The Effects of Using Poly-Universe on Computational Thinking in Biology and Physical Education

Abstract

Today’s teaching and didactical methods are trying more and more to integrate digital technologies and computational thinking (CT) into other subjects. One way of combining and integrating these important skills and CT into all subjects, school levels, and school types is to include the game Poly-Universe (PolyUni). According to the results of the Poly-Universe in School Education (PUSE) study 2018, the game can be expected to have a positive effect on visual perceptual progress, including isolation and the development of shape-background skills. So far, however, comparatively few attempts have been made to explore the educational possibilities of PolyUni for different school levels and subjects, besides mathematics. This research explores how PolyUni can be used to promote CT and to evaluate whether the learning objectives in the subjects of physical education and biology have been achieved. Furthermore, it examines how PolyUni combines the requirements of the different curricula in secondary school, based on self-designed tasks. Additionally, further aspects PolyUni can promote besides the curriculum in secondary school are discussed. To explore the above-mentioned aspects, a mixed-methods study methodology was used. The participant observation method was employed for qualitative data collection, and a self-designed assessment grid and additional picture analysis were used for the quantitative data. The game was utilized in two workshops for biology and physical education at an Austrian secondary school, and fifty-six students were observed and analyzed. Based on the present data, it can be assumed that PolyUni helps to achieve the requirements of the curricula and pre-defined teaching and learning objectives in a playful way. Furthermore, the game not only promotes CT in secondary school but also encourages enjoyment and collaboration between peers in biology and physical education lessons.