Co-de: an online learning platform for computational thinking

Abstract

Computational thinking (CT) has gained wide recognition as an important K-12 educational goal, initially in the context of computer science (CS), and more recently also beyond CS. The development of CT teaching materials and approaches is therefore of prime importance. Here, an online learning platform for CT, named Co-De, is presented. It addresses five major aspects of CT explicitly, in the context of a variety of computational problems. Students using Co-De, work through classes, individually or in teams, doing a mixture of unplugged and online exercises and quizzes, as well as some programming. Teachers can fine-tune the default Co-De learning paths to cater for their specific groups of students and/or specific learning goals. Co-De is implemented on top of the open-source learning platform Moodle. It can be used directly at a central server, or a customised version can be installed and used locally.