Computer Science Unplugged Activities Research Articles

The effect of computer science unplugged on abstraction as a sub-component of computational thinking

Since computational thinking is a high-level cognitive skill and its conceptual framework has not yet been clarified, the assessment of this skill is problematic. While there is no consensus in the literature about the components of computational thinking, the abstraction component is located at a point where opinions intersect. In addition, it is predicted that computer science unplugged activities will improve computational thinking, and there is limited research examining this effect. As a result, this research aims to demonstrate the alleged effects of computer science unplugged activities on abstraction skill which is considered the critical component of computational thinking. The study, which was planned with a mixed methods research design, lasted 8 weeks. Quantitative data were obtained from the abstraction skill test developed by the researchers, while qualitative data were obtained from observations and task- based interviews after each activity. Quantitative findings showed that computer science unplugged activities significantly improve abstraction skills and thus computational thinking. Qualitative findings not only revealed that developments in the six abstracting steps caused this significant difference but also identified abstracting steps where the effect of each activity was limited. Suggestions for organizing activities to improve these steps are given. Finally, suggestions are presented for the conceptual framework of computational thinking based on abstraction.

Computer Science Unplugged: A Systematic Literature Review

The computer science (CS) unplugged approach intends to teach CS concepts and computational thinking skills without employing any digital tools. The current study conducted a systematic literature review to analyze research studies that conducted investigations related to implementations of CS unplugged activities. A systematic review procedure was developed and applied to detect and subsequently review relevant research studies published from 2010 to 2019. It was found that 55 research studies (17 articles + 38 conference proceedings) satisfied the inclusion criteria for the analysis. These research studies were then examined with regard to their demographic characteristics, research methodologies, research results, and main findings. It was found that the unplugged approach was realized and utilized differently among researchers. The majority of the studies used the CS unplugged term when referring to “paper–pencil activities,” “problem solving,” “storytelling,” “games,” “tangible programming,” and even “robotics.”

The symbiotic relationship between educational robotics and computer science in formal education

Educational Robotics (ER) has the potential to provide significant benefits to education, provided an increase in outreach by transitioning from the extra-curricular initiatives in which ER has thrived to formal education. As Computer Science (CS) Education is undergoing curricular reforms worldwide, the present study addresses the case of a Digital Education reform that included ER as a means to teach core CS concepts. Approximately 350 teachers from the first four grades of primary school participated in a mandatory two-year continuing professional development (CPD) program. The first year of the program was dedicated to CS and introduced teachers to CS Unplugged (CSU) and Robotics Unplugged (RU) activities. As such, we analyse the interplay between these activities and focus on teachers’ voluntary adoption of the proposed content in classrooms. This is complemented by an analysis of their perception and recommendation of ER. The findings highlight three main points. Firstly, ER benefits from the integration in the CS CPD, as this provides the necessary traction to introduce ER into teacher practices (the teachers freely devoted 2275 h to ER activities in their classrooms, over two years). Secondly, the presence of ER activities in the CS-CPD allows a higher proportion of teachers to adopt the CS content, as there are teachers that favour one type of activity over the other. Finally, the globally positive perception of ER registered in this study is relevant for two reasons: teachers were not voluntarily participating in the CPD, and results did not differ between pioneers and novices.

A computer science and robotics integration model for primary school: evaluation of a large-scale in-service K-4 teacher-training program

Integrating computer science (CS) into school curricula has become a worldwide preoccupation. Therefore, we present a CS and Robotics integration model and its validation through a large-scale pilot study in the administrative region of the Canton Vaud in Switzerland. Approximately 350 primary school teachers followed a mandatory CS continuing professional development program (CPD) of adapted format with a curriculum scaffolded by instruction modality. This included CS Unplugged activities that aim to teach CS concepts without the use of screens, and Robotics Unplugged activities that employed physical robots, without screens, to learn about robotics and CS concepts. Teachers evaluated positively the CPD and their representation of CS improved. Voluntary adoption rates reached 97% during the CPD and 80% the following year. These results combined with the underpinning literature support the generalisability of the model to other contexts.

Computational Thinking Enrichment: Public-Key Cryptography

The Computer Science Unplugged activities and project has been an influential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) initiative, providing enrichment and teaching activities supporting computational thinking. Many of its activities are suitable for children. One of the most popular Unplugged activities is "Kid Krypto", invented by Mike Fellows and Neal Koblitz. Kid Krypto demonstrates the mathematics underlying public-key cryptography without using advanced mathematics. The paper gives an example of a Kid Krypto-style encryption system that is based on disjoint cycles in a graph or network and which is accessible to a very young audience. Also described is the original Kid Krypto system which is based on a version of dominating set called perfect code. The paper urges research scientists to participate in mathematical sciences communication and outreach.

초등학생을 위한 그래프 학습 언플러그드활동 개발

초등학생을 위한 그래프 학습 언플러그드활동 개발

A CS unplugged activity for the online classroom

In this paper, we present a group, asynchronous problem solving exercise designed to introduce non-computer science students to a variety of concepts from artificial intelligence and operations research. The exercise is designed to be a Computer Science (CS) Unplugged activity suitable for the online classroom. CS Unplugged is a methodology for teaching CS concepts using hands-on interactive activities without using a computer. CS Unplugged activities are often used to introduce CS concepts to novices, such as elementary, middle, or high school students; but can also be effective at engaging the non-CS undergraduate student. By definition, CS Unplugged seems at odds with online education, as the participants in the exercise are necessarily using computers. We present an interactive activity motivated by CS Unplugged, but implemented within an asynchronous threaded discussion board. The activity is based on the well-known Bin Packing problem, and is specifically an extension of an existing active learning exercise known as Collective Bin Packing but adapted to the online classroom. The activity is designed for an undergraduate interdisciplinary course as part of a liberal arts curriculum.

CS Unplugged and Middle-School Students’ Views, Attitudes, and Intentions Regarding CS

Many students hold incorrect ideas and negative attitudes about computer science (CS). In order to address these difficulties, a series of learning activities called Computer Science Unplugged was developed by Tim Bell and his colleagues. These activities expose young people to central concepts in CS in an entertaining way without requiring a computer. The CS Unplugged activities have become more and more popular among CS educators and several activities are recommended in the ACM K-12 curriculum for elementary schools. CS Unplugged is used worldwide and has been translated into many languages. We examined the effect of the CS Unplugged activities on middle-school students’ ideas about CS and their desire to consider and study it in high school. The results indicate that following the activities the ideas of the students on what CS is about were partially improved, but their desire to study CS lessened. In order to provide possible explanations to these results, we analyzed the CS Unplugged activities to determine to what extent the objectives of CS Unplugged were addressed in the activities. In addition, we checked whether the activities were designed according to constructivist principles and whether they were explicitly linked to central concepts in CS. We found that only some of the objectives were addressed in the activities, that the activities do not engage with the students’ prior knowledge and that most of the activities are not explicitly linked to central concepts in CS. We offer suggestions for modifying the CS Unplugged activities so that they will be more likely to achieve their objectives.

The effect of CS unplugged on middle-school students' views of CS

Many students hold incorrect views of what computer science (CS) is, and they have negative attitudes towards the field. In order to address these difficulties, a series of learning activities called Computer Science Unplugged was developed by Bell et al. [3]. These activities expose young people to central concepts in CS in an entertaining way, without requiring a computer. Using questionnaires and interviews, we examined the effect of the activities on middle-school students' views of CS, specifically, on their views of: (a) the nature of CS; (b) the characteristics of computer scientists and work in CS; (c) the variety of employment in CS. The results indicate that 'although the students generally understood what CS is' they perceived the computer as the essence of CS and not primarily as a tool, contrary to the intention of the CS Unplugged activities. We suggest additions to the activities intended to increase the change in the views of CS that students have.

A CS unplugged design pattern

"Computer Science (CS) Unplugged" is an educational method for introducing non-specialists to concepts of CS through hands-on activities that don't require the use of a computer. Often the deeper concepts of CS have been considered as being too difficult for elementary and middle school students, and many educators teaching "IT" are not even aware of the richness of the topic. CS Unplugged methods have been used successfully with students of a wide range of ages. In this paper, we analyze the structure of CS Unplugged activities to identify the elements that make them work well. Based on the analysis, we propose a design pattern which will be useful as a guideline for developing new activities, and to revise existing ones. We also describe our experience developing original teaching material, using the pattern as a benchmark for evaluation.