Exploring Undergraduate Students' Computational Thinking Skills Across Engineering Design Processes

Abstract

Students with strong Computational Thinking (CT) skills possess a unique ability to analyze problems, devise efficient solutions, and navigate the intricacies of a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Given the conceptual overlapping between CT skills and engineering design competencies, engineering design processes provide students with a context for applying and developing CT skills. However, how to promote students to develop CT skills through pedagogical design in engineering education needs further research, especially in the formal higher education context. To address this gap, we constructed a model and designed a course that supports students in applying CT (i.e., decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithm design, and troubleshooting/debugging) skills during multiple engineering design iterations. We collected 13 group design reports from 62 undergraduate students regarding their efforts in designing and solving mazes over three design iterations by applying CT skills. Using mixed methods, we examined what and how CT skills were demonstrated in the group reports, and what changes groups made between design iterations and why. We found that the participants demonstrated five CT skills with differing frequencies and needed more support in troubleshooting. When making changes between design iterations, groups mainly considered enabling users to apply CT skills, avoiding hard coding, adjusting the complexity of the mazes, considering design constraints to meet engineering design requirements, and enhancing user experience. The findings underscore the pressing need to equip students with the ability to navigate and resolve intricacies, particularly in troubleshooting, and groups' abilities to consider various elements when making engineering design decisions.