Understanding the Collaborative Learning Implementation Cycle (CLIC) for a Teacher Learning to Promote Computationally Rich Communication in a Remote STEM Classroom

Promoting productive student talk and computational collaboration in small group work is challenging, especially during COVID-19 induced remote learning. This paper describes a case study of one middle school teacher's participation in a professional learning community and implementations of a physical computing unit where students created data displays to collect and analyze environmental data. The focal teacher implemented the unit twice with astonishingly better results in the second iteration. We discuss lessons from how she participated in a professional learning cycle that used reflection, adaptive support and co-designed tools that helped achieve her vision for student collaboration. © 2022 International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS). All rights reserved.

Remote access laboratory setup for physical computing courses

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutes worldwide to rapidly adapt to a remote-only learning environment. This poses significant challenges for laboratories involving hands-on training and interaction with specialized equipment, such as those of physical computing courses. In this context, we present a simple, low-cost solution for conducting remote laboratories in microcontroller and PLC programming, by adapting existing lab hardware and extending it to function remotely. A key element of the proposed setup is a physical input simulator board, which allows remote users to issue inputs (digital and/or analog signals) to the development hardware, through a graphical user interface application running on the workstation PC. The latter is also equipped with a camera and a light, so as to form a complete remote access and monitoring solution. This setup was used during the coronavirus lockdown in two courses of the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Hellenic Mediterranean University, receiving a very positive evaluation from the students. The proposed setup can also be used as a hybrid solution for laboratories during normal conditions, and to facilitate efficient use of teaching resources by allowing 24/7 access to the laboratory units. © 2022 IEEE.

Collaborative learning with block-based programming: investigating human-centered artificial intelligence in education

In this article, we investigate human-centered artificial intelligence (HCAI) in an educational context where pupils used block-based programming in small groups to solve tasks given by the teacher. We used a design-based research approach in which we, together with the teachers, created a maker space for explorative science learning and organised teaching interventions wherein the pupils met online three hours a week for 16 weeks for an entire school year. Due to COVID-19, data were collected through Zoom, with collaborative learning situations captured through screen sharing and online communication using webcams. We employed three data analysis techniques: interaction analysis, visual artifact analysis, and thematic analysis. We developed an analytical framework for integration using thematic coding that combined concepts from computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and domai-oriented design environments. We report the following findings: 1) Three types of rules between design units were identified with visual artifact analysis: latent, generic, and domai-specific rules;2) two types of CSCL artifacts (technology and discussions) were intertwined and developed in parallel, along with a computer-based scaffolding scenario that offloads domai-specific scaffolding from humans to computers.

RaspyLab: A Low-Cost Remote Laboratory to Learn Programming and Physical Computing Through Python and Raspberry Pi

This article describes the development and assessment of RaspyLab which is a low-cost Remote Laboratory (RL) to learn and teach programming with Raspberry Pi and Python language. The RL is composed of 16 stations or nodes that contain hardware components such as display LCD, robotic arm, temperature sensor, among others, and two modes of programming (graphical and text-based) for the students to experiment with their designed algorithms. The concept of the RL was conceived as a pedagogical tool to support the students of Engineering and Computer Science (CS) in an online learning format, given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The laboratory has been used by ([Formula Omitted]) CS students during the second semester of 2020 in the subject of mathematical logic through the methodology of Problem-Based Learning (PBL). To evaluate preliminary the laboratory, it was used a survey with 3 open-ended questions and 12 closed-ended questions on a Likert scale according to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The outcomes show a good reception of the laboratory, an enhancement of the students’ learning regarding the concepts addressed in the course, and an interest of the students for the laboratory to be included in other subjects of the curricula.

Experiences in Developing and Testing BBC Micro: Bit Games in a K-12 Coding Club during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the traditional teaching and learning process, moving students' educational hands-on activities carried out in the classroom to home activities that include the use of online tools. Here we describe an after-class online coding club conducted for a month, where elementary (primary) school students programmed and tested games running on the BBC Micro: bit microcontroller board. By developing gaming mini-projects, the students learned computing topics such as logic, sensors, random number generation, game development and programming, and how small physical computing mini-projects were conducted. In this paper, we describe how students and an instructor developed and tested games made for the Micro: bit, running an online simulator and physically using the Micro: bit at home. The paper shows lessons learned on developing games with the BBC Micro: bit in the coding club, and challenges that students encountered in the game development with the BBC Micro: bit. Future work includes multisensory educational gaming projects with the BBC Micro: bit. © 2021 IEEE.