ISTE Standards for Students 1.5 – Computational Thinker

This standard indicates that students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems that leverage technological methods’ power to create and test solutions. Therefore, students should:

1.5.a. formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models, and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

1.5.b. collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

1.5.c. break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.

1.5.d. understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

Similar to ISTE Standards for Students 1.4 – Innovative Designer, teaching undergraduate students in higher education should comply with the 21^st-century skills expectations, called 6C (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, citizenship, and character education), as elaborated in my post, Promoting the 6C’s of Education through Digital Technologies in Higher Education – Ignasia Yuyun. Notably, in this digital era, students are expected to develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems that leverage the power of technological methods to create and test solutions, which is the core of computational thinking.

My post, Boosting Students’ Innovative Design and Computational Thinking Through Project-Based Learning in Higher Education – Ignasia Yuyun, reveals an example of classroom activities promoting innovative design and computation thinking among undergraduate students. Remarkably, the project-based learning activities provide room for students to develop and employ strategies in problem-solving with the support of digital technologies. In this case, students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models, and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions (Standard 1.5.a.). To illustrate, the CTD Genius Hour Project (e-Module Development) requires students to do curriculum design steps, including needs analysis, environment analysis, and principle considerations. These activities analyze data and resources to develop suitable teaching methods, materials, activities, and assessments for a particular group of learners. The students leverage digital technologies, such as tools and applications (Mendeley, Google Forms), to analyze data and resources in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making (Standard 1.5.b.). Another class activity that promotes data analysis and problem-solving solutions is the Critical Review Paper in the CTD Playlist Project. This activity requires students to critically evaluate a research journal article and provide arguments supported by other references. In this case, students analyze related resources to present their arguments.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, the CTD Genius Hour Project (e-Module Development) provides a series of procedures, such as needs analysis, environment analysis, principle consideration, teaching methods, materials, activities, assessments, and evaluation. Students break problems into component parts through these steps, extract essential information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving (Standard 1.5.c.). Besides, these activities allow students to understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions (Standard 1.5.d.). Notably, one of the steps, designing teaching activities, consists of lesson planning, which requires students to develop a sequence of steps of teaching-learning activities.

To summarize, various activities in technology-enhanced language learning should be developed to sharpen other global skills in 21st-century education and develop the thinking skills and creativity of globally competitive graduates (Yuyun, 2020).