput. Educ. 57, 1907–1918 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Selby C.C.: Computational Thinking: The Developing Definition. Submitted for ItiCSE Conference 2013 (2013). http://people.cs.vt.edu/~kafura/CS6604/Papers/CT-Developing-Definition.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct 2018

  12. Zsakó, L., Szlávi P.: Informatikai kompetenciák: Algoritmikus gondolkodás. InfoDidact 2010 (2010). https://people.inf.elte.hu/szlavi/InfoDidact10/Manuscripts/ZsL_SzP.htm. Accessed 07 Nov 2018

  13. Bloom, B.S., Krathwohl, D.R.: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals, by a committee of college and university examiners. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. Longmans, Green, New York (1956)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., et al. (eds.): A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Allyn & Bacon, Boston (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Brennan, K, Resnick, M.: New frameworks for studying and assessing the development of computational thinking, AREA (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Brennan, K.: Creative computing: A design-based introduction to computational thinking (2011). http://scratched.media.mit.edu/sites/default/files/CurriculumGuide-v20110923.pdf. Accessed 25 Oct 2016

  17. Aiken, J.M., et al.: Understanding student computational thinking with computational modeling. In: PERC Proceedings (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bell, T., Witten, I.H., Fellows, M.: Computer Sciene Unplugged (2010). http://csunplugged.org/books. Accessed 25 Oct 2016

  19. Dagiene, V.: Information technology contests – introduction to computer science in a attractive way. Inform. Educ. 5(1), 37–46 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Cartelli, A., Dagiene, A., Futschek, G.: Bebras contest and digital competence assessment: analysis of frameworks. Int. J. Digit. Lit. Digit. Competence 1, 24–39 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Pluhár, Z., Gellér, B.: International informatic challenge in Hungary. In: Auer, Michael E., Guralnick, D., Simonics, I. (eds.) ICL 2017. AISC, vol. 716, pp. 425–435. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73204-6_47

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. CS Unplugged website. http://csunplugged.org. Accessed 10 Nov 2018

  23. Computer Science for Fun website. http://cs4fun.org. Accessed 10 Nov 2018

  24. Bell, T., Curzon, P., Cutts, Q., Dagiene, V., Haberman, B.: Overcoming obstacles to CS education by using non-programming outreach programmes. In: Kalaš, I., Mittermeir, Roland T. (eds.) ISSEP 2011. LNCS, vol. 7013, pp. 71–81. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24722-4_7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Bell, T., Witten, I.H., Fellows, M.: CS Unplugged (2015). www.csunplugged.org

  26. Lambert, L., Guiffre, H.: Computer science outreach in an elementary school. J. Comput. Sci. Coll. 24(3), 118–124 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mano, C., Allan, V., Cooley, D.: Effective in-class activities for middle school outreach programs. In: Proceedings of 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2010, pp. F2E-1–F2E-6 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Taub, R., Ben-Ari, M., Armoni, M.: The effect of CS unplugged on middle-school students’ views of CS. In: Proceedings of 14th Annual SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2009, pp. 99–103 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Dagiene, V., Futschek, G., Koivisto, J., Stupurienė, G.: The card game of Bebras-like tasks for introducing informatics concepts. In: ISSEP 2017 Online Proceedings. Helsinki, 13.11.2017–15.11.2017 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Sentance, S., Waite, J., Hodges, S., MacLeod, E., Yeomans, L.: “Creating Cool Stuff”: Pupil’s experience of the BBC micro:bit. In: Proceedings Of The 2017 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Seattle, Washington, USA, pp. 531–536 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1145/3017680.3017749

  31. Ball, T., et al.: Microsoft touch develop and the BBC micro:bit. In: Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Software Engineering Companion, pp. 637–640 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2889160.2889179

  32. micro:bit hardware description. https://tech.microbit.org/hardware/. Accessed 31 May 2019

  33. Abonyi-Tóth, A.: Programozzunk micro:biteket! ELTE Informatikai Kar (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Resnick, M.: Sowing the seeds for a more creative society. Learn. Lead. Technol. 35, 18–22 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Jonassen, D.H.: Toward a design theory of problem solving. Educ. Technol. Res. Dev. 48(4), 63–85 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Informatics, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Zsuzsa Pluhár & Hajnalka Torma

Authors
  1. Zsuzsa Pluhár
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hajnalka Torma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zsuzsa Pluhár .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Sergei N. Pozdniakov

  2. Data Science Institute, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Valentina Dagienė

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Pluhár, Z., Torma, H. (2019). Introduction to Computational Thinking for University Students. In: Pozdniakov, S., Dagienė, V. (eds) Informatics in Schools. New Ideas in School Informatics. ISSEP 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11913. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33759-9_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33759-9_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33758-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33759-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation