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Abstract: Given that pair programming has proved to be an effective pedagogical approach for teaching programming skills, it is now important to explore alternative collaborative configurations. One popular configuration is where dyads collaborate by sharing a single computer sitting side-by-side. However, prior research points to potential challenges for elementary students when sharing a single computer when collaborating. This prompted us to explore another configuration where dyads sit side by side but collaborate on a shared virtual platform with individual computers. We compared the discourse of students’ collaboration under these two settings. Results show that although there are no significant differences in the amount of collaborative talk between the two configurations, there is qualitative evidence of how differing affordances of two configurations shape collaborative elementary students’ practices. 

A key affordance of game-based learning environments is their potential to unobtrusively assess student learning without interfering with gameplay. In this paper, we introduce a temporal analytics framework for stealth assessment that analyzes students' problem-solving strategies. The strategy-based temporal analytic framework uses long short-term memory network-based evidence models and clusters sequences of students' problem-solving behaviors across consecutive tasks. We investigate this strategy based temporal analytics framework on a dataset of problem solving behaviors collected from student interactions with a game-based learning environment for middle school computational thinking. The results of an evaluation indicate that the strategy-based temporal analytics framework significantly outperforms competitive baseline models with respect to stealth assessment predictive accuracy. 

This paper reports findings from the efforts of a university-based research team as they worked with middle school educators within formal school structures to infuse computer science principles and computational thinking practices. Despite the need to integrate these skills within regular classroom practices to allow all students the opportunity to learn these essential 21st Century skills, prior practice has been to offer these learning experiences outside of mainstream curricula where only a subset of students has access. We have sought to leverage elements of the research-practice partnership framework to achieve our project objectives of integrating computer science and computational thinking within middle science classrooms. Utilizing a qualitative approach to inquiry, we present narratives from three case schools, report on themes across work sites, and share recommendations to guide other practitioners and researchers who are looking to engage in technology-related initiatives to impact the lives of middle grades students.