Introducing Computer Science Unplugged in Pakistan
A Machine Learning Approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22044543 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Seema Jehan (0000-0001-6379-6972, National University of Sciences and Technology), Pakeeza Akram (0000-0001-6534-9367, University of St. Thomas - Minnesota, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 892 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci13090892 |
| OpenAlex | W4386423287 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
Introducing computational thinking at elementary school can develop students’ capabilities and interest in Computing skills. In this study, we introduced the Computer Science unplugged (CS-unplugged) technique in Pakistan. We use paper-based activities to equip students with basic Computer Science skills without introducing any programming language. This study contributes twofold: First, we report the impact of CS-Unplugged training on more than 350 elementary students. The empirical study reveals that the students perform better in solving problems after unplugged training. Improved results in the post-training activity support this impact. Second, we applied machine learning to predict students’ performance. We employed different supervised machine learning algorithms to predict the students’ performance. Our results indicate that the Logistic regression-based model can predict the positive response of the student with a 0.91 receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). This pilot study results encourage introducing unplugged techniques at elementary schools in third-world countries. The goal is to have minimal changes in infrastructure and focus on better student learning. In the future, we plan to introduce more unplugged problem-solving techniques to elementary students by providing little training to the science or math teacher
Computational Thinking · Empirical research · Logistic regression · Machine learning · Mathematics education · Computer Science · Educational Games and Gamification · Mathematics · Online Learning and Analytics · Teaching and Learning Programming · Artificial Intelligence
Coding as a playground
Support-Vector Networks
A systematic review of learning computational thinking through Scratch in K-9
Induction of decision trees
Random Forests
A cognitive definition of computational thinking in primary education
Learning to code and the acquisition of computational thinking by young children
A Systematic Literature Review on Teaching and Learning Introductory Programming in Higher Education
Head Teachers' Perspectives on School Drop-Out in Secondary Schools in Rural Punjab, Pakistan
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |