Both computational and creative thinking are frequently cited as critical workforce attributes. This project, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will build on work previously funded under the TUES program (DUE-1122956 "Integrating Computational and Creative Thinking"). The project team will produce a final suite of validated, high quality Computational Creativity Exercises (CCEs) and an associated computational creativity course. They will also carry out rigorous research to understand the efficacy of the CCEs, how that is affected by collaborative interactions and student learning processes, and the impact CCEs have on enrollment and retention in computer science (CS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. CCEs provide an opportunity to creatively solve problems that require a CS principle without writing program code. The exercises encourage development of creative competencies and have already been implemented across a set of introductory CS courses that have common core content but are tailored for different student populations based on their declared majors. In this new project the research team will expand the dissemination and implementation of the CCEs and gain increased understanding of the factors that influence efficacy of the exercises. In addition to dissemination of the exercises and project outcomes, and a workshop for interested faculty, the project impact will be further broadened because the resulting Computational Creativity Course can be delivered via distance education. In addition, the project team will update and enhance K-12 versions of the exercises that have been deployed on Google's Exploring Computational Thinking site.
The foundation of this project is that both computational thinking and creative thinking are viewed as cognitive tools. The CCEs are anchored in instructional design principles such as problem-based learning, written analysis, and reflection. The CCEs correspond to the learning principles of the Unified Learning Model, a learning theory derived from research in cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychology. The main contribution of this project will be to study what implementation conditions impact exercise effectiveness, how student characteristics impact exercise effectiveness, and why exercises produce an effect on learning. There is an extensive evaluation plan that utilizes many types of data including assessments embedded within the exercises, surveys and focus groups, course and exercise grades, and metadata that will provide measures of engagement with specific elements of course material. In addition to project results and artifacts, the substantial database of data and metadata collected will also be made available to other researchers.
