Abstract
As computing has become an integral part of our world, demand for teaching computational thinking in K-12 has increased. One of its basic competences is programming, often taught by learning activities without a predefined solution using block-based visual programming languages. Automatic assessment tools can support teachers with their assessment and grading as well as guide students throughout their learning process. Although being already widely used in higher education, it remains unclear if such approaches exist for K-12 computing education. Thus, in order to obtain an overview, we performed a systematic mapping study. We identified 14 approaches, focusing on the analysis of the code created by the students inferring computational thinking competencies related to algorithms and programming. However, an evident lack of consensus on the assessment criteria and instructional feedback indicates the need for further research to support a wide application of computing education in K-12 schools.
Highlights
The digital age has transformed the world and workforce, making computing and IT technologies part of our daily lives
By focusing on performance-based assessments based on the analysis of the code created by the students, the approaches infer an assessment of computational thinking concepts and practices, related to the concept of algorithms and programming, based on the code
We present the state of the art on approaches to assess computer programs developed by students using block-based visual programming languages in K-12 education
Summary
The digital age has transformed the world and workforce, making computing and IT technologies part of our daily lives. In this context, it becomes imperative that citizens have a clear understanding of the principles and practice of computer science (CSTA, 2016). Teaching computing in school focuses on computational thinking, which refers to expressing solutions as computational steps or algorithms that can be carried out by a computer (CSTA, 2016). It involves solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human be-. Such a competence is valuable well beyond the computing classroom, enabling students to become computationally literate and fluent to fully engage with the core concepts of computer science (Bocconi et al, 2016; CSTA, 2016)
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