ALGORITHMIC THINKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: DETERMINING OBSERVABLE AND MEASURABLE CONTENT

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Nowadays algorithmic thinking, as a key demand and the main requirement of technology-based society, extensively expands outwards the computer science area and rapidly becomes a meaningful instrumentality for effective realization of any information activities with or without ICT. This instrumentality creates new opportunities and possibilities for improvement of the effectiveness of any educational professional activities in the higher education context by creating problem-solving algorithms completely within the ICT area, as well as non-ICT-based algorithms that provide clear technological step-by-step instructions for solving a diversity of educational problems. Although attention to algorithmic thinking as scientific phenomenon is increasing, the studies aimed at determining the algorithmic thinking content in observable and measurable statements have not been conducted yet and its great potential is still undiscovered. The purpose of this study is to identify, clarify, and categorize algorithmic thinking content in observable and measurable knowledge, skills, and abilities statements (KSAs). The study is a mixed-methods type of development research carried out in 4 stages: 1) extraction of the KSA statements from the extant scientific literature related to algorithmic thinking; 2) design of The Algorithmic Thinking Content Survey (ATCS) based on the five steps Universal Sequence of an Algorithm Development (USAD); 3) administration of the ATCS on a wide variety of educational professionals (N = 117); 4) data analysis aimed to obtain the content of algorithmic thinking in observable and measurable KSA statements. The design of the ATCS is also based on algorithmic thinking as a complex phenomenon that integrates five types of thinking: abstract, logical, figurative, conceptual, and constructive. The administration of the ATCS involved 117 experts – educational professionals (11 professors who teach courses concerning algorithms and computer science, 23 practicing teachers of informatics, 35 students in the 3rd year of Informatics teacher training program, and 48 master students of informatics). Expert validation of algorithmic thinking content in knowledge, skills, and abilities statements was obtained through the Likert scale. One hundred KSA statements of algorithmic thinking content were obtained (32 statements of knowledge, 38 statements of skills, and 30 statements of abilities).